A wholesome beauty with comedic appeal, Dawn Elberta Wells was born on October 18, 1938 in Reno, Nevada. Wells' childhood was a happy and healthy one. She and her mother grew their own fruits and vegetables in their gardens and Dawn rode horses. In her high school years, she was the class treasurer, President of the debate team and an honor roll student. Dawn was on her way to becoming a ballerina, but bad knees prevented her from realizing the dream. She was Miss Nevada in 1959 and went on to the 1960 Miss America Pageant. Dawn had wanted to be a doctor, and enrolled in the elite Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri to study medicine, but then she discovered the Drama Club. She then transferred to the University of Washington, which was known for their Theatre Department, and she graduated with a Degree in Theatre. Dawn moved to Hollywood and was cast as Mary Ann Summers on CBS's Gilligan's Island (1964). The rest is history. However, there was much more to Dawn than her simple Mary Ann character. Wells refused to be an unemployed actor after the show ended and was never out of work since the show decades ago. She performed in over 66 theatrical productions, including the National Touring Company of "They're Playing Our Song!" She did countless voice-overs, commercials and talk shows. She worked for the Australian news show "Midday" and interviewed such talents as Julia Roberts, Eddie Murphy and Tom Hanks, to name a few. Dawn has also had great success as a producer and has a number of television movies to her credit. After years of touring and performing in dramas, comedies, and musical theatre, Dawn slowed down a little. In 1998, she founded the Dawn Wells' Film Actors Boot Camp in Driggs, Idaho. The camp is for the already trained actor looking to make the transition from the amateur to the professional actor. Wells managed the camp for many years. She has been in a popular commercial for Western Union, capitalizing on her character Mary Ann Summers. In 2003, Dawn did tours of the plays "Love Letters" with Adam West and Eve Ensler's Award Winning "The Vagina Monologues." In early 2004, Dawn established and founded The Spud Film Institute in Idaho and Wyoming, and held the first ever Spud Drive in Film and Music Festival in the summer of 2004. She was also the artistic director of the festival. If that is not enough, Ms. Wells also had her own clothing line for the physically challenged called "Wishing Wells Collections" and she recently launched her own skin care line, Classic Beauty. Dawn Wells continued to contribute to the business she loved so much and constantly gave back to the acting community. She mentored young actors and traveled to colleges all across the United States to teach Master Classes. She served as Artist in Residence at several Universities. Dawn was in constant demand for personal appearances and speaking engagements, yet never forgot to give back to the Artistic community. She will surely be remembered for all her good work. Wells passed away on December 30, 2020 at age 82. You can get information about all of Dawn's organizations at her website, dawn-wells.com.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 18, 1938
- December 30, 2020 (aged 82)
- Reno, Nevada, USA
- Actor, also producer
- 23 on MovieCove · 47 credits in all
Known for
What are Dawn Wells' films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 7
Light 5 · Serious 3 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 2 · Intense 2
Steady 6 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 4
Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 7 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 6 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Allyas Mary Ann Summers in Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978)
- Shapeshifteras Ginger Grant in Gilligan's Planet (1982)
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous2
- Cyclical3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Dawn Wells' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).
- Bonanza (1959) · actor · free
- ALF (1986) · actor · free
- This Is Our Time (2013) · actor · free
- The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) · actor · free
- Growing Pains (1985) · actor · free
- High School U.S.A. (1983) · actor · free
- Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978) · actor · free
- Super Sucker (2002) · actor · free
- Lover's Knot (1995) · actor · free
- Shout! TV, show their 2 titles on Shout! TV
- Best Westerns Ever, show their title on Best Westerns Ever
- Cineverse, show their title on Cineverse
- Great American Pure Flix, show their title on Great American Pure Flix
- Howdy, show their title on Howdy
- IndieFlix, show their title on IndieFlix
- ScreenPix, show their title on ScreenPix
Subscription and free streaming for Dawn Wells' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
47 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
American Christmas(2019)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows
This Is Our Time(2013)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Silent but Deadly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Super Sucker(2002)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Girlfriends(2000)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Lover's Knot(1995)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Soulmates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Herman's Head (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Roseanne(1988)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows
ALF(1986)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Growing Pains(1985)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows
High School U.S.A.(1983)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Matt Houston (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Gilligan's Planet(1982)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all filmsHagen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
The Castaways on Gilligan's Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Vega$ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Love Boat(1977)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
Return to Boggy Creek(1977)
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Winterhawk(1975)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
The Invaders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
The F.B.I. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Wild Wild West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Gilligan's Island(1964)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
The New Interns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Burke's Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Everglades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
87th Precinct (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Roaring 20's (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Surfside 6 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Detectives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Hawaiian Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Laramie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Bonanza(1959)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
77 Sunset Strip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Maverick(1957)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
Wagon Train(1957)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
Cheyenne(1955)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all showsMiss America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Dawn Wells Reel Adventures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 79th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 46 titles, 45 of them dated from 1954 to 2019; peak year 1975.
Film career
Peak 1975 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1964Screen debut· Gilligan's Island
- 1975First film· Winterhawk
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Dawn Wells' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 26th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 26th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th8
- Below 25th7
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 23 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Divisive2
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed12
Reviewers score the acting 48/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 26. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Dawn Wells work with?
People who share at least 2 of Dawn Wells' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alan Hale Jr. shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Charles B. PierceShared titles: The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), Winterhawk (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Charles B. Pierce
Writers
- Sherwood SchwartzShared titles: Gilligan's Planet (1982), The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978)See all 3 shared titles with Sherwood Schwartz
- Al SchwartzShared titles: The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Al Schwartz
- David P. HarmonShared titles: The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978)See all 2 shared titles with David P. Harmon
- Earl E. SmithShared titles: The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), Winterhawk (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Earl E. Smith
Actors
- Alan Hale Jr.Shared titles: Gilligan's Planet (1982), The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978), Gilligan's Island (1964)See all 4 shared titles with Alan Hale Jr.
- Bob DenverShared titles: Gilligan's Planet (1982), The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978), Gilligan's Island (1964)See all 4 shared titles with Bob Denver
- Jim BackusShared titles: Gilligan's Planet (1982), The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978), Gilligan's Island (1964)See all 4 shared titles with Jim Backus
- Natalie SchaferShared titles: Gilligan's Planet (1982), The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978), Gilligan's Island (1964)See all 4 shared titles with Natalie Schafer
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Gerald FriedShared titles: The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Gerald Fried
- James W. RobersonShared titles: The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), Winterhawk (1975)See all 2 shared titles with James W. Roberson
- Tom BoutrossShared titles: The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), Winterhawk (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Boutross
Producers
- Lloyd J. SchwartzShared titles: The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Lloyd J. Schwartz
- Tom MooreShared titles: Return to Boggy Creek (1977), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Moore