Actress Dawn Wells, best known for playing farm girl Mary Ann Summers on the 1960s sitcom "Gilligan's Island," was born in Reno, Nevada, in 1938. LOS ANGELES – Dawn Wells, who played the wholesome Mary Ann among a misfit band of shipwrecked castaways on the 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” died Wednesday of causes related to COVID-19, her publicist said. “There is so much more to Dawn Wells” than the “Gilligan’s Island” character that brought her fame, Boll said in a statement. Born in Reno, Nevada, Wells represented her state in the 1959 Miss America pageant and quickly pivoted to an acting career. Her early TV roles came on shows including “77 Sunset Strip,” “Maverick” and “Bonanza.”Then came “Gilligan’s Island,” a goofy, good-natured show that became an unlikely but indelible part of popular culture.

FILE - In this 1965 file photo, Dawn Wells, center, poses with fellow cast members of "Gilligan's Island," Bob Denver and Alan Hale Jr., in Los Angeles. Wells, who played the wholesome Mary Ann on the 1960s sitcom "Gilligan's Island," has died. Her publicist says Wells died early Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, in Los Angeles, of causes related to COVID-19. “There is so much more to Dawn Wells” than the “Gilligan's Island” character that brought her fame, Boll said in a statement. Then came “Gilligan's Island,” a goofy, good-natured comedy that aired from 1964-67 that became an unlikely but indelible part of popular culture.