George Dolenz

George Dolenz

Faith Domergue, Donald Buka, and George Dolenz in Vendetta (1950)
Born Jure Dolenc
January 5, 1908
Trieste, Austria-Hungary
Died February 8, 1963 (aged 55)
Hollywood, Los Angeles
California, USA
Cause of death
 Heart attack
Resting place
 Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
Occupation Actor
Years active 1941–1963
Spouse(s) Janelle Johnson (1943 – February 8, 1963, his death)
Children

Four children, including

Micky Dolenz

George Dolenz (born Jure Dolenc; a.k.a. Giorgio Dolenz and George Dolentz; 5 January 1908 – 8 February 1963) was an American film actor born in Trieste (then part of Austria-Hungary, now in Italy), in the city's Slovene community.

Biography

Under the name Giorgio Dolenz, he emigrated to the United States via Cuba, arriving by steamship at the port of Key West, Florida, in October 1934; by 1937, the young actor-to-be was in Hollywood and earning his living as a waiter. After appearing in small parts in minor movies, he graduated to supporting roles. Following the end of World War II, Dolenz became a leading man under contract to RKO Pictures under Howard Hughes. However, the failure of the feature film Vendetta (1950 film) in 1950, resulted in his return to character and supporting parts for other studios, including MGM's The Last Time I Saw Paris as the husband of Donna Reed's character.

Better luck came to him when he was cast as the star of the 1956 ITC Entertainment 39-episode television series, The Count of Monte Cristo as the title character, Edmond Dantes.

On April 21, 1958, Dolenz played Count Peter Von Gilsa in the episode "The Outlander" of the NBC western television series The Restless Gun.[1]

In 1959, he portrayed Colonel Gutterez in "The Town Is a Prisoner" of the NBC western series, Cimarron City.

He was cast as Juan Amontillo in the 1961 episode "The Uncourageous" of the ABC western series, The Rebel, starring Nick Adams. That same year, he played Ramon Ortega in "Brand of Honesty" on the NBC western, The Deputy, starring Henry Fonda and Allen Case.

Dolenz, who was of Slovene descent, married the actress Janelle Johnson. They had four children: actor and singer Micky Dolenz (George Michael Dolenz) of the 1960s musical group The Monkees; Gemma "Coco" Dolenz; Gina Dolenz; and Debbie Dolenz.

Dolenz died of a heart attack in 1963 at the age of fifty-five.

Partial filmography

References

  1. ↑ "The Outlander," The Restless Gun, DVD, Timeless Media Group

External links