TLDR: Natalie Schafer was 63 when she stepped onto the set of Gilligan’s Island as Lovey Howell, though for years her birth year was listed as 1912, and her real age did not come out until after her death on April 10, 1991. She left at least $1.5 million to the Actors Fund, which named a wing of its Lillian Booth Actors Home in her honor in 1993.
Lovey Howell, whose full name was Eunice Wentworth Howell, arrived on the island with a taste for pearls, high heels and unusual fashions. Natalie Schafer gave the character a personal style that fans still talk about, as a 1991 wire report on her death noted.
She reportedly thought the show was silly and signed on largely because she had never been to Hawaii, where the pilot was filmed. Whatever her doubts, she stayed for three seasons and three reunion films.
What viewers did not know was that the woman playing the millionaire’s wife was far older than the character appeared. Schafer was 63 when Gilligan’s Island premiered in September 1964.
A Broadway Actress from Red Bank, New Jersey
Natalie Schafer was born on November 5, 1900, in Red Bank, New Jersey, the eldest of three children of Jennie and Charles Schafer. Both parents were of German descent.
She built a stage career on Broadway, appearing in 17 plays between 1927 and 1959, usually in supporting roles. Longer runs included Lady in the Dark, The Doughgirls and Romanoff and Juliet.
She moved to Los Angeles in 1941 to work in films, where she usually played sophisticated women. Her credits include The Snake Pit in 1948, Anastasia in 1956 and Back Street in 1961.
She married the actor Louis Calhern in 1933, and they divorced in 1942 without children. They worked together again in Forever, Darling in 1956.
The Birth Year She Kept to Herself
For years Schafer’s birth year was listed as 1912, which would have made her 52 when Gilligan’s Island began. The real year, 1900, was not discovered until after her death.
That put her more than twelve years ahead of Jim Backus, the actor playing her husband. In an industry not famous for kindness to actresses past fifty, hiding a dozen years was a practical habit.
Nobody at the time seems to have guessed. She played the gracious, slightly dizzy Lovey so well that audiences never wondered what the actress behind the pearls was keeping to herself.
Lovey After the Island
She reprised Lovey in three TV movies in 1978, 1979 and 1981 and voiced the character in two animated series. She also reunited with Backus for an Orville Redenbacher commercial.
Her other television work included the ABC series The Survivors in 1969, which lasted one season, and the soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life. She guest-starred on I Love Lucy in 1954, The Brady Bunch in 1974, Three’s Company in 1978 and The Love Boat in 1979.
Her final screen performance was in I’m Dangerous Tonight in 1990.
The Estate and Where Her Money Went
Schafer died on April 10, 1991, at age 90, at her home in Beverly Hills. The cause was cancer, which later accounts specify as liver cancer.
A family spokesman announced her death the next day and named her longtime companion as Maurice Hill. Her ashes were scattered into the Pacific off Point Fermin Light in San Pedro.
She left at least $1.5 million to the Actors Fund, with some accounts putting the figure nearer $2 million, to help renovate part of the Lillian Booth Actors Home. The home named a wing for her in 1993.
A popular story online says she left her fortune to her poodle, and some websites repeat it. The documented bequest went to a home for retired performers.
She was the third castaway to die in less than two years, after Jim Backus in July 1989 and Alan Hale Jr. in January 1990. She had joined a silly sitcom for a trip to Hawaii and ended up the best remembered millionaire’s wife in television.
For the rest of the cast, see our guide to where the Gilligan’s Island cast is now.
Natalie Schafer and Lovey Howell: Frequently Asked Questions
How old was Natalie Schafer on Gilligan’s Island?
Natalie Schafer was born on November 5, 1900, so she was 63 when Gilligan’s Island premiered in September 1964. For years her birth year was listed as 1912.
How did Natalie Schafer die?
Natalie Schafer died on April 10, 1991, at age 90 at her home in Beverly Hills. The cause was cancer, reported in later accounts as liver cancer, and her ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.
Did Natalie Schafer leave her money to charity?
Yes. She left at least $1.5 million to the Actors Fund, with some accounts saying up to $2 million, and a wing of the Lillian Booth Actors Home was named for her in 1993.
Was Natalie Schafer married?
Natalie Schafer married the actor Louis Calhern in 1933, and they divorced in 1942. They had no children.
