Dawn Wells

Her great-great-grandfather was a stagecoach driver during the 1849 California gold rush.

Her alma mater, Stephens College in Columbia, MO, is a college for women. Joan Crawford was expelled there in the early 1920s.

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 rolls 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.

She received an Associate degree from Stephens College in Columbia, MO, and later a Bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in 1960.

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 bit.

Has appeared in nearly 100 theatrical productions since 1967, averaging two plays a year.

Was set to play the role of Nora in the Disney film Pete's Dragon (1977). She bowed out just before filming began and was replaced by Helen Reddy. Her co-star from Gilligan's Island (1964), Jim Backus, makes a cameo in the film as the Mayor.

Auditioned for the role of Lois Lane in Superman (1978), but lost to Margot Kidder.

Just before Alan Hale Jr.'s death, he contributed a family recipe ("Kansas Chicken and Dumplings") to her 1993 cookbook, "Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook". Hale, whose character was the inspiration behind such included concoctions as, "Skipper's Coconut Pie", "Skipper's Navy Bean Soup" and "Skipper's Goodbye Ribeye", can be seen depicted as Skipper Jonas Grumby, in numerous photographs throughout the book.

She co-produced and starred on a television show called Dawn Wells: Reel Adventures (1997).

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 ran the camp for many years. She has been in a popular commercial for Western Union, capitalizing on her Mary Ann character.

Colleen Haskell, from Survivor (2000) was often compared to Wells' character Mary Ann Summers from Gilligan's Island (1964).

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.

As of November 2005 she was producing television in Los Angeles, CA.

As of January 2009 she was dividing her time between her home in Los Angeles and her ranch in Idaho. She also serves, along with fitness celebrity Denise Austin, as a spokeswoman for Idaho Potatoes.