Tina Louise is an American actress widely known for her role as movie star Ginger Grant in the CBS television situation comedy Gilligan's Island.
25 Facts About Tina Louise
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Tina Louise began her career on stage in the mid-1950s before landing her breakthrough role in 1958 drama film God's Little Acre for which she received the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year.
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Tina Louise had starring roles in The Trap, The Hangman, Day of the Outlaw, and For Those Who Think Young.
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Tina Louise appeared in The Wrecking Crew, The Happy Ending, and The Stepford Wives.
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Tina Louise was an only child and was raised by her mother Sylvia, later Myers, a fashion model.
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Tina Louise's father, Joseph Blacker, was a candy store owner in Brooklyn, and later an accountant.
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The name "Tina Louise" was reportedly added during her senior year in high school when she mentioned to her drama teacher that she was the only girl in the class without a middle name, and he suggested it.
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Tina Louise attended University of Miami in Florida after high school.
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Tina Louise got her first role at age two after being in an ad for her father's candy store.
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Tina Louise began studying acting, singing, and dancing at age 17 under Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in Manhattan.
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Tina Louise appeared in the live television dramas Studio One and Producers' Showcase.
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Tina Louise made her film debut in 1958 in God's Little Acre.
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Tina Louise became a leading lady for stars such as Robert Taylor and Richard Widmark, often playing sombre roles.
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Tina Louise turned down roles in the films of Li'l Abner and Operation Petticoat, taking roles on Broadway and in Italian cinema.
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Tina Louise returned to the United States, began studying with Lee Strasberg, and became a member of the Actors Studio.
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Tina Louise appeared with Bob Denver two years later in the beach party film For Those Who Think Young.
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Tina Louise did not appear in any of the subsequent Gilligan's Island sequel movies: Rescue from Gilligan's Island, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island, or The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island.
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Tina Louise maintained a steady acting career after the series ended, going on to appear in the Matt Helm spy spoof The Wrecking Crew with Dean Martin and in The Stepford Wives.
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In 2014, Tina Louise starred in the spiritual drama Tapestry and the horror film Late Phases.
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Tina Louise did not reunite with them for the television film Surviving Gilligan's Island, co-produced by Wells; Ginger was portrayed by Kristen Dalton in the television film.
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Tina Louise recorded for United Artists Records but recorded just one single for that label in 1958.
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Tina Louise is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a lifetime member of the Actors Studio.
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Tina Louise has been a vocal advocate for improving child literacy.
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Tina Louise donated a portion of the proceeds of her 2007 book, When I Grow Up, to literacy programs and said in a 2013 interview that she had been volunteering at local public schools since 1996.
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Tina Louise has written three books including Sunday: A Memoir and When I Grow Up.