Vale: Dawn Wells
Much-loved US actress Dawn Wells, best known as ‘Mary Ann’ on
Gilligan’s Island has died, aged 82.
She died on Wednesday of causes related to COVID-19 in Los Angeles.
Wells played Kansas girl-next-door ‘Mary Ann Summers’ for just 3 seasons from 1964 – 1966, but the show by Sherwood Schwartz become such a pop culture hit it has lived on in syndication ever since.
She reprised the role for 3 telemovies from 1978 – 1981 and produced a behind the scenes special in 2001.
“Every character on
Gilligan’s Island was given a broad ‘stock’ comedy role to fill captain, mate, wealthy man, wealthy wife, professor, movie star except me,” Wells once wrote. “She was given a name and location Kansas farm girl. I had to fill in the blanks. So, from the get-go, the Mary Ann character was different. She wasn’t a Hollywood creation.