Tina Louise Biography

Fast Facts

• Launched career as model and nightclub singer while studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and the Actors Studio, both in New York City
• Made her Broadway debut in the 1952 Bette Davis musical revue Two's Company
• Appeared on Broadway with Julie Newmar in 1957's hit musical Li'l Abner; released an album that same year, titled It's Time for Tina
• Landed on the cover of Modern Man Magazine in July of 1957; appeared in Playboy magazine in 1957, '58 and '59
• Studied with Lee Strasberg and became a member of the Actors Studio
• Landed the role of Ginger Grant on Gilligan's Island while starring on Broadway in the play Fade Out, Fade In
• Disassociated herself from Gilligan after it ended, opting out of participating in the Gilligan cartoon and various specials during the 1970s and '80s
• Had a guest-starring role alongside her Gilligan's Island costars Dawn Wells, Bob Denver and Russell Johnston on a 1995 episode of Roseanne
• Is a licensed helicopter pilot
• Published a book about her experiences, Sunday: A Memoir, in 1997
• Authored a children's book in 2007 titled When I Grow Up, with the objective of inspiring more kids to read and achieve their goals