Skip to main content
Dawn Wells

Dawn Wells

Actor · 1938 – 2020 · Reno, Nevada, USA

A wholesome beauty with comedic appeal, Dawn Elberta Wells was born on October 18, 1938 in Reno, Nevada. Wells' childhood was a happy and healthy one. She and her mother grew their own fruits and vegetables in their gardens and Dawn rode horses. In her high school years, she was the class treasurer, President of the debate team and an honor roll student. Dawn was on her way to becoming a ballerina, but bad knees prevented her from realizing the dream. She was Miss Nevada in 1959 and went on to the 1960 Miss America Pageant. Dawn had wanted to be a doctor, and enrolled in the elite Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri to study medicine, but then she discovered the Drama Club. She then transferred to the University of Washington, which was known for their Theatre Department, and she graduated with a Degree in Theatre. Dawn moved to Hollywood and was cast as Mary Ann Summers on CBS's Gilligan's Island (1964). The rest is history. However, there was much more to Dawn than her simple Mary Ann character. Wells refused to be an unemployed actor after the show ended and was never out of work since the show decades ago. She performed in over 66 theatrical productions, including the National Touring Company of "They're Playing Our Song!" She did countless voice-overs, commercials and talk shows. She worked for the Australian news show "Midday" and interviewed such talents as Julia Roberts, Eddie Murphy and Tom Hanks, to name a few. Dawn has also had great success as a producer and has a number of television movies to her credit. After years of touring and performing in dramas, comedies, and musical theatre, Dawn slowed down a little. In 1998, she founded the Dawn Wells' Film Actors Boot Camp in Driggs, Idaho. The camp is for the already trained actor looking to make the transition from the amateur to the professional actor. Wells managed the camp for many years. She has been in a popular commercial for Western Union, capitalizing on her character Mary Ann Summers. In 2003, Dawn did tours of the plays "Love Letters" with Adam West and Eve Ensler's Award Winning "The Vagina Monologues." In early 2004, Dawn established and founded The Spud Film Institute in Idaho and Wyoming, and held the first ever Spud Drive in Film and Music Festival in the summer of 2004. She was also the artistic director of the festival. If that is not enough, Ms. Wells also had her own clothing line for the physically challenged called "Wishing Wells Collections" and she recently launched her own skin care line, Classic Beauty. Dawn Wells continued to contribute to the business she loved so much and constantly gave back to the acting community. She mentored young actors and traveled to colleges all across the United States to teach Master Classes. She served as Artist in Residence at several Universities. Dawn was in constant demand for personal appearances and speaking engagements, yet never forgot to give back to the Artistic community. She will surely be remembered for all her good work. Wells passed away on December 30, 2020 at age 82. You can get information about all of Dawn's organizations at her website, dawn-wells.com.

Series24

  • TV5.8

    The Mike Douglas Show

    1961 · 11 votes

  • TV7.3
  • TV7.6

    Hollywood Squares

    1998 · 7 votes

  • TV6.3

    The Love Boat

    1977 · 199 votes

  • TV7.0

    Maverick

    1957 · 43 votes

  • TV7.5

    Bonanza

    1959 · 500 votes

  • TV6.6

    Wagon Train

    1957 · 31 votes

  • TV5.6

    The F.B.I.

    1965 · 25 votes

  • TV6.3

    Matt Houston

    1982 · 28 votes

  • TV6.3

    Burke's Law

    1963 · 12 votes

  • TV7.8
  • TV7.3

    Girlfriends

    2000 · 48 votes

  • TV6.2

    Cheyenne

    1955 · 26 votes

  • TV7.6

    The Wild Wild West

    1965 · 86 votes

  • TV7.6

    ALF

    1986 · 1.3K votes

  • TV7.3

    Celebrity Ghost Stories

    2009 · 19 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Invaders

    1967 · 62 votes

  • TV5.6

    Hawaiian Eye

    1959 · 10 votes

  • TV6.5

    Vicki!

    1992 · 2 votes

  • TV6.3

    Surfside 6

    1960 · 3 votes

  • TV6.9

    Vega$

    1978 · 25 votes

  • TV7.2

    77 Sunset Strip

    1958 · 26 votes

  • TV6.7

    The Detectives

    1959 · 10 votes

  • TV6.7

    Laramie

    1959 · 18 votes

Movies15

  • Movie5.8
  • Movie5.5

    High School U.S.A.

    1983 · 36 votes

  • Movie4.5
  • Movie5.8

    Super Sucker

    2002 · 12 votes

  • Movie5.3

    Lover's Knot

    1996 · 3 votes

  • Movie6.6
  • Movie7.2
  • Movie4.8

    This Is Our Time

    2013 · 15 votes

  • Movie4.8

    The New Interns

    1964 · 5 votes

  • Movie5.2
  • Movie4.5

    Return to Boggy Creek

    1977 · 13 votes

  • Movie6.6

    Winterhawk

    1975 · 26 votes

  • Movie2.5

    Silent but Deadly

    2012 · 2 votes

  • Movie5.5

    The Gilligan Manifesto

    2018 · 8 votes

  • Movie3.8

    Soulmates

    1992 · 6 votes