Troy Donahue

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.

Known For

Sid Witherspoon

Assault of the Party Nerds

Don Michaelson

Deadly Prey

Merle Johnson

The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959

Frankie

Imitation of Life

Barry Hefna

Blood Nasty

Randall Mansfield

Cockfighter

Jimmy Flanders

Monster on the Campus

Police Psychiatrist

American Rampage

Parrish McLean

Parrish

Moon

Sweet Savior

Mark Frost

Seizure

Dr. Miller

The Chilling

Jim Munroe

Palm Springs Weekend

Frank Burnham

The Tarnished Angels

Gaylord Sullivan

Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon

Slim

Terminal Force

Johnny Hunter

A Summer Place

2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard

A Distant Trumpet

John Templeton

Low Blow

Paul Cunningham

Voice in the Mirror

Bob Jenkins

Cyclone

Donny Vinton

Grandview, U.S.A.

Slim

Omega Cop

Hoyt Brecker

Susan Slade

McVey

The Crowded Sky

Don Porter

Rome Adventure

Uncle Gary

Hard Rock Nightmare

Jack Barnes

Bad Blood

Tony Manza

This Happy Feeling

Mr. Nichols

Hot Times at Montclair High

Ben Gunther

My Blood Runs Cold

Jack

Nudity Required

Sax Lewis

Summer Love

Rosenberg

Fight to Win

Sgt. Nickles

The Perfect Furlough

Jesse Bascomb

Wild Heritage

Reporter (uncredited)

Man Afraid

Lt Maxwell

Hollywood Cop

Alan

Click: The Calendar Girl Killer

The Boys Behind the Desk

Artie Sanders / Artie Smith

Live Fast, Die Young

Jill Parsons

Come Spy with Me

Dr. Ackerman

Dr. Alien

Flemming

Legion

Record Exec

Shock 'Em Dead

Police Captain

Showdown

Lester

Tin Man

Hank Jackson

The Monolith Monsters

Mayor

Hawkeye

Merle Johnson

The Godfather Part II

Bill

The Phantom Gunslinger

Leonard

Double Trouble

Steve

South Seas

Taggart

漂流教室

Harold Farber

The Platinum Triangle

Phillip

Sexpot

Troy

The Pamela Principle

Matt Plimpton

Deadly Diamonds

FBI Agent

Merchants of Venus

Dr. Ackerman (archive footage)

Bimbo Movie Bash

Daniel

Ultraje

Python

Deadly Spygames

Sheriff John Baxom

The Legend of Frank Woods

Clint Redman

Malibu

Assistant Director (uncredited)

Man of a Thousand Faces

Hatchet's Father

Cry-Baby

Julian Thatcher

The Lonely Profession

Larry Haughton

Sounds of Silence

Father Dugan

Split Second to an Epitaph

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