Tina Louise

Louise made her Hollywood film debut in God's Little Acre in 1958. That same year, the National Art Council named her the "World's Most Beautiful Redhead." She went on to star in films like The Trap, The Hangman, Day of the Outlaw, and For Those Who Think Young. She turned down roles in Li'l Abner and Operation Petticoat, instead taking parts on Broadway and in Italian cinema, including the historical epic Garibaldi (1960), directed by Roberto Rossellini. After returning to the U.S., she studied with Lee Strasberg and became a member of the Actors Studio. In 1964, she left the Broadway musical Fade Out – Fade In to play Ginger Grant on Gilligan's Island, after Jayne Mansfield turned down the role. Louise worried the role would typecast her, and she later declined to appear in the Gilligan's Island reunion films, making her the only original cast member not to reprise the part.

Following Gilligan's Island, Louise continued to work in film and television. She appeared in The Wrecking Crew (1969) with Dean Martin, and in the original The Stepford Wives (1975), where her performance was well received. She took on grittier roles to shed her comedic image, including a guest spot as a heroin addict on Kojak and a co-starring role as a Southern prison guard in Nightmare in Badham County. She played J.R. Ewing's secretary Julie Grey on Dallas during the 1978–1979 seasons. In 1984, she joined the soap opera Rituals, replacing Jo Ann Pflug, but left after a few months. She also made cameos on Santa Barbara and All My Children. As of now, she is 92 years old. She stands 5'9" with red hair and brown eyes. After the death of co-star Dawn Wells in 2020, Louise became the last surviving original cast member of Gilligan's Island.