Dawn Wells

Fast Facts

• Great-great grandfather was a stagecoach driver during the Gold Rush of 1849; father once owned the Las Vegas Thunderbird Hotel
• Planned on becoming a ballerina, but bad knees prevented her from following her aspirations
• Competed in the Miss America Pageant in 1960, after having been named Miss Nevada in 1959
• Performed in more than 65 theatrical productions, including a national touring company production of They're Playing Our Song! Served as coproducer and star of the series Dawn Wells: Reel Adventures
• In 1998, launched the Dawn Wells' Film Actors Boot Camp in Driggs, Idaho; it's geared toward those with a solid acting background looking to transition from the amateur to professional world
• Owns her own clothing company, Wishing Wells Collections, which caters to the elderly and to people who are physically challenged
• Is the founder and artistic director of the Spud Drive-in Film and Music Festival, in both Driggs, Idaho, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming
• Served as President of the Idaho Film and Television Institute