As one of the most talked-about figures, Dawn Wells has built a significant fortune. Our team analyzed the latest data to provide a clear picture of their income.

What was Dawn Wells' Net Worth?

Contrary to popular belief, Dawn Wells and her cast mates did not receive any significant income in the form of residuals. As Dawn explained to a reporter in 2014:

Dawn Wells and her cast mates were paid a salary of $750 per week while working on the show. That's the same as making around $7,300 per week in today's dollars. Assuming each season required 40 weeks (there were 36 episodes in season one, 32 in season two, and 30 in season three), that would have worked out to an annual income of $30,000. That's the same as making around $300,000 in today's dollars.

"A misconception is that we must be wealthy, rolling in the dough, because we got residuals. We didn't really get a dime…Sherwood Schwartz, our producer, reportedly made $90 million on the reruns alone."

Dawn Wells was an American actress who had a net worth of $50 thousand at the time of her death in December 2020. Dawn Wells was best known for playing the role of Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," a role that became iconic. She began her professional on-camera career, appearing in guest-starring roles on such television shows as "77 Sunset Strip", "Maverick," "Bonanza," and "The Cheyenne Show". She also appeared in small roles in the films "Palm Springs Weekend," and "The New Interns". In 1964, Dawn was cast in the role that would make her a star, as Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island." She went on to play the role for the duration of the show's run and then reprised it in multiple "Gilligan's Island" specials. She then enjoyed a prolific and enduring theater career. Dawn died on December 30, 2020, at the age of 82. She reportedly died from COVID-19.

Gilligan's Island Salary & Royalties

In September 2018, it was revealed that one of Dawn's friends launched a GoFundMe page to help the former star raise $200,000 to pay for an unexpected hospitalization. Dawn reportedly suffered from an accident that broke her knee and may have required two months of hospitalization. Dawn had apparently been dealing with financial problems since the 2008 recession and was seeking "$194,000 to alleviate penalties by the IRS (which are compounded daily) and to pay her hospital costs." She was living in an assisted living facility and already lost her home due to her debts.

Wells was born on October 18, 1938, in Reno, Nevada, to parents Evelyn and Joe Wesley Wells. Her father owned a local Reno construction company called Wells Cargo. Wells attended Reno High School and, after graduating, attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. While there, she majored in chemistry before deciding to transfer to the University of Washington in Seattle. She joined the Alpha Chi Omega sorority while a student and graduated with a degree in theater arts and design in 1960.

Dawn Wells's first brush in the spotlight came in 1959 when she was crowned Miss Nevada. She represented her state in the Miss America 1960 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She then moved to Hollywood and started landing small roles in films and television shows throughout the early to mid-1960s. In 1961, she appeared in "Wagon Train," "The Everglades," "The Cheyenne Show," "Maverick," "77 Sunset Strip," and "Tales of Wells Fargo." In 1962, she appeared in "Hawaiian Eye," "Bonanza," "It's a Man's World," and "Lawman." The following year, she appeared in "Palm Springs Weekend," "Ripcord," and "Laramie."

In summary, the total wealth of Dawn Wells reflects strategic moves.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.