Mary Ann From 'Gilligan's Island,' Dawn Wells, Has Died From COVID-19 : NPR
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December 30, 20203:28 PM ET
Anastasia Tsioulcas
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Actress and TV movie producer Dawn Wells, who became internationally famous as the stranded girl-next-door on the mid-1960s TV sitcom Gilligan's Island , died Wednesday of complications related to the coronavirus. She was 82 years old. Wells' publicist, B. Harlan Boll, announced her death on social media.
Wells was a native of Reno, Nev., and started out as a beauty queen. In 1959, as Miss Nevada, she competed in the Miss America pageant. It was her ticket into show business; soon after, she had minor roles in such shows as 77 Sunset Strip , Maverick , Bonanza and The Joey Bishop Show . In 1964, Wells became the wide-eyed, pigtailed Mary Ann — a sharp contrast to another female castaway, the sexpot movie actress Ginger (played by Tina Louise). The Ginger-vs.-Mary Ann rivalry was a very mid-1960s, straight male fantasy of feminine ideals.
After Well's signature success in Gilligan's Island — which ran on prime time for only three years on CBS, but endlessly for decades in syndication — she later appeared on such shows as Vega$ , Growing Pains , The Bold and the Beautiful and Baywatch — on which her character was once again named Mary Ann. She also voiced Gumbalina Toothington on the children's show The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants and, as a producer, brought movies to CVS, Showtime and Amazon.
But after Gilligan's Island , Wells was always the wholesome Mary Ann. Wells titled her 2014 self-help book (written with Steve Stinson) What Would Mary Ann Do? A Guide to Life .
On Christmas Eve, Wells posted a holiday message and short video to her Facebook page. She wrote, "Keep you heart light and share a few laughs and conversation with someone near and far... Please find joy amidst the pandemic and be cognizant of our overwhelmed first responders. Let's not let our actions make a bigger burden for them. I am thankful and in awe of the dedication of our health care professionals." She did not make reference to her own health.
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Those two girls were terrible actresses, yet they became beloved. Gilligans Island is still in reruns.
RIP Dawn Wells
It was supposed to be campy. It was not a serious drama. Haha
For a long time it was, Ginger or MaryAnn.
always maryann. I think the whole cast is gone now. sad. cutting edge sitcom in it's day.
Me too.
Tina Louise is 86 and still alive.
Many of my friends who watched it with me are now gone.
she was the only one I wasn't absolutely sure of and I was too lazy to look it up.
I hear that.
ok, i can see this, as it's always been a fair question, Ginger, or Marry Ann, but HOWELL did Lovey not get a shovey into the lagoon a la black, and Gilligans creature featured Monster not attack the two formers, and have a threesome for the ages,as Thirston the third cuck, looked on,as the Skipper did slipper one in the professor, but claims it was just an experimeant to make him happier, but not gay, cause, if stuck on an island, with those two, i can think of some ways to spend those long days and nights,
but hey, who didn't...
It was one of the best shows ever!
I think Ginger is the last living cast member.
Skipper was an awesome character. He had good chemistry with his "little buddy" Gilligan. Alan Hale Jr. continued to wear his skippers hat even after the show ended.
RIP Mary Ann.
It was the lamest sit com ever, but I never missed an episode.
Wow. She survived being shipwrecked all those years only to be taken by this disease.
she shoulda stayed on the island
Heck, the Professor might have found some bicycle-powered way to cure the disease.
11 things the Professor built on 'Gilligan's Island' instead of fixing the boat
It would have probably involved coconuts too.
Did you ever notice all the inventions the professor came up but no one could repair the hole in the side of the boat? My favorite was when a band ended up there and they played electric instruments to entertain the group.
I loved when Kurt Russel appeared as a jungle boy.
and escaped in the hot air balloon the professor made from scratch,
while he never fixed the boat, lol