When she was 26, this beloved actor was immortalized by her leading role as a shipwrecked castaway who’s stranded “on an unchartered desert isle” after a “three-hour tour” went awry.
As the years passed, the star who played the unapologetic “goody two-shoes,” grappled with her finances, which multiplied after an “unexpected accident.” And though she was “embarrassed,” the actor graciously accepted almost $200,000 from fans who tossed her a financial buoy.
“Where did the time go? No family, no husband, no kids and no money,” said the late star, who at 82, died from Covid-19 in December 2020. Keep reading to learn the identity of this actor!
Four years after winning the Miss Nevada crown in 1960, this Reno-born woman used her farm-fresh good looks and quickly pivoted to an acting career.
“Big deal. There were only 10 women in the whole state at the time [laughs]. I did that because I was a theatre major and wanted to compete, but I don’t consider myself a beauty queen,” Dawn Wells told Forbes in a 2016 interview. “I do think for beautiful women, the door opens easier, if you follow through by being a nice person.”
In 1964, the door opened really wide for Wells, who previously had smaller TV roles on shows including 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick and Bonanza.
The woman auditioned for a role on Gilligan’s Island, a new TV series that followed the lives of a shipwrecked crew of seven.
Wells played Mary Ann Summers, an innocent farm girl from Kansas known for her Gingham blouses, short shorts, double ponytails and adorable hair bows.
In her 2014 book, “What Would Mary Ann Do?: A Guide to Life,” Wells says the “values and principles” of Mary Ann mirrored her own and are timeless: “I know this because the core of Mary Ann is really me. I mean, I built her from scratch…if you play a character long enough on stage or screen, I think your true self shows through.”
The show only lasted three seasons, and spawned a few movies, but it attracted generations of fans through decades of syndication.
“The series was very good for me, for all of us who were there, because we’re known worldwide. And Mary Ann is loved all over the world. It’s amazing,” she told Forbes.
After Gilligan’s Island ended – the castaways were finally rescued and turned the island into a vacation resort – Wells appeared on several TV series like Columbo and The Bold and the Beautiful. She also reprised her role as Mary Ann on an episode of Baywatch and Roseanne.
The stage actor’s final role on television was in 2019, as the voice of a supernatural dentist on the animated Netflix series The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants.
‘Where did the time go?’
According to Hollywood Reporter, Wells took a fall in August 2018 and revealed that “she was having difficulty paying for the two months of hospital rehabilitation that she needed.”
“After 2008, like many of us, Dawn suffered through the banking crash and lost everything including her life savings in addition, to a life-threatening surgery which came close to killing her,” a friend writes in a GoFundMe campaign that explains Wells was in dire financial straits, needing money to pay the IRS and medical costs. “Dawn was a victim of an unexpected accident that required hospitalization for two months and a very long time to rest and heal.”
The drive, organized by Hollywood hairstylist Dugg Kirkpatrick, raised about $205,000, with fans across the world pitching in to help their “favorite castaway.”
“She did not know that I was setting it up,” Kirkpatrick told People of Wells’ reaction. “She was very upset with me, probably still is a little upset with me because she’s a little bit embarrassed.”
He adds that later, she seemed “to be more on board with it because she’s seeing all the positive things people are saying.”
“I am amazed at the kindness and affection I have received,” the star of The Town That Dreaded Sundown wrote in a statement to Fox News.
The actor, married once to talent agent Larry Rosen from 1962 to 1967, continues, “Where did the time go? I don’t know how this happened. I thought I was taking all the proper steps to ensure my golden years. Now, here I am, no family, no husband, no kids and no money.”
Dawn Wells: 1938 to 2020
On December 30, 2020, the actor who was adored by millions for her girl-next-door appeal, died at 82 of Covid-related causes.
Wells died in Los Angeles of causes related to COVID-19, her publicist announced.
Tina Louise, 90, who played Ginger on Gilligan’s Island, is the last surviving member of the original cast. Other castaways from the SS Minnow ibclude Bob Denver as Gilligan (1935 to 2005), Alan Hale Jr. as The Skipper (1921 to 1990), Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III (1913 to 1989), Natalie Schafer as Mrs. Howell (1900 to 1991) and the Professor, played by Russell Johnson (1924 to 2014).
Wells writes in her book of her infamous character, “Mary Ann wasn’t just a silly and sweet ingenue. She was bright, fair-minded and reasonable, and I like to think that’s what I brought to her. She was a little more of a Goody Two-shoes than I am.”
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- Dawn Wells opens up on relation with Bob Denver on Gilligan’s Island
- Natalie Schafer, who played Mrs. Howell on Gilligan’s Island, was a millionaire in real life
