Troy Donahue
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.
Photos
Films (73)
The Boys Behind the Desk
2000
Legion
1998 · Flemming
Merchants of Venus
1998 · FBI Agent
Bimbo Movie Bash
1997 · Dr. Ackerman (archive footage)
Showdown
1993 · Police Captain
The Pamela Principle
1992 · Troy
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
1992 · Merle Johnson
Double Trouble
1992 · Leonard
Deadly Diamonds
1991 · Matt Plimpton
Shock 'Em Dead
1991 · Record Exec
Nudity Required
1990 · Jack
Sexpot
1990 · Phillip
Omega Cop
1990 · Slim
Cry-Baby
1990 · Hatchet's Father
Click: The Calendar Girl Killer
1990 · Alan
The Platinum Triangle
1989 · Harold Farber
Hot Times at Montclair High
1989 · Mr. Nichols
Dr. Alien
1989 · Dr. Ackerman
Assault of the Party Nerds
1989 · Sid Witherspoon
Terminal Force
1989 · Slim
Blood Nasty
1989 · Barry Hefna
Sounds of Silence
1989 · Larry Haughton
American Rampage
1989 · Police Psychiatrist
The Chilling
1989 · Dr. Miller
Deadly Spygames
1989 · Python
Hawkeye
1988 · Mayor
Bad Blood
1988 · Jack Barnes
Hard Rock Nightmare
1988 · Uncle Gary
Deadly Prey
1987 · Don Michaelson
Hollywood Cop
1987 · Lt Maxwell
The Drifting Classroom
1987 · Taggart
Cyclone
1987 · Bob Jenkins
Fight to Win
1987 · Rosenberg
Low Blow
1986 · John Templeton
Grandview, U.S.A.
1984 · Donny Vinton
Katy Caterpillar
1984 · Chester
Lover, Come Back to Me
1983
Malibu
1983 · Clint Redman
Tin Man
1983 · Lester
Outrage
1977 · Daniel
The Legend of Frank Woods
1977 · Sheriff John Baxom
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
1976 · (archive footage)
Le Parrain, 2e partie
1974 · Merle Johnson
Seizure
1974 · Mark Frost
South Seas
1974 · Steve
Cockfighter
1974 · Randall Mansfield
Sweet Savior
1971 · Moon
The Phantom Gunslinger
1970 · Bill
The Lonely Profession
1969 · Julian Thatcher
Split Second to an Epitaph
1968 · Father Dugan
Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
1967 · Gaylord Sullivan
Mondo Hollywood
1967
Come Spy with Me
1967 · Jill Parsons
My Blood Runs Cold
1965 · Ben Gunther
A Distant Trumpet
1964 · 2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard
Palm Springs Weekend
1963 · Jim Munroe
Rome Adventure
1962 · Don Porter
Susan Slade
1961 · Hoyt Brecker
Parrish
1961 · Parrish McLean
The Crowded Sky
1960 · McVey
A Summer Place
1959 · Johnny Hunter
Imitation of Life
1959 · Frankie
The Perfect Furlough
1958 · Sergeant Nickles
Monster on the Campus
1958 · Jimmy Flanders
Voice in the Mirror
1958 · Paul Cunningham
Wild Heritage
1958 · Jesse Bascomb
This Happy Feeling
1958 · Tony Manza
Live Fast, Die Young
1958 · Artie Sanders / Artie Smith
Summer Love
1958 · Sax Lewis
The Monolith Monsters
1957 · Hank Jackson
The Tarnished Angels
1957 · Frank Burnham
Man of a Thousand Faces
1957 · Assistant Director (uncredited)
Man Afraid
1957 · Reporter (uncredited)
Séries (28)
Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
1991 · Rob Kamen
Monsters
1988 · Dr. Thomas Becker
Matt Houston
1982
Vega$
1978
The Eddie Capra Mysteries
1978
Fantasy Island
1978 · Jack Terry
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
1977 · Merle Johnson
La croisière s'amuse
1977 · Mr. Clark
CHiPs
1977
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
Laverne & Shirley
1976
Ellery Queen
1975 · Gilbert Mallory
The Name of the Game
1968 · Norman Hoak
Ironside
1967 · Father Dugan
The Patty Duke Show
1963
The Mike Douglas Show
1961 · Self
Surfside 6
1960 · Sandy Winfield II
Hawaiian Eye
1959 · PHilip Barton
Bourbon Street Beat
1959 · Man on Phone (voice)
The Alaskans
1959
Rawhide
1959 · Buzz Travis
77 Sunset Strip
1958 · Sandy Winfield II
Bronco
1958
Maverick
1957 · Dan Jamison
Sugarfoot
1957 · Ken Savage
The Bob Hope Show
1950 · Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948 · Self
Golden Globe Awards
1944 · Self - Nominee, Self - Winner