Early work

Louise got her first role at age two after being in an ad for her father's candy store. She began studying acting, singing, and dancing at age 17 under Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in Manhattan. Her acting debut came in 1952 in the Bette Davis musical revue Two's Company,^[4] followed by roles in such other Broadway productions as John Murray Anderson's Almanac, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, and the hit musical Li'l Abner.^[5] She appeared in the live television dramas Studio One and Producers' Showcase.

Hollywood and Gilligan's Island

Louise made her film debut in 1958 in God's Little Acre. That same year, the National Art Council named her the "World's Most Beautiful Redhead."^[6] The next year, she starred in Day of the Outlaw with Robert Ryan. She became a leading lady for stars such as Robert Taylor and Richard Widmark, often playing sombre roles. She turned down roles in the films of Li'l Abner and Operation Petticoat,^[7] taking roles on Broadway and in Italian cinema. Among her Italian film credits were The Siege of Syracuse and Garibaldi (both in 1960).

Louise returned to the United States, began studying with Lee Strasberg, and became a member of the Actors Studio.^[8][9] In 1962, she guest-starred on the situation comedy The Real McCoys, portraying a country girl from West Virginia in the episode "Grandpa Pygmalion". She appeared with Bob Denver two years later in the beach party film For Those Who Think Young (1964). In 1964, she left the Broadway musical Fade Out – Fade In to portray movie star Ginger Grant on the situation comedy Gilligan's Island. Over time, she became unhappy with the role and was worried that it would typecast her. Although she continued to work in film and made guest appearances on television, she claimed repeatedly that playing Ginger had ruined her movie career. She did not appear in any of the subsequent Gilligan's Island sequel movies: Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978), The Castaways on Gilligan's Island (1979), or The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981). Other actresses played the role of Ginger in the sequels. She maintained a steady acting career after the series ended, going on to appear in the Matt Helm spy spoof The Wrecking Crew (1969) with Dean Martin and in The Stepford Wives (1975).

Louise attempted to shed her comedic image by playing darker roles, such as a heroin addict in a 1974 episode of Kojak and as a cruel corrections officer in the 1976 television movie Nightmare in Badham County. Other television appearances included supporting roles in Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976), SST: Death Flight (1977), and the soap opera Dallas during the 1978–1979 seasons. In the fall of 1984, she succeeded Jo Ann Pflug as Taylor Chapin on the syndicated soap opera Rituals.

Later work

Later film roles included a co-starring appearance in the Robert Altman comedy O.C. and Stiggs (1987) as well as the independently made satire Johnny Suede (1992) starring Brad Pitt. She appeared in the situation comedy Married... with Children as Miss Beck in episode "Kelly Bounces Back" (1990). In 2014, Louise starred in the spiritual drama Tapestry and the horror film Late Phases.^[10][11]

Although Louise declined to participate in any of three Gilligan's Island reunion television films, she made brief walk-on appearances on a few talk shows and specials for Gilligan's Island reunions, including Good Morning America (1982), The Late Show (1988) and the 2004 TV Land award show with the other surviving cast members. In the 1990s, she was reunited with costars Bob Denver, Dawn Wells, and Russell Johnson in an episode of Roseanne.^[4] She did not reunite with them for the television film Surviving Gilligan's Island (2001), co-produced by Wells; Ginger was portrayed by Kristen Dalton in the television film.^[12] Her relations with series star Denver were rumored to be strained, but in 2005, she wrote a brief, affectionate memorial to him in the year-end "farewell" issue of Entertainment Weekly after his death.^[13]

Following the news of Dawn Wells' passing in December 2020, Louise denied any longtime rumors that she resented the role of Ginger Grant: "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 said that she was very grateful to the show's fans for their continued support, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic: "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."^[14]

Film

Television