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.
Acted in
The Boys Behind the Desk
2000
Legion
1998
as Flemming
Merchants of Venus
1998
as FBI Agent
Bimbo Movie Bash
1997
as Dr. Ackerman (archive footage)
Showdown
1993
as Police Captain
The Pamela Principle
1992
as Troy
Double Trouble
1992
as Leonard
Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
1991
as Rob Kamen
Deadly Diamonds
1991
as Matt Plimpton
Shock 'Em Dead
1991
as Record Exec
Nudity Required
1990
as Jack
Sexpot
1990
as Phillip
Omega Cop
1990
as Slim
Cry-Baby
1990
as Hatchet's Father
Click: The Calendar Girl Killer
1990
as Alan
The Platinum Triangle
1989
as Harold Farber
Hot Times at Montclair High
1989
as Mr. Nichols
Dr. Alien
1989
as Dr. Ackerman
Assault of the Party Nerds
1989
as Sid Witherspoon
Terminal Force
1989
as Slim
Blood Nasty
1989
as Barry Hefna
Sounds of Silence
1989
as Larry Haughton
American Rampage
1989
as Police Psychiatrist
The Chilling
1989
as Dr. Miller
Deadly Spygames
1989
as Python
Hawkeye
1988
as Mayor
Bad Blood
1988
as Jack Barnes
Monsters
1988
Hard Rock Nightmare
1988
as Uncle Gary
Deadly Prey
1987
as Don Michaelson
Hollywood Cop
1987
as Lt Maxwell
The Drifting Classroom
1987
as Taggart
Cyclone
1987
as Bob Jenkins
Fight to Win
1987
as Rosenberg
Low Blow
1986
as John Templeton
Horrible Horror
1986
as Jimmy Flanders in 'Monsters on the Campus'
Grandview, U.S.A.
1984
as Donny Vinton
Katy Caterpillar
1984
as Gilbert (voice, English version)
Lover, Come Back to Me
1983
Malibu
1983
as Clint Redman
Tin Man
1983
as Lester
Matt Houston
1982
The Godfather 1901–1959: The Complete Epic
1981
as Merle Johnson
Vega$
1978
The Eddie Capra Mysteries
1978
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
1977
as Merle Johnson
Outrage
1977
as Daniel
The Love Boat
1977
as Mr. Clark
CHiPs
1977
The Legend of Frank Woods
1977
as Sheriff John Baxom
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
Laverne & Shirley
1976
Ellery Queen
1975
as Gilbert Mallory
The Godfather Part II
1974
as Merle Johnson
Seizure
1974
as Mark Frost
South Seas
1974
as Steve
Cockfighter
1974
as Randall Mansfield
Sweet Savior
1971
as Moon
The Phantom Gunslinger
1970
as Bill
The Lonely Profession
1969
as Julian Thatcher
Split Second to an Epitaph
1968
as Father Dugan
The Name of the Game
1968
as Norman Hoak
Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
1967
as Gaylord Sullivan
Ironside
1967
as Father Dugan
Come Spy with Me
1967
as Jill Parsons
My Blood Runs Cold
1965
as Ben Gunther
A Distant Trumpet
1964
as 2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard
Palm Springs Weekend
1963
as Jim Munroe
The Patty Duke Show
1963
Rome Adventure
1962
as Don Porter
Susan Slade
1961
as Hoyt Brecker
Parrish
1961
as Parrish McLean
Surfside 6
1960
as Sandy Winfield II
The Crowded Sky
1960
as McVey
A Summer Place
1959
as Johnny Hunter
Hawaiian Eye
1959
Bourbon Street Beat
1959
as Man on Phone (voice)
The Alaskans
1959
Imitation of Life
1959
as Frankie
Rawhide
1959
as Buzz Travis
Monster on the Campus
1958
as Jimmy Flanders
The Perfect Furlough
1958
as Sgt. Nickles
77 Sunset Strip
1958
77 Sunset Strip
1958
as Sandy Winfield II
Bronco
1958
Voice in the Mirror
1958
as Paul Cunningham
Wild Heritage
1958
as Jesse Bascomb
This Happy Feeling
1958
as Tony Manza
Live Fast, Die Young
1958
as Artie Sanders / Artie Smith
Summer Love
1958
as Sax Lewis
The Monolith Monsters
1957
as Hank Jackson
The Tarnished Angels
1957
as Frank Burnham
Maverick
1957
as Dan Jamison
Sugarfoot
1957
as Ken Savage
Man of a Thousand Faces
1957
as Assistant Director (uncredited)
Man Afraid
1957
as Reporter (uncredited)