The Injury That Started & Ended Dawn Wells' Acting Career

Dawn Wells was an American television actress that was always best known for her iconic performance as Mary Ann on the hit 1960s sitcom Gilligan’s Island. Mary Ann was one of two female main characters on the program and was certainly the more popular of the two. In fact, many consider Mary Ann to have been the most popular character on the show entirely. It was often said that Dawn was the cast member that got the most fan mail, though the constantly self-deprecating actress always denied this.

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Gilligan’s Island only ran for three seasons, after which time Dawn remained known as Mary Ann for the remainder of her life. Dawn never quite lived the role down, though she never grew resentful of the fact that she was always attached to the character in the eyes of the audience. Dawn reprised the role in numerous made-for-television movie sequels to Gilligan’s Island, as well as a 1992 episode of Baywatch meant to pay homage to the classic series.

Many fans don’t realize that Dawn’s career in acting was inspired by a knee injury that she sustained soon after high school. Dawn had always dreamt of being a ballerina or a doctor but was forced into the theater after the knee injury prevented her from other necessary courses. Although Dawn had never been interested in acting, she grew to love it.

Dawn decided to pursue a career in acting as a result of her college theater experiences. She was named Miss Nevada in the 1959 Miss American pageant, and this gave her both the courage and connections necessary to begin acting on television. Before long, she was given her career-defining role as Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island.

Dawn spent most of her time after Gilligan’s Island acting on the stage instead of the television screen. However, another knee injury occurred later in her life that made her unable to act at all. Join Facts Verse as we explore the injury that started and ended Dawn Wells’ career.

The Injury That Started & Ended Dawn Wells' Acting Career