What is Mickey Dolenz's Net Worth?
Micky Dolenz is an American actor, director, musician, and radio personality who has a net worth of $9 million. Although he is perhaps best known for being the vocalist and drummer of the band the Monkees during the 1960s, he also went on to enjoy a relatively successful career as an actor, a television director, a radio personality, and a theater director. As of this writing the Monkees have sold more than 65 million albums and singles.
Early Life
George Michael Dolenz Jr. was born on March 8th of 1945 in Los Angeles, California. Raised by two actors alongside three younger sisters, Micky suffered from Perthes disease as a child. This affected his hip joint and his right leg, resulting in one leg being weaker and shorter than the other. Because of this medical condition, Dolenz was forced to create a custom, heavily unorthodox drum setup later in his musical career.
Although he would later earn renown as a musician, Micky actually began his entertainment career as a child actor. He began starring in children's TV shows at a young age, initially starring in a show called "Circus Boy." As Dolenz grew older and attended high school in Los Angeles, he continued to book various roles on TV shows. One of his most notable roles during this time was in the show "Mr. Novak."
The Monkees
By the time Micky Dolenz had graduated from high school, he was already quite an advanced musician who had written many of his own songs. He initially formed his own band with him as the main vocalist. However, it wasn't until he attended college that he auditioned for the Monkees. During the audition, he sang Chuck Berry's hit song "Johnny B. Goode." He was given a role with the band in 1965.
The band was unique in that it was marketed at a sitcom by NBC. When Micky Dolzen won a part in the band, he also won a role in the sitcom. At this point, Micky Dolenz had no idea how to play the drums, and he was taught how to "mime" playing the drums during the show's early days. However, as the series went on, he learned how to play the drums properly. After one year, he was confident enough to play the drums live while on tour with the Monkees. These early years were a little crazy, as the members of the Monkees would often play practical jokes on each other during recording sessions. In fact, it got so bad that the record label decided to bring each member in individually to record.
Various critics have since pointed to Dolenz's voice as the primary defining factor of the Monkees. The other members would often voluntarily turn over their lead vocal duties to Micky. Dolenz also wrote many of the band's songs, including "Randy Scouse Git." He also performed lead vocals for many of the band's most well-known hits, including "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "I'm a Believer." As the sitcom drew to a close, Micky also became increasingly involved behind the camera, eventually directing and co-writing the show's final episode.
Dolenz was also ahead of the game in terms of new music technology, as he purchased the third modular Moog synthesizer ever sold commercially. He later used a synthesizer on the song "Daily Nightly" which was one of the first recorded instances of a synthesizer being used in a rock song.
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
After The Monkees
Although Micky continued his musical career with many solo activities after the Monkees came to an end, he also focused heavily on film and TV work. Some of his most notable work was in voice acting, as he performed voices for characters in a wide range of Saturday-morning cartoons. In the 70s, he also appeared in shows like "Adam-12" and "Cannon." He continued his voice acting career well into the modern era, performing in shows like "Mighty Magiswords."
During his post-Monkees days, Micky auditioned for characters like the Fonz in "Happy Days," and the Riddler in "Batman Forever." In the modern era, he is perhaps best known for appearing in two episodes of "Boy Meets World" and the 2007 Rob Zombie reboot of "Halloween."
Dolenz is also well known for his work as a radio host. In 2005, he replaced Dan Taylor as the host of an "oldies" radio station in New York. However, this job only lasted for one year before all on-air disc jockeys were replaced on the station. That in turn only lasted for a couple of years before the show went back to its old format, and Dolenz later returned to perform his 101st radio show.
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Real Estate
In 2001, it was reported that Mickey Dolenz had purchased a home in the LA neighborhood of West Valley. He acquired the residence for just under $1 million. It is located in a gated community, and it features four bedrooms with about 3,000 square feet of living space. Originally constructed in 1985, this residence was built with a Spanish, Mediterranean aesthetic. It also lies on more than an acre of land, and there is a pool and spa outside.
Around the same time, Dolenz put his former home on the market. This residence lies in Sherman Oaks, and he had owned it since 1992. He put it on the market for $625,000. It also features four bedrooms, but it has a slightly smaller amount of space with just 2,200 square feet. Originally constructed in the 1950s, the gated home boasts tremendous views of the city. Other highlights include a fireplace and a spa.
