Ami Dolenz is an American television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 and film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 actress and producer

Film producer

A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...

.

Early life and career

Born in Burbank, California

Burbank, California

Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....

 into a show business

Show business

Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....

 family, Dolenz is the daughter of Micky Dolenz

Micky Dolenz

George Michael "Micky" Dolenz, Jr. is an American actor, musician, television director, radio personality and theater director, best known as a member of the 1960s made-for-television band The Monkees.-Biography:...

 of the 1960s group the Monkees

The Monkees

The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...

, and British television presenter Samantha Juste

Samantha Juste

Samantha Juste , became known on British television in the mid-1960s as the “disc girl” on the BBC’s Top of the Pops. In 1968 she married Micky Dolenz of the Monkees. Their daughter is the actress Ami Dolenz....

. Her paternal grandparents were the film actors George Dolenz

George Dolenz

George Dolenz was an American film actor born in Trieste , in the city's Slovene community.-Biography:...

 and Janelle Johnson

Janelle Johnson

Janelle Johnson was an actress in films of the 1940s. She married actor George Dolenz and was the mother of Micky Dolenz of the 1960s pop group the Monkees. Her English daughter-in-law was Samantha Juste, co-host of BBC television's Top of the Pops in its early days...

.

At age 15, Dolenz won a junior talent contest and decided to become an actress. She dropped out of high school and began appearing in roles on various television series. One of her first acting roles was in the television movie

Television movie

A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...

 The Children of Times Square, followed by a two episode stint on Growing Pains

Growing Pains

Growing Pains is an American television sitcom about an affluent family, residing in Huntington, New York, with a working mother and a stay-at-home psychiatrist father raising three children together, which aired on ABC from September 24, 1985 to April 25, 1992.-Synopsis:The show's premise is based...

. In 1987, she appeared in a small role in the comedy Can't Buy Me Love

Can't Buy Me Love (film)

Can't Buy Me Love is a 1987 teen comedy feature film starring Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson in a story about a nerd at a high school in Tucson, Arizona who gives a cheerleader $1,000 to pretend to be his girlfriend for a month. The film was directed by Steve Rash.-Plot:Ronald Miller is a...

. Later that year, she landed the role of Melissa McKee in the long running soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 General Hospital

General Hospital

General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

. The role garnered Dolenz attention, earning her two nominations (in 1988 and 1989) for a Young Artist Award.

After leaving General Hospital in 1989, Dolenz landed a co-starring role opposite Tony Danza

Tony Danza

Tony Danza is an American actor best known for starring on the TV series Taxi and Who's the Boss?, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards...

 in She's Out of Control

She's Out of Control

She's Out of Control is an independent American 1989 coming of age comedy film starring Tony Danza, Ami Dolenz and Catherine Hicks. The original music score was composed by Alan Silvestri...

. The following year she portrayed Sloan Peterson in the television series of Ferris Bueller

Ferris Bueller (TV series)

Ferris Bueller is an American sitcom based on the 1986 John Hughes's film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It debuted on August 23, 1990, on NBC and was cancelled within its first season, a few months after its debut....

. The series lasted only 13 episodes and was cancelled in 1991. After the demise of Ferris Bueller, Dolenz starred in two films, Children of the Night, followed by the lead role in 1992's Miracle Beach.

Throughout the 1990s, Dolenz continued to appear in films and television, including; Witchboard 2: The Devil's Doorway

Witchboard 2: The Devil's Doorway

Witchboard 2: The Devil's Doorway is a 1993 American horror film directed by Kevin S. Tenney and starring Ami Dolenz. The film is the sequel to the 1986 film Witchboard.-Plot:...

, Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings

Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings

Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings is the 1994 direct-to-video sequel to the 1988 horror film Pumpkinhead. In this movie, thrill-seeking teens resurrect a demon and come to regret it. The movie is barely related to others in the series...

, Murder, She Wrote

Murder, She Wrote

Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...

, Wake, Rattle and Roll, Saved by the Bell: The College Years

Saved by the Bell: The College Years

Saved by the Bell: The College Years is a sequel to the Saved by the Bell series which ran from September 14, 1993 to February 8, 1994, lasting one season...

, Demolition University

Demolition University

Demolition University is a 1997 direct-to-video action film starring Corey Haim and Ami Dolenz. It is the sequel to 1996 film Demolition High.-Plot:...

, Pacific Blue

Pacific Blue (TV series)

Pacific Blue is an American crime drama series about a team of police officers with the Santa Monica Police Department who patrolled its beaches on bicycles. The show ran for five seasons on the USA Network, from March 2, 1996 to April 9, 2000, with a total of one hundred and one episodes...

, and Teen Angel

Teen Angel (TV series)

Teen Angel is an American fantasy sitcom that aired during ABC's TGIF Friday night lineup from 1997 to 1998. The series was created by Simpsons writers/producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss.-Synopsis:...

. In 1998, she voiced a character for the children's show, The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs

The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs

The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs is a children's animated series, produced by Saban Entertainment, that aired on Fox Kids from 1998 until it was cancelled in 1999.-Plot:...

. After a four year hiatus from acting, Dolenz returned in the independent film

Independent film

An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...

 Mr. Id. In 2007, she appeared in the film Even If, in which she also served as producer.

Personal life

On August 10, 2002, Dolenz married actor and martial artist Jerry Trimble

Jerry Trimble

Jerry Foster Trimble, Jr. is an American actor, stuntman, writer, and World Champion.-Early life:At 15 Jerry was inspired by the late Bruce Lee and began studying the Korean art of Taekwon-Do. In six months he began teaching it. At 16 he earned the rank of first-degree black belt and became the...

.

In addition to acting, Dolenz manages KidPix Productions with her husband. The company stages birthday parties for children as movie shoots. She also performs with the Write Act Repertory Theatre, and co-owns Bluebell Boutique, an Internet custom jewelry shop, with her mother.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985 to 1986	Growing Pains Growing Pains Growing Pains is an American television sitcom about an affluent family, residing in Huntington, New York, with a working mother and a stay-at-home psychiatrist father raising three children together, which aired on ABC from September 24, 1985 to April 25, 1992.-Synopsis:The show's premise is based...	Linda	2 episodes
1986	Starman Starman (TV series) Starman is an American science fiction television series, starring Robert Hays and Christopher Daniel Barnes. The series ran on the ABC network from September 19, 1986 to May 2, 1987...	Kelly Jordan	Episode: "One for the Road"
1987	Mr. Belvedere Mr. Belvedere Mr. Belvedere is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from March 15, 1985, until July 8, 1990. The series was based on the Lynn Aloysius Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel Belvedere, which was later adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty...	Shannon	Episode: "The Ticket"
1987	Can't Buy Me Love Can't Buy Me Love (film) Can't Buy Me Love is a 1987 teen comedy feature film starring Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson in a story about a nerd at a high school in Tucson, Arizona who gives a cheerleader $1,000 to pretend to be his girlfriend for a month. The film was directed by Steve Rash.-Plot:Ronald Miller is a...	Fran
1989	She's Out of Control She's Out of Control She's Out of Control is an independent American 1989 coming of age comedy film starring Tony Danza, Ami Dolenz and Catherine Hicks. The original music score was composed by Alan Silvestri...	Katie Simpson
1989	Hardball Hardball (1989 TV series) Hardball is an American crime drama television series that ran on NBC during the 1989-1990 television schedule.-Synopsis:Hardball is a variation of the buddy cop genre that focused on two cops, Charlie "C.B." Battles and Joe "Kaz" Kaczierowski . Battles is a 45-year-old hard-nosed veteran cop who...	Lauren	Episode: "The Out of Towner"
1990	Superboy Superboy (TV series) Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics comic book character Kal-El's early years as Superboy. The show ran from 1988–1992 in syndication...	Jessica James	Episode: "Superstar"
1990 to 1991	Ferris Bueller Ferris Bueller (TV series) Ferris Bueller is an American sitcom based on the 1986 John Hughes's film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It debuted on August 23, 1990, on NBC and was cancelled within its first season, a few months after its debut....	Sloan Peterson	13 episodes
1991	Children of the Night	Lucy Barrett
1992	Miracle Beach Miracle Beach Miracle Beach is a 1992 fantasy/comedy film starring Dean Cameron, Ami Dolenz, and Pat Morita.-Synopsis:Scotty McKay is just an every day beach-bum who used to have it all, when he finds a genie called Jeannie who just happens to be attractive. Her mission is to assist Scott...	Jeannie Peterson
1993	Stepmonster Stepmonster Stepmonster is a 1993 film starring Alan Thicke, Robin Riker, George Gaynes, Ami Dolenz, Corey Feldman, Edie McClurg, John Astin, Robin Riker and Billy Corben. The comedy/horror film was produced by Roger Corman and directed by Jeremy Stanford.-Plot:...	Wendy
1993	Infested Infested Infested is 1993 direct-to-video horror film starring Peter Scolari, Seth Green, Rosalind Allen and Ami Dolenz.-Plot:...	Dee Dee Davenport	Alternative title: Ticks Direct-to-video release Direct-to-video Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
1993	Witchboard 2: The Devil's Doorway Witchboard 2: The Devil's Doorway Witchboard 2: The Devil's Doorway is a 1993 American horror film directed by Kevin S. Tenney and starring Ami Dolenz. The film is the sequel to the 1986 film Witchboard.-Plot:...	Paige	Alternative title: Witchboard: The Return
1994	Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings is the 1994 direct-to-video sequel to the 1988 horror film Pumpkinhead. In this movie, thrill-seeking teens resurrect a demon and come to regret it. The movie is barely related to others in the series...	Jenny Braddock	Direct-to-video release
1995	Life 101 Life 101 Life 101 is a 1995 direct-to-video comedy-drama film, starring Corey Haim, Keith Coogan and Ami Dolenz.-Plot summary:A college freshman Ramsy, played by Corey Haim experiences love for the first time in the 1960s when he asks out Joy, played by Ami Dolenz....	Joy	Direct-to-video release
1996	Daedalus is Dead	Billy Daedalus
1997	Demolition University Demolition University Demolition University is a 1997 direct-to-video action film starring Corey Haim and Ami Dolenz. It is the sequel to 1996 film Demolition High.-Plot:...	Jenny	Direct-to-video release
1997	Pacific Blue Pacific Blue (TV series) Pacific Blue is an American crime drama series about a team of police officers with the Santa Monica Police Department who patrolled its beaches on bicycles. The show ran for five seasons on the USA Network, from March 2, 1996 to April 9, 2000, with a total of one hundred and one episodes...	Darla Wallenchik	Episode: "Runaway"
1997	Teen Angel Teen Angel (TV series) Teen Angel is an American fantasy sitcom that aired during ABC's TGIF Friday night lineup from 1997 to 1998. The series was created by Simpsons writers/producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss.-Synopsis:...	Cindy	Episode: "Living Doll"
1998	The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs is a children's animated series, produced by Saban Entertainment, that aired on Fox Kids from 1998 until it was cancelled in 1999.-Plot:...	Oatz Cautere (Voice)	Episode: "I.H.R.F./Oatz"
1999	Shogun Cop	Sacrificed Virgin
2001	Dark Realm Dark Realm Dark Realm is an anthology series hosted by Eric Roberts. The series aired in syndication in the United States for a total of 13 episodes, from May to December 2001.-Episodes:...	Helen/Melissa Cochran	2 episodes
2003	Mr. Id	Heather Dombrowski
2007	Even If	Kate	Producer
2008	2012 Doomsday	Susan	Direct-to-DVD release
2009	New Hope Manor	Claudia
2010	Rules of Engagement Rules of Engagement (TV series) Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007, as a midseason replacement, immediately following Two and a Half Men, in the time slot that was occupied by now-cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine...	Lori	Episode: "The Reunion"

Award nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Title
1988	Young Artist Award Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...	Nominated	Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Drama Series	General Hospital
1989	Young Artist Award	Nominated	Best Young Actress in a Daytime Drama Series	General Hospital

External links