Dawn Elberta Wells (born October 18, 1938, in Reno, Nevada) is an American actress, best known for her television work in the 1960s, particularly her role as Mary Ann Summers on the sitcom Gilligan's Island, which first ran on CBS from 1964-1967, and has been continuously rerun in American television markets over the subsequent decades. The "Mary Ann" character was based on the "Dorothy Gale" character Read more...

Wells, who spent summers in her early years in the Teton Valley of eastern Idaho, relocated there in the 1990s. In Idaho, Wells runs a successful business, Wishing Wells Collections, making clothing for people with limited mobility. She is the founder of the Idaho Film and Television Institute. She also organized Spud Fest, a regional annual family movie festival.

Wells was arrested on October Read more...

Wells starred with Michael Dante in the 1975 independent movie, Winterhawk, playing a Western settler kidnapped by a Native-American chief.

In the 1990s, she spoofed her character on a commercial for 1-800-COLLECT. She has also reprised her role in the various Gilligan's Island reunion specials, and on an episode of ALF.

In 1993, Wells published "Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook" Read more...