Born: March 8th, 1945
Singer & Guitarist
Age would have been in 2024: 79
George Michael “Micky” Dolenz Jr. was born on March 8th, 1945, in Los Angeles, California. Before becoming a musician, he was an actor, starting his career young in 1956 as Corky in Circus Boy, a water boy for circus elephants. The show ended after two seasons, allowing Micky to make occasional appearances on TV while he continued his education with him graduating high school in 1962. While attending college, he was hired to be the drummer in NBC’s new show The Monkees.
Prior to The Monkees, Dolenz was already involved in music as he fronted the rock band “Micky and the One-Nighters” in the 1960’s. Thanks to this, he aced the audition with a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”. However, while he was able to sing and was the lead vocalist for The Monkees, he was not a drummer and needed to take lessons just to mime along on the show but was capable enough by the time the band left the screen and went on tour in 1966. He is responsible for writing some of the band’s songs like “Randy Scouse Git” and sang lead vocals for some of The Monkees’ biggest hits such as “Last Train to Clarksville” and “I’m a Believer”.
Despite the show ending in March of 1968, The Monkees’ continued to appear in media, including a movie co-written by Jack Nicholson that has become a cult classic despite a negative reception upon its release, and two TV specials. Following the cancellation, various band members were unavailable or not interested in reunion work, making Micky the only original member that technically never left the group, and due to the passing of the other three original members, he is also the only surviving member of the original band.
Outside of The Monkees, Micky has worked as a voice-over artist for a number of cartoon series including The Scooby-Doo Show, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids, and The Funky Phantom, as well as occasion guest roles in shows like Batman: The Animated Series and as the voice of Snuggle the Fabric Softener Bear. He has also appeared in live-action TV and films, including two guest spots on Boy Meets World, a role in Rob Zombie’s remake of Halloween, and auditioned for roles like “The Fonz” on Happy Days and the Riddler in Batman Forever.
