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.

The Godfather Part II

8.6

Cry-Baby

6.5

Imitation of Life

7.4

The Love Boat

6.3

CHiPs

6.8

Deadly Prey

4.9

The Tarnished Angels

6.7

Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television

8.6

The Monolith Monsters

6.5

Laverne & Shirley

7.2

Ironside

6.9

Cockfighter

6.0

Double Trouble

4.8

Monster on the Campus

6.1

A Summer Place

6.5

Rawhide

7.1

Man of a Thousand Faces

6.7

Ellery Queen

7.4

Grandview, U.S.A.

6.0

Maverick

6.8

Cyclone

4.1

Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon

5.6

Seizure

5.1

Dr. Alien

4.9

The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

7.0

Matt Houston

6.2

A Distant Trumpet

5.2

The Chilling

4.0

Hollywood Cop

4.6

Shock 'Em Dead

4.2

77 Sunset Strip

6.7

Vega$

7.0

Monsters

7.0

The Ed Sullivan Show

6.6

Palm Springs Weekend

5.0

Legion

3.7

Rome Adventure

5.4

The Patty Duke Show

5.8

Susan Slade

5.8

The Perfect Furlough

7.1

The Crowded Sky

5.6

Bimbo Movie Bash

3.2

The Name of the Game

6.8

Assault of the Party Nerds

3.8

Omega Cop

2.8

Hard Rock Nightmare

5.0

Low Blow

5.3

Katy Caterpillar

6.2

Parrish

5.4

Hawaiian Eye

5.2

Hot Times at Montclair High

3.9

Hawkeye

4.5

The Pamela Principle

4.6

American Rampage

3.7

The Drifting Classroom

4.9

Sounds of Silence

4.9

Outrage

4.5

Blood Nasty

2.8

Nudity Required

4.2

Fight to Win

5.8

Click: The Calendar Girl Killer

3.6

Showdown

4.4

The Phantom Gunslinger

4.6

Bronco

4.8

Sugarfoot

4.8

Terminal Force

3.8

Voice in the Mirror

5.8

Bad Blood

4.5

This Happy Feeling

3.8

Man Afraid

5.8

Merchants of Venus

7.2

The Godfather 1901–1959: The Complete Epic

9.3

Sweet Savior

4.3

Summer Love

5.0

Live Fast, Die Young

5.7

Tin Man

3.3

The Platinum Triangle

6.7

The Bob Hope Show

7.0

My Blood Runs Cold

4.5

Wild Heritage

4.5

Deadly Spygames

1.5

Malibu

3.0

Surfside 6

5.0

The Alaskans

5.5

Sexpot

1.0

Deadly Diamonds

1.0

The Eddie Capra Mysteries

5.0

Bourbon Street Beat

5.0

The Boys Behind the Desk

0.0

Come Spy with Me

0.0

South Seas

0.0

The Legend of Frank Woods

0.0

The Lonely Profession

0.0

Split Second to an Epitaph

0.0

Lover, Come Back to Me

0.0

Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story

0.0