biography
Born Tina Blacker in New York City on February 11, 1934, gorgeous Tina Louise has worked as a model, singer, and actress during her
lengthy career. At 17, she made her acting debut in summer stock, and then quickly moved to Broadway, taking small roles. She was also
once a featured singer at Ciro's, the famous Hollywood nightclub. As her aspirations became more focused on acting, Louise enrolled
in Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio. Her big break came in a January 1956 appearance on the hour-long dramatic anthology television series
Studio One. She also landed a spot on Jan Murray Time as a singer. She followed this up with more guest appearances on
Studio One, Climax!, and Joe and Mabel, meanwhile still taking roles on Broadway. With her success in the Broadway
production of Li'l Abner (cast as "Apassionata Von Climax") beginning in 1956, Louise made her way to Hollywood.
Cast as Griselda in the United Artists' release God's Little Acre (1958; with Fay Spain,
Aldo Ray, and Lance Fuller), in 1959 Louise won a Golden Globe for
most promising newcomer. She followed up with roles in the Paramount film noir thriller The Trap (1959; with Richard Widmark
and Lee J. Cobb) and Paramount's western The Hangman (1959; with Robert Taylor and Jack Lord). In 1960, like many other actors,
she went to Europe to star in several films, including The Warrior Empress (1960; with Kerwin
Mathews), Siege of Syracuse (1960; with Rossano Brazzi and Sylva Koscina), and the
shot-in-Germany war drama Armored Command (1961; with Howard Keel and Earl Holliman). After her return, Louise continued her
association with the Actors Studio and, as a lifetime member, is a method acting devotee. 
Returning to the U.S., Louise kept her career going with numerous guest-starring roles on popular television series, such as
Route 66, Checkmate, Burke's Law. Her films during this period include the made-for-TV movie Fanfare
for a Death Scene (1964; with Richard Egan) and For Those Who Think
Young (1964; with James Darren and Pamela Tiffin). While starring on Broadway in the play
Fade Out, Fade In with Carol Burnett, Louise accepted the role of sexy actress Ginger Grant in the CBS television comedy
Gilligan's Island (1964-1967; with Bob Denver and Russell Johnson). |
the films of tina louiseClimax! (1954-1958 CBS TV Series)
As Maxene Sumner in a November 1957 episode of the CBS TV series Climax! titled A Matter of Life and DeathGod's Little Acre (1958)  
LEFT: Tina Louise portrays Griselda in the United Artists potboiler God's Little Acre. CENTER: With Aldo Ray. RIGHT: With Buddy Hackett, Jack Lord, and Robert RyanThe Trap (1959) 
From Paramount's film noir release The Trap. LEFT: With Earl Holliman. RIGHT: With Richard WidmarkThe Hangman (1959) 
From the Paramount western The Hangman, directed by Michael CurtizThe Warrior Empress (1960) 
From the Italian-made adventure The Warrior Empress, distributed by Columbia. LEFT: With Kerwin Mathews. RIGHT: Louise as SapphoSiege of Syracuse (1960)
From the historical drama Siege of Syracuse with Rossano BrazziArmored Command (1961)   
Promotional shots from the Allied Artists World War II film Armored Command. The far right shots include Earl HollimanFor Those Who Think Young (1964) 
LEFT: From the United Artists comedy For Those Who Think Young. RIGHT: With Paul LyndeFanfare for a Death Scene (1964)
With Viveca Lindfors in the NBC made-for-TV drama Fanfare for a Death Scene. This film was released theatrically in EuropeGilligan's Island (1964-1967 CBS TV series) 
LEFT: With Gilligan's Island castmate Bob Denver. RIGHT: Cast photo from the series, featuring Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Alan Hale Jr., Dawn Wells, Russell Johnson, and Bob DenverIt Takes a Thief (1968-1970 ABC TV Series)
From the ABC TV series It Takes a Thief in a 1968 episode titled Totally by Design with series star Robert WagnerThe Wrecking Crew (1969) 
From the Columbia release The Wrecking Crew, the final film in the Matt Helm seriesThe Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969) 
As Carmel in the Warner Bros. western comedy The Good Guys and the Bad GuysThe Stepford Wives (1975)
With Katharine Ross and Paula Prentiss in Columbia's sci-fi mystery The Stepford WivesThe Day the Women Got Even (1980)
From NBC's made-for-TV comedy film The Day the Women Got Even with Barbara Rhoades, Jo Ann Pflug, Georgia Engel, and Julie Hagertytina louise todayDuring her stint on Gilligan's Island, Tina Louise married talk-show host Les Crane in 1966. Their daughter, Caprice, was born in November 1970, just a month before their divorce was finalized. During the 1970s and 1980s, Louise made several films and appeared on numerous TV series, including a recurring role on the CBS nighttime drama Dallas during its first season. Into the 1990s, she cooled her acting career. Residing in New York City for years, her most recent output includes Night of the Wolf (2014; with Karen Lynn Gorney and Rutanya Alda) and Tapestry (2019; with Stephen Baldwin and Burt Young). A longtime literacy volunteer and advocate, in 2007 she published her first children's book When I Grow Up. |
filmography
FILM
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This page premiered April 12, 2001.
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