Latest news with #TinaLouise
The Sun
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Sixties TV bombshell unrecognizable at 91 as she's spotted on rare day out in NYC – can you guess who?
A FORMER Hollywood sitcom glamour puss has been seen out and about in New York looking as chic as ever. The sultry 60s TV star - who is still turning heads aged 91 - dazzled viewers on the much-loved show in the 1960s. 6 6 Her notable comedy character was originally meant for Jayne Mansfield who declined the role. Ginger Grant actress Tina Louise is still the embodiment of glamour to this day. The iconic sitcom star played movie legend Ginger on Gilligan's Island from 1964 to 1967. Set on a deserted island, she starred on the show about a colourful group of shipwrecked tourists. The Hollywood pinup was known for her stunning figure and red hot hair. The Golden Globe -winning actress starred in the 1958 movie God's Little Acre and bagged the award for New Star Of The Year. The star has been spotted in New York City's Upper East Side and still wows with her svelte figure and chic appearance. Wearing skinny jeans, a black top and jacket, she accessorised with black trainers and dramatic dark shades. With her shoulder-length red hair still on display, the actress looked fit and healthy as she casually ran errands around Manhattan carrying a brolly and floral shopping bag. Tina, who starred alongside Russell Johnson, Dawn Wells, Bob Denver, Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer and Alan Hale, Jr, is the last surviving Gilligan's Island star. Tina Louise plays Ginger Grant on Gilligan's Island The programme ran for three seasons and went onto make the 1977 movie Rescue From Gilligan's Island and The Harlem Globetrotters On Gilligan's Island. However, Tina turned down the roles alongside her original cast members. She starred in classics including The Trap, The Hangman, Day Of The Outlaw and For Those Who Think Young. Not forgetting The Wrecking Crew, The Happy Ending, The Stepford Wives and alongside Stephen Baldwin, Burt Young, and Joseph D'Onofrio in 2017's Tapestry. The former Ginger Grant star said previously about playing the role: 'I always enjoyed my work. I left a Broadway show to do it. "The CBS casting director Ethel Winant called me at the theater, 'Do you think you could play this Lucille Ball/Marilyn Monroe-type of character?' I said yes. "I got there and the director wanted it to be a more sarcastic kind of character. And so, then I didn't even want to work on it anymore. I told him I wanted to quit. "The head of the [CBS] organization called me into his office and he said, 'We hear you want to leave.' I explained to him that I didn't want to play it and I didn't think the show would be successful, changing the original idea of the character." She continued: "You just can't go into people's homes and dress somebody up like a doll and then have her to be not nice. "So, he agreed with me and he got rid of the director after only a month, and he hired Richard Donner, who was fantastic. "He had a great sense of humor and then the writers started writing for what I was supposed to be doing and the show became a hit, and I enjoyed the part.' The actress became a tutor in 1996. She revealed in her memoir about her difficult childhood: "I didn't have hugs. I didn't have loving situations." She previously told fans: "I've been having fun doing press about my audiobook for the re-release of Sunday, my memoir written from my perspective as an 8-year-old. "It's really quite freeing and therapeutic to talk about it. The book is out now in various forms." 6 6 6
Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gilligan's Island icon Tina Louise, 91, looks chic during rare public appearance
Gilligan's Island actor Tina Louise, 91, looked chic in a leather jacket as she made a rare appearance in New York City Gilligan's Island star Tina Louise made her first public appearance in three years this month during an outing in Manhattan's Upper East Side. The 91-year-old icon, who last attended the New York Film Festival in 2022, looked chic in a black leather jacket, classic blue jeans, and black sunglasses in pictures shared by E News. The actor, who is best known for her role as Ginger Grant on the CBS sitcom, rocked her signature red hair and accessorised with two bags, black sneakers and a navy blue umbrella in snaps shared online. Tina is the only living main cast of Gilligan's Island - which was a show about seven castaways trying to survive on an island where they were shipwrecked. Apple iOS 26 could convince users to upgrade - this iPhone 16 deal stands out The series ran for three series between 1964 and 1967, with the first series being in black and white. Tina previously discussed being known for the show during an interview with The New York Times. 'I'm very grateful for all the things that have happened to me and the opportunities that I've had," she admitted. I'd like to be known for other things.' After co-star Dawn Wells died in 2020, Tina denied the long-time rumours that she resented the role of Ginger Grant by saying: "Never true – I loved doing my part, especially after they really started writing for my character, originally billed as a 'Marilyn Monroe' type of character. "A different director took over and really started to write for my character. I really loved my character." She also added she was grateful to the show's loyal fans, especially during the coronavirus. "We were part of the wonderful show that everyone loves and has been a great source of comfort, especially during these times. We brought a lot of joy to people and still do. This show is an escape from so many things going on. Fathers share it with their children now. I get letters all the time about that." Since Gilligan's Island, she appeared in the likes of Love, American Style, Police Story, CHiPs, Rituals, and more. The star also took on roles in movies, such as The Good Guys and the Bad Guys, The Stepford Wives, Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby, and more. She last appeared in a movie in 2019 for Tapestry and was last a guest star in 1999 for LA Heat. She has focused most of her attention on her daughter, Caprice Crane, as well as her grandkids. 'It's amazing when you have a child, and I had so much fun—in view of the fact that I had such a strange childhood—so much fun raising her. Now, we have twins—a little boy and a little girl. They're number one," ' she said to Forbes. Tina also worked as a learning leader in the public school system in New York City for the last 30 years. The Golden Globe winner previously said: "When I walked into the classroom at a public school, I found it to be a very nourishing, important, emotional thing. The idea of helping a first and second grader to read was such a happy experience for me.'
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Iconic 60s sitcom star makes very rare public outing after turning 91 - can you guess the TV sex symbol?
This photogenic wonder was on a massive and very beloved sitcom with several other stars in the 1960s. The TV show was set on a deserted island and had several amusing characters like a millionaire and a professor. This actress played one of the better looking ladies on the series as she became the dream Hollywood pinup thanks to her knockout figure and flaming red hair. The star made a rare sighting in New York City's Upper East Side over the weekend as she wore fitted jeans, a black top and jacket as well as black sneakers and glamorous oversized sunglasses. She clearly has kept her looks intact as she made an impressive impression, especially considering that she recently turned 91-years-old. Can you guess who this sex symbol is? The star, 91, made a rare sighting in New York City's Upper East Side over the weekend as she wore fitted jeans, a black top and jacket as well as black sneakers and glamorous oversized sunglasses. Can you guess who this sex symbol is? She is Tina Louise, who played the stunning movie star Ginger Grant on Gilligan's Island. The series starred Russell Johnson, Dawn Wells, Bob Denver, Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, and Alan Hale, Jr. The show about a diverse group of tourists shipwrecked on a tropical island aired from 1964 to 1967. She took on the part of Ginger after the role was turned down by Jayne Mansfield. The character was a sexy, bombshell type actress reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe who was concerned with her outfits, appearance, career and Hollywood gossip. Louise starred as Ginger in all three seasons of the sitcom but turned down opportunities to reprise the role in 1977 movie Rescue From Gilligan's Island or The Harlem Globetrotters On Gilligan's Island as she is the only original cast member to turn the opportunity down. She is the last surviving Gilligan's Island star. Tina began her acting career in the theater during the mid 1950s. Louise had her breakthrough when she starred in 1958 drama film God's Little Acre as she even received a Golden Globe in the New Star Of The Year Category. She had a successful film career as she starred in classics like The Trap, The Hangman, Day Of The Outlaw, and For Those Who Think Young. She did make numerous guest appearances on television series and even made a return to film starring in The Wrecking Crew, The Happy Ending, and The Stepford Wives. She also worked alongside Stephen Baldwin, Burt Young, and Joseph D'Onofrio in Ken Kushner directed family drama Tapestry which was released in 2017. Last year she re-released her 1997 memoir. The actress also did an audiobook for her tell-all titled Sunday: A Memoir. In the tome she talks about working on the hit show as she said she did not think it would be such a massive success. Actually, at first she thought that it would only last six months. Also in her book she talks about her time as a child in boarding school. At age six she was sent by her parents to boarding school because they were going through a divorce. But she did not feel comfortable at the school. Her only highlight was Sundays when her parents might visit. She wrote on her Facebook page: 'I've been having fun doing press about my audiobook for the re-release of Sunday, my memoir written from my perspective as an 8-year-old. It's really quite freeing and therapeutic to talk about it. The book is out now in various forms.'
Fox News
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: 'Gilligan's Island' star's troubled childhood, Bill Murray snaps at man
Welcome to the Fox News Entertainment Newsletter. TOP 3: - 'Gilligan's Island' star Tina Louise suffered troubled childhood before Hollywood fame - Bill Murray snaps at man in New York movie theater, accuses him of assault - 'Duck Dynasty' star Phil Robertson's family gives 'tough' health update following Alzheimer's diagnosis SHOW ME THE HONEY - Meghan Markle's cash grab is royal family's biggest nightmare: expert. FUN IN THE SUN - 'Rocky' star Dolph Lundgren, wife Emma Krokdal soak up Miami sun after actor's years-long health battle. FOOL ME ONCE - Kevin Bacon is 'more careful' after losing money in infamous Ponzi scheme. 'LIFE-LONG FRIEND' - Jay North, 'Dennis the Menace' star, dead at 73. 'A NIGHTMARE' - 'Modern Family' star told he was dying 30 years after being hit by cement truck. 'NEW KIND OF LOVE' - Kelsea Ballerini reveals what she finds 'sexiest' about new boyfriend after painful divorce. 'HARD WORKIN' MAN' - Brooks & Dunn lead singer walks off stage during encore, leaving fans concerned for his health. LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fox News
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
'Gilligan's Island' star Tina Louise suffered troubled childhood before Hollywood fame
Before Tina Louise found herself stranded on a tropical island, she was plagued with loneliness as a child in boarding school. The actress, who found fame as the glamorous Ginger Grant on the sitcom "Gilligan's Island," has recently released the audio version of her 1997 book, "Sunday: A Memoir." The star said that, for the first time, she finally felt free to discuss her painful childhood in depth. "I didn't live with my mother until I was 11," Louise told Fox News Digital. "I had a whole period of life without her… I kept all of that inside of me. And then, I developed anger. By the time I was picked up by my mother, she was with her third husband and had a different life. It was a very sophisticated life that she wanted for herself, so she found a very successful man." "I live in the present," Louise shared. "But I've never dealt with what happened to me. When the book first came out, my mother was alive. She didn't like it to the point that she said I made it up. I understood that as her not wanting to deal with it… She was the most dominant force in my life." When Louise, then Tina Blacker, was born, her mother was 18 and her father was 10 years older. By the time she was 4 years old, they were divorced. At 6 years old, she was sent away to a boarding school in Ardsley, New York, where she wondered if her parents would ever come back for her. WATCH: ELVIS PRESLEY'S STEPBROTHER SAYS HE SPOKE OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS BEFORE HIS DEATH: 'IN TOUCH WITH THE LORD' "I didn't want to be there right from the start," she explained. "We were all just a bunch of angry little girls. It was like 'Lord of the Flies' — nobody wanted to be there. And there were gangs of little girls. You were always going to find someone to pick on. I was told that my job was to hit this little girl. It was ridiculous. I never figured out why they chose me." "I remember I kept trying to catch a very bad cold so that I could hardly speak, so I could leave this place," Louise shared. "They kept giving me hot milk. I was asked to call my mother. I told her I wanted to come to her, but I was told it wasn't the time to get out. I learned she was with her second husband, and he didn't want a little girl in the house. He just wanted to be alone with his beautiful wife." One student stabbed Louise in the wrist with a pencil. A faint scar is still present, she said. When she was caught chatting with another little girl at night, Louise claimed a teacher made her stand alone in a pitch-black bathroom with spiders crawling on the ceiling. She described being slapped when she struggled to run a bath. Her closest friends were caterpillars she hid in a box under her bed. They were taken away, she said. "They took everything away," Louise recalled. "My mother once brought me a doll, and that was immediately taken away in the night. I don't remember ever getting it back. You don't remember things like that. You just remember that it was taken away." Louise always prayed for Sundays. It was visiting day. She always waited for her parents that day, but they didn't always come. "I yearned for hugs," she said. "I don't think I knew what was going on. I just knew that it was painful." It wouldn't be until Louise was 8 years old that she was able to move in with her father and his new wife. She was elated. But her happiness wouldn't last long. At age 11, her mother, who had married a wealthy doctor, the third of what would be four husbands, wanted her to live with them in a fancy New York City townhouse. Louise admitted that, for years, she was angry at her father for not being willing to fight for her in court. She wouldn't see him until right before Hollywood came calling. "I was very upset," she said. "I could never even say his name. It couldn't come out of my mouth… I just expected him to do something about it. When I went to live with my mother, I couldn't believe that I had to tell him that I couldn't see him anymore. It's very strange, a strange thing, to put something like that on me because I wanted to see him." At age 22, a grown-up Louise, who had started acting, went out in search of her father. "We had to establish a new relationship," she said. "It wasn't easy… but we had to rebuild." Her relationship with her mother was complicated. "She was a vivacious person, but she had lost her mother when she was 3," Louise explained. "So she had her problems… She couldn't have imagined that, at age 18, she would have a child. She didn't have a mother. My grandfather, who I only saw twice, put his children in an orphanage for a while. Then he got a nanny." "My mother had her dream world," she reflected. "She wanted to live a certain way and be surrounded by certain people. She was very beautiful. She loved the arts. But she lost her temper a lot with people… I don't think she realized it herself… But she did go along with the fact that I wanted to study acting. And that was very exciting." Louise would later escape from her past as a castaway. She catapulted to stardom on the '60s sitcom "Gilligan's Island." Over the years, it would continue to find new viewers, thanks to reruns and streaming platforms. Louise insisted the show didn't make the cast rich. She previously told Forbes that she hasn't received residuals. "Nobody was getting them at that time — nobody," she told Fox News Digital. "I read somewhere that [co-star] Dawn [Wells] was able to get something through a lawyer. But that's just what I read. I don't remember. But we never did. The people that owned it earned a lot of money, that's for sure. I'm just amazed that it's still on!" In 1996, Louise read another article, one about the drop in students' ability to read, The New York Times reported. It prompted her to join Learning Leaders, a nonprofit that trained volunteers to tutor public school students throughout New York City. According to the outlet, she quietly worked with students for the next two decades. The outlet noted that after the organization lost its funding a few years ago, Louise began helping out on her own. It's something she still does today. "It gives me so much joy," she said. "Helping students and giving them hope."
