- Born
- Died
- Birth nameGiorgio Dolenz
- George Dolenz was born in Italy in 1908 to a large family. He left
Italy in the 1920s to start a new life and it seemed that he didn't
want to look back on his old one. He arrived in Los Angeles in the
1940s and it was there that he somehow met up with
Howard Hughes. Hughes signed him
up as a leading man at RKO Pictures--which he owned--but, under Hughes'
contract, George only starred in one film,
Vendetta (1950), with
Faith Domergue. He became a master of
several dialects, and could play urbane Continental roles such as
"Baron Sergei" in In Society (1944),
with Bud Abbott and
Lou Costello, Latin-American types
such as the mysterious "Cortega" in
Scared Stiff (1953), with
Dean Martin and
Jerry Lewis, and even Roman-era
royalty such as "Emperor Theodosius" in
Sign of the Pagan (1954). When
his contract with Hughes ran out, George appeared in many films for
other studios throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and starred in the TV
series
The Count of Monte Cristo (1956).
George was the father of actor Micky Dolenz
of The Monkees (1965), husband of
actress Janelle Johnson Dolenz
and the grandfather of actress Ami Dolenz.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Sara mijacogeo@dolenz-tribute.net
- SpouseJanelle Johnson Dolenz(July 17, 1944 - February 8, 1963) (his death, 4 children)
- ChildrenKathleen DolenzDeborah Dolenz
- RelativesCharlotte Janelle Dolenz(Grandchild)Georgia Rose Dolenz(Grandchild)Emily Claire Dolenz(Grandchild)Ami Dolenz(Grandchild)
- Before he was cast in Circus Boy (1956), his son Micky (billed as "Mickey
Braddock" to avoid confusion with George) didn't quite understand what
being a professional actor was all about, but noted the long breaks
Dolenz had at home between jobs. When asked what his dad did for a
living, Micky answered "He mows the lawn." - Used the money he received from The Count of Monte Cristo (1956) to buy a restaurant to provide a stable income for his family.
- His ethnic background is Slovene. In A Bullet for Joey (1955), he says "I love you" in a
Slovenian dialect to Audrey Totter. Her paternal grandmother was also of
Slovene descent. - Howard Hughes signed him up as leading man for RKO. Most remembered as "European Leading Man".
- Owned the Marquis Restaurant located on Sunset Boulevard in the 1950s and '60s.
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