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Rise to Fame
CBS put her on Gilligan's Island to play the wholesome counterpart to Tina Louise's glamorous Ginger, which sounds like second billing. It wasn't. In every 'Ginger vs. Mary Ann' poll ever run, Mary Ann won by wide margins. Sherwood Schwartz himself said he'd cast Wells specifically because her accessibility made a better contrast. She'd already been Miss Nevada 1959 and a Miss America contestant, which is the part of her resume the island tends to overshadow.
In the Spotlight
After the show wrapped, she spent decades doing theater, close to 100 productions. But the financial arc is harder to look at. She lost her savings and her home in the 2008 banking crash, and by 2018 was $180,000 in debt and couldn't qualify for assisted living. A friend launched a GoFundMe that reportedly raised over $200,000 from fans who still showed up for Mary Ann, even if Hollywood had moved on.
Side Notes
She started college in pre-med. None of that predicted three decades defined by a single role on a desert island. For years she ran a film actors boot camp in Driggs, Idaho and operated a clothing line for people with limited mobility. She published a Gilligan's Island cookbook in 1993. The girl-next-door persona was a performance. The actual person was considerably harder to slot into a category.
Final Chapter
She posted a Christmas Eve 2020 message to Facebook asking fans to 'find joy amidst the pandemic.' Tina Louise tweeted: 'I will always remember Dawn's kindness to me. We shared in creating a cultural landmark.' Barbara Eden called her 'a happy, charming friend' on Twitter. Jon Cryer shared a tribute on Twitter about meeting her on the set of Two and a Half Men.