The Monkees' Micky Dolenz Almost Had A Very Different Career (VIDEO)

Everyone knows Micky Dolenz as the heartthrob drummer and lead singer in the wildly successful '60s group The Monkees. Since its inception, the band has sold more than 50 million records and won over audiences around the world, but it all started out as fiction on a little 1966 television show called "The Monkees." Dolenz was in his early 20s at the time, and it wasn't his first acting role.

The son of two actors, Dolenz landed his first professional job at age 10 on the NBC series "Circus Boy." It aired for two seasons; shortly afterwards, Dolenz's parents chose not to keep their son in the entertainment industry. "After 'Circus Boy,' my parents took me out of the business, which was a very wise thing to do at the time," he tells "Oprah: Where Are They Now?"

Instead of putting all of his efforts into acting, Dolenz focused on his education and discovered another passion he wanted to pursue.

"I decided to get serious about a career and I decided to be an architect," he says. "I was in architecture drafting school when 'The Monkees' audition came along."

Dolenz landed the part, but knew that his future in Hollywood still wasn't certain.

"I knew that pilots usually don't sell," he says. "So, I didn't even quit school until the pilot sold and we got the order for the series."

"The Monkees" aired for two seasons before breaking out of the fictionalized setting and becoming a real band -- one that sold more records in 1967 than the Beatles and Rolling Stones combined. Since the '60s, the group has had five albums go platinum and continues to perform on reunion tours with its surviving members. Frontman Davy Jones passed away in 2012.

Micky Dolenz opens up about fame, the death of his bandmate and falling for his wife Donna on "Oprah: Where Are They Now?", airing Sunday, Nov. 9, at 9 p.m. ET on OWN. Find OWN on your TV.

Like Us On Facebook |
Follow Us On Twitter