The late Dawn Wells is likely best known for playing the kind-hearted Mary Ann Summers who was marooned on an island with a group of iconic characters in the hit 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island.”
In 2006, Wells played the mother to a pastor in the short-lived television show “Pastor Greg.” The show was a Christian sitcom that aired on Cornerstone TeleVision from 2005 until 2008. In her two-episode run on the sitcom, Dawn Wells played the mother to the series star, Pastor Greg, played by Greg Robbins.
During an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dawn Wells discussed what originally attracted her to the Christian sitcom. Wells told the news outlet that she liked what the creator, Greg Robbins was doing with the series.
“I think it’s an opportunity to influence the viewers on the positive side of life and I think that takes a lot of courage and support,” Wells said in the interview.
Gilligan’s Island Star Dawn Wells Finds Importance In Religion, Even If She Can’t Always Attend Church
During the discussion, the Gilligan’s Island star talked about her own religion, and how her career may have affected her attendance in church.
“I’m definitely a religious person,” Wells said. Wells added that while she feels strongly about her baptist affiliation, she doesn’t make it to church as often as she would like. “I don’t go to church very much because I’m not in the same place except for maybe one Sunday a month.”
Wells did note that she spends time during the year in Idaho where she runs the “Idaho Film and Television Institute.” When there, she usually makes sure to attend church when she has time.
“We teach filmmakers and stage two family film festivals a year,” Dawn Wells said of her time in Idaho. “There’s a huge Mormon population there and one Catholic church in town and one Episcopal church with a fabulous female priest. I love what she does.”
During the interview, the Gilligan’s Island star also dove a little bit into the idea behind religion, saying that she believes the “world needs direction a bit.”
“I’m not trying to push religion down everyone’s throats, but people are looking for something to give them peace and to give them something to believe in,” Wells explained.
Wells passed away on December 30, 2020 at the age of 82.
