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Born: Dawn Wells on October 18, 1938 in Reno NV, USA
Died: at 7:30am on Dec 30, 2020 in Woodland Hills, CA
America's favorite castaway, Dawn Wells, passed
peacefully this morning, in no pain as a result of complications due to Covid
at the age of 82
There is so much more to Dawn Wells than Mary Ann of
GILLIGAN’S ISLAND (the longest running sitcom still showing worldwide in over
30 languages!)
A native of Reno, Ms. Wells represented Nevada in theMiss America pageant in 1959. She found success in Hollywood immediately
afterward, appearing in such shows as 77 SUNSET STRIP, MAVERICK, BONANZA, THE
JOEY BISHOP SHOW and HAWAIIAN EYE. She was later cast in the role of a lifetime
as Mary Ann in GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, beating out 350 other actresses.
Dawn was an actress, producer, author, journalist,motivational speaker, teacher, humanitarian, spokesperson, and chairwoman of
the Terry Lee Wells Foundation -- focusing on women and children in Northern
Nevada and ran her Film Actors Boot Camp for 7 years in Idaho.
She has starred in over 150 TV shows, and 7 motion
pictures, and has starred in 60+ theatrical productions across the country and
on The Great White Way.
Dawn appeared and starred in TV shows, including WILD
WILD WEST, THE F.B.I., VEGA$, GROWING PAINS, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, and
BAYWATCH (as Mary Ann Summers). Most recently Dawn starred in her award winning
role of Annie Hughes in the webseries LIFE INTERRUPTED and the web series
shorts SHE'S STILL ON THAT FREAKING ISLAND with Terry Ray, as well as the voice
of Gumbalina Toothington in animated series THE EPIC TALES OF CAPTAIN
UNDERPANTS.
Dawn appeared in 7 motion pictures, including WINTERHAWK
(which she also narrated), THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN (with Andrew Prine),
SUPER SUCKER (with Jeff Daniels), THE NEW INTERNS, IT’S OUR TIME, and SILENT
BUT DEADLY.
She has starred in 60+ theatrical productions from Noel
Coward to Neil Simon, as well as the National Tours of CHAPTER TWO and THEY’RE
PLAYING OUR SONG. Favorite productions include FATAL ATTRACTION with Ken
Howard, THE ODD COUPLE with Marcia Wallace, THE ALLERGIST’S WIFE, STEEL
MAGNOLIAS (Ouiser), THE WOMEN, THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES and on tour as Gingy in
LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE (by Nora and Delia Ephron).
She was the “castaway correspondent” for Channel 9
(Sydney, Australia) interviewing such actors and directors as Robin Williams,
Eddie Murphy, Julia Roberts, Rene Russo, Mel Gibson, Ron Howard, and Richard
Donner and presented Sandra Bullock with a Coconut Cream Pie, as the two women
both knew what it’s like to be stranded, for the premiere of GRAVITY.
As a producer, she brought two Movies of the Week to CBS:
SURVIVING GILLIGAN’S ISLAND, and RETURN TO THE BAT CAVE, with Adam West. In
addition, DAWN WELLS REEL ADVENTURES, shot in late 90's, had just been picked
up by Amazon Prime as well as executive producing AMERICAN CHRISTMAS in 2019.
Dawn has been seen regularly as a spokes woman on the MeTV network, which is
re-airing "Gilligan's Island," and recently recorded MeTV Promos for
their Saturday Morning lineup.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the unexpected hit
series "Gilligan's Island." Dawn released "A Guide To Life: What
Would Mary Ann Do?" through Taylor Trade Publishing and Rowman and
Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. Dawn wrote about the meaning of the Mary Ann
character and observes the cultural shifts that have occurred since she was on
the island. From the get-go, the Mary Ann character was different. She wasn't a
Hollywood creation. She was molded by Dawn, from Dawn. The Character that was
originally listed as "And the rest" on the credits became the fan
favorite, garnering more fan mail that even the title character.
With over 540,000 fans on her FaceBook page and fan clubs
across the U.S., her following has remained faithful. Dawn would say that Mary
Ann fits today just as she fit three generations ago, because she is timeless.
In a world where the industry and society has been celebrating their "Bad
girls," Mary Ann continues to be, for many, the breathe of fresh air as
the “Good Girl.”
Dawn's gingham dress and famous belly button covering
shorts worn on "Gilligan's Island" are currently on dipslay in the
lobby of The Hollywood Museum.
Dawn received the Elephant Sanctuary Trumpeting Award for
her efforts to support The Elephant Sanctuary, founded in 1995 and is the
nation's largest natural habitat refuge developed specifically for African and
Asian elephants.
Dawn is survived by her step sister, Weslee Wells. No services are scheduled at this time and in
lieu of flowers, donations are requested to either The Elephant Sanctuary (https://www.elephants.com/) in Hohenwald
TN, Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum (https://nvdm.org/)
or The Shambala Preserve (Shambala.org) in CA.
A recent article in The National Enquirer
declared that Dawn was broke and homeless.
Statements such as "The "Gilligan's
Island" star is struggling to stay
afloat" have confused anyone who knows
Ms. Wells. It is a truly odd statement considering
she has been active in numerous recent stage
productions including Love Letters, Steel
Magnolias and off Broadway in Love, Loss
& What I Wore. She has been seen
regularly as a spokes woman on the MeTV
network, which is re-airing "Gilligan's
Island." Last year, Dawn received the
Elephant Sanctuary Trumpeting Award for
her efforts to support The Elephant Sanctuary,
founded in 1995 and is the nation's largest
natural habitat refuge developed specifically
for African and Asian elephants.
There
is so much more to Dawn Wells than Mary
Ann of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND (the longest running
sitcom still showing worldwide in over 30
languages!) A native of Reno, Ms. Wells
represented Nevada in the Miss America pageant
in 1959. She found success in Hollywood
immediately afterward, appearing in such
shows as 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, Bonanza,
and Hawaiian Eye. She was later cast in
the role of a lifetime as Mary Ann in Gilligan’s
Island, beating out 350 other actresses,
including Raquel Welch. She's an actress,
producer, author, spokesperson, journalist,
motivational speaker, teacher, and humanitarian.
She has starred in over 150 tv shows, and
7 motion pictures, and has starred in 60+
theatrical productions across the country
and on The Great White Way.
A
GUIDE TO LIFE: WHAT WOULD MARY ANN DO
(click here
for book jacket)
In
honor of the 50th anniversary of the unexpected
hit series "Gilligan's Island."
Dawn Wells (who portrayed the lovable farm
girl next door, Mary Ann Sommers), released
"A Guide To Life: What Would Mary Ann
Do?" through Taylor Trade Publishing
and Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group,
Inc.
Dawn
wrote about the meaning of the Mary Ann
character and observes the cultural shifts
that have occurred since she was on the
island. From the get-go, the Mary Ann character
was different. She wasn't a Hollywood creation.
She was molded by Dawn, from Dawn. The Character
that was originally listed as "And
the rest" on the credits became the
fan favorite, garnering more fan mail that
even the title character. With over 100,000
fans on her FaceBook page and fan clubs
across the U.S., her following has remained
faithful.
Dawn
says that Mary Ann fits today just as she
fit two generations ago, because she is
timeless. In a world where the industry
and society has been celebrating their "Bad
girls," Mary Ann continues to be, for
many, the breathe of fresh air as the “Good
Girl.”
Pop
culture is too powerful and too pervasive
to be controlled by parents, siblings or
colleagues. It can be confused with reality.
This leaves young people in a vulnerable
position - they have to make decisions that
are normally beyond their maturity. Dawn
discusses decisions we make in life and
even goes straight to the BIG DECISION and
delivers her concept of the meaning of sex.
In
a world of participation trophies, easy
praise, and entitlement attitudes, how do
you define achievement? Dawn describes it
as a journey of failure and learning and
tenacity that requires a constant personal
re-examination of what success really means.
Sample
topics:
- Regarding
men? She loves them! "I don't think
of men as the enemy," says Dawn.
"You have to learn to talk to and
with men. Enough with the gripes about
how he doesn't listen! Maybe you should
try saying it in a listenable way. If
you have a target and you miss every
time you throw something at it, you
need to work on your throw, not the
target." Adding, "If you look
for handsome, you'll find it, but that
might be all you find."
- Manners?
Although she lists some Do's and Don'ts,
an says that "Manners aren't silk
stockings and lifted pinkies. It's about
being selfless. Etiquette is not political
correctness…and vice versa. In fact,
Manners and etiquette are nothing more
than self-censorship."
- Optimism
for Dawn is a way of life, and this
chapter is a prescription for optimism
for the reader. Dawn uses a powerful
personal story of a close friend - his
lifelong, steadfast dedication to overcoming
a handicap - to bring her attitudes
about optimism to life. "Your optimism,
or lack of it, shows. Your little brain
and your Big Brain are both optimists.
There's a difference. One is a wishing
brain. The other is a working brain."
- Fame
and Gossip? Dawn discusses the subjects,
with cautionary advice about both. "The
wrong people are famous today. Fame
without accomplishment is empty,"
suggests Dawn. Adding, "The only
upside about being the target of gossip
is that it means you are the interesting
one. Although, I can't imagine a daily
routine, a daily pastime, that depends
upon what other people do."
- The
allure of being alluring: Dawn offers
useful and down-to-earth tips on developing
a personal style along with heartfelt
advice about what beauty really is.
"Good makeup lets the real you
shine through. Remember, what is trendy
is very different from what is fashionable
and there are some things that should
never, ever come near spandex.
- Family
& Friendship: Dawn explores the
meaning of friends and family using
her own life and her TV life with the
Gilligan's Island castaways as models.
"First of all, your mother is not
always wrong and the very essence of
stupid is experience without learning.
If you are in a room and everybody in
the room is in total agreement with
you, you are probably in the wrong room."
- They
call it The Work Ethic, NOT The Work
Theory: Dawn shares her views on the
joy of working by asking the reader
to imagine herself as a business and
then applying the business principles
that lead to success to herself. "Lets
just say that you are the president,
chief executive officer, chief financial
officer, maintenance department, advertising
director, production department and
chief cook and bottle washer at Myself,
Inc.
- Show
Business: Dawn pulls back the curtain
and talks about breaking into show business.
She stories and offers tips to novices
and then delves into the Gilligan's
Island work week as an example. "The
reason they call it show business is
because it is a business. If you want
to be in the business, treat it like
a business."
- Aging:
Most people loathe aging. Dating at
any age. Getting married. Getting remarried.
"Age is a pre-existing condition,
I don't think you can live every minute
when you are young.
- Thats
a wrap: Dawn ends the book with a discussion
about self-renewal. It's an uplifting
message of optimism and opportunity.
She wraps it up by imagining what Mary
Ann would be today after coming off
the island. "Without gratitude,
you can't stand in awe of the gift of
life. Without gratitude, you can't marvel
at the world, the universe that surrounds
you. Without gratitude, you might start
believing those blessings you count
are created by . . . you. Oh, what a
mistake."
- In
addition, the Photo Album: Pages of
rarely seen shots from Dawn's personal
life, from her long entertainment career,
and from the set of Gilligan's Island
are included throughout the book.
Official
Website
and Facebook
OFFICIAL
BIOGRAPHY
CLIPS:
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