Biography
Troy Donahue (born Merle Johnson Jr., January 27, 1936 – September 2, 2001) was an American film and television actor and singer. He was a popular sex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s.
His father was Merle Johnson, the manager of the motion-picture department of General Motors. His mother, Edith Johnson, was a retired stage actress. Donahue attended a New York military academy, where he met Francis Ford Coppola. When Donahue was 18, he moved to New York and got a job as a messenger in a film company founded by his father. He was fired, he says, because he was too young to join the union. He attended Columbia University and studied journalism. He trained briefly with Ezra Stone, and then moved to Hollywood.
The big break of Donahue's career came when he was cast opposite Sandra Dee in A Summer Place, made by Warner Bros. in 1959. The director was Delmer Daves. Warner signed him to a long-term contract. They put him to work guest-starring in episodes of their Western TV series, such as Colt .45 (1959), Maverick (1959), Sugarfoot (1959), The Alaskans (1960), and Lawman (1960).
In 1968, Donahue signed a long-term contract with Universal Studios for films and TV. This lasted a year and saw him get four roles: guest shots on Ironside (1968), The Name of the Game (1968), and The Virginian (1969), and an appearance in the TV movie The Lonely Profession (1969).
Donahue declared bankruptcy in 1968 and eventually lost his home. In 1969, Donahue moved from Los Angeles to New York City. By this time, Donahue's drug addiction and alcoholism had ruined him financially. In May 1982, he joined Alcoholics Anonymous, which he credited for helping him achieve and maintain sobriety.
Donahue continued to act in films throughout the 1980s and into the late 1990s. Donahue's final film role was in the 2000 comedy film The Boys Behind the Desk, directed by Sally Kirkland.
On August 30, 2001, Donahue suffered a heart attack and was admitted to Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica. He died three days later, on September 2, at the age of 65.
Filmography
all 97
Movies 72
TV Shows 25
self 2
Voice 1
Director 1
Legion (1998)
Merchants of Venus (1998)
Bimbo Movie Bash (1997)
Showdown (1993)
Double Trouble (1992)
Deadly Diamonds (1991)
Shock 'Em Dead (1991)
Sexpot (1990)
Cry-Baby (1990)
The Platinum Triangle (1989)
Hot Times at Montclair High (1989)
Dr. Alien (1989)
Assault of the Party Nerds (1989)
Sounds of Silence (1989)
Blood Nasty (1989)
American Rampage (1989)
The Chilling (1989)
Hawkeye (1988)
Bad Blood (1988)
Hard Rock Nightmare (1988)
Deadly Prey (1987)
Hollywood Cop (1987)
Cyclone (1987)
Fight to Win (1987)
Low Blow (1986)
Horrible Horror (1986)
Grandview, U.S.A. (1984)
Katy Caterpillar (1984)
Malibu (1983)
Tin Man (1983)
Outrage (1977)
The Love Boat (1977)
The Legend of Frank Woods (1977)
Ellery Queen (1975)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Seizure (1974)
Cockfighter (1974)
The Lonely Profession (1969)
Split Second to an Epitaph (1968)
The Name of the Game (1968)
Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon (1967)
Ironside (1967)
Come Spy with Me (1967)
My Blood Runs Cold (1965)
A Distant Trumpet (1964)
Palm Springs Weekend (1963)
Rome Adventure (1962)
Susan Slade (1961)
Parrish (1961)
Surfside 6 (1960)
A Summer Place (1959)
Hawaiian Eye (1959)
Bourbon Street Beat (1959)
Rawhide (1959)
Monster on the Campus (1958)
The Perfect Furlough (1958)
77 Sunset Strip (1958)
Voice in the Mirror (1958)
Wild Heritage (1958)
This Happy Feeling (1958)
Live Fast, Die Young (1958)
Summer Love (1958)
The Monolith Monsters (1957)
The Tarnished Angels (1957)
Maverick (1957)
Sugarfoot (1957)
Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)
Man Afraid (1957)
The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1936-01-27
Deathday2001-09-02 (65 years old)
Birth PlaceNew York City, United States
RelationshipsSuzanne Pleshette (1964 - 1964)
CitizenshipsUnited States
Also Known AsMerle Johnson Jr., Трой Донахʼю
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