What Happened to Gilligan’s Island’s Tina Louise? See the Actress Who Played Ginger Grant Now

In 1964, Tina Louise made her Gilligan’s Island debut as Ginger Grant, a beautiful movie star with fiery red hair. After the series came to an end in 1967, she went on to act in a number of other notable Hollywood films and TV series. 

What Happened to Tina Louise From ‘Gilligan’s Island’? 

The New York native began singing, dancing and acting as a child. Tina appeared in stage productions of Two’s Company and Broadway’s John Murray Anderson’s Almanac and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? in the ‘50s. Her film debut came in 1958 when she starred in God’s Little Acre. 

After studying with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, Tina nabbed the role of Ginger on Gilligan’s Island alongside costars Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus and more. The sitcom ran for three seasons on CBS before coming to an end in 1967, with all of the show’s castaways still stranded on the island. 

Following her impressive portrayal of Ginger in the series, Tina chose not to reprise the character in the subsequent films. Instead, she pursued other roles in Hollywood, including playing Lola Medina in 1968’s The Wrecking Crew with Dean Martin and Charmaine Wimpiris in 1975’s The Stepford Wives with Katharine Ross.

Where Is Tina Louise Now?

Tina’s most recent acting appearance came in 2019’s Tapestry. These days, she loves spending time with her daughter, Caprice Crane, whom she welcomed during her marriage to Les Crane. The doting mom often shares photos while hanging out with her daughter and grandkids on Facebook. 

Tina hasn’t shied away from reliving memories from her time on Gilligan’s Island over the years. To celebrate the show’s 55th anniversary, the sitcom alum took a look back at her iconic character.

“On this 55th anniversary of Gilligan’s Island, I want to say how wonderful it is that our show is still on the air after all these years,” Tina told Closer in December 2019. “I honestly feel like I have so many friends out there who just love what we did and what we shared and the joy we brought. I’m so happy to have been part of something that was so special to American television.”

In December 2020, Tina mourned the loss of her Gilligan’s Island costar Dawn Wells, who died at age 83 of complications from COVID-19. 

“I will always remember Dawn’s kindness to me,” she wrote on Facebook in a tribute to the late actress. “We shared in creating a cultural landmark that has continued to bring comfort and smiles to people during this difficult time. I hope that people will remember her the way that I do — always with a smile on her face.”

Tina Louise Recently Reflected on Her ‘Gilligan’s Island’ Role

In August 2024, Tina made a rare appearance on Pix11 to discuss her time on Gilligan’s Island, as well as promote her new book, Sunday. During the appearance, she decided to wear an orange dress, a nod to Ginger. “My orange dress on the show was such a hit that I feel after COVID we really need bright colors,” she said. “I like everybody wearing bright colors.”

When asked what the impact of Gilligan’s Island has had on her life, Tina said, “Well, I have a lot of friends. Lots of friends and a lot of people writing to me and I enjoy it. I enjoy it a lot. I thought it was going to just last six months, but it seemed to go on forever.”

Tina admitted that she never expected the role to have such a big influence on multiple generations of people.

“I had just become a member of the Actor’s Studio and I didn’t really want to do it but they weren’t happy with the person who did the pilot so I was just asked to do it. I was in a Broadway show at the time with Carol Burnett, and I was asked to do this,” she said. “I was encouraged by a friend who told me it would only last six months and then I could go back to what I had been training for.”