Troy Donahue
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- January 27, 1936
- Died
- September 2, 2001 (aged 65)
- Birthplace
- New York City, New York, U.S.
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
Photos
Filmography
The Boys Behind the Desk
Movie
Legion
Movie · as Flemming
Merchants of Venus
Movie · as FBI Agent
Bimbo Movie Bash
Movie · as Dr. Ackerman (archive footage)
Showdown
Movie · as Police Captain
Double Trouble
Movie · as Leonard
The Pamela Principle
Movie · as Troy
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
Movie · as Merle Johnson
Shock 'Em Dead
Movie · as Record Exec
Deadly Diamonds
Movie · as Matt Plimpton
Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
TV · as Rob Kamen · 2 eps
Omega Cop
Movie · as Slim
Nudity Required
Movie · as Jack
Click: The Calendar Girl Killer
Movie · as Alan
Sexpot
Movie · as Phillip
Cry-Baby
Movie · as Hatchet's Father
Assault of the Party Nerds
Movie · as Sid Witherspoon
Blood Nasty
Movie · as Barry Hefna
American Rampage
Movie · as Police Psychiatrist
The Chilling
Movie · as Dr. Miller
Terminal Force
Movie · as Slim
Hot Times at Montclair High
Movie · as Mr. Nichols
Dr. Alien
Movie · as Dr. Ackerman
The Platinum Triangle
Movie · as Harold Farber
Deadly Spygames
Movie · as Python
Sounds of Silence
Movie · as Larry Haughton
Hard Rock Nightmare
Movie · as Uncle Gary
Bad Blood
Movie · as Jack Barnes
Hawkeye
Movie · as Mayor
Monsters
TV · as Dr. Thomas Becker · 1 ep
Deadly Prey
Movie · as Don Michaelson
Cyclone
Movie · as Bob Jenkins
Fight to Win
Movie · as Rosenberg
Hollywood Cop
Movie · as Lt Maxwell
The Drifting Classroom
Movie · as Taggart
Low Blow
Movie · as John Templeton
Grandview, U.S.A.
Movie · as Donny Vinton
Katy Caterpillar
Movie · as Chester
Tin Man
Movie · as Lester
Malibu
Movie · as Clint Redman
Lover, Come Back to Me
Movie
Matt Houston
TV · 1 ep
Vega$
TV · 1 ep
The Eddie Capra Mysteries
TV · 1 ep
Fantasy Island
TV · as Jack Terry · 1 ep
Outrage
Movie · as Daniel
The Legend of Frank Woods
Movie · as Sheriff John Baxom
CHiPs
TV · 1 ep
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
TV · 1 ep
The Love Boat
TV · as Mr. Clark · 1 ep
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
TV · as Merle Johnson · 4 eps
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
Movie · as (archive footage)
Laverne & Shirley
TV · 1 ep
Ellery Queen
TV · as Gilbert Mallory · 1 ep
Cockfighter
Movie · as Randall Mansfield
Seizure
Movie · as Mark Frost
The Godfather Part II
Movie · as Merle Johnson
South Seas
Movie · as Steve
Sweet Savior
Movie · as Moon
The Phantom Gunslinger
Movie · as Bill
The Lonely Profession
Movie · as Julian Thatcher
Split Second to an Epitaph
Movie · as Father Dugan
The Name of the Game
TV · as Norman Hoak · 1 ep
Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
Movie · as Gaylord Sullivan
Come Spy with Me
Movie · as Jill Parsons
Mondo Hollywood
Movie
Ironside
TV · as Father Dugan · 1 ep
My Blood Runs Cold
Movie · as Ben Gunther
A Distant Trumpet
Movie · as 2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard
Palm Springs Weekend
Movie · as Jim Munroe
The Patty Duke Show
TV · 1 ep
Rome Adventure
Movie · as Don Porter
Parrish
Movie · as Parrish McLean
Susan Slade
Movie · as Hoyt Brecker
The Mike Douglas Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Crowded Sky
Movie · as McVey
Surfside 6
TV · as Sandy Winfield II · 74 eps
Imitation of Life
Movie · as Frankie
A Summer Place
Movie · as Johnny Hunter
Hawaiian Eye
TV · as PHilip Barton · 24 eps
Rawhide
TV · as Buzz Travis · 1 ep
The Alaskans
TV · 1 ep
Bourbon Street Beat
TV · as Man on Phone (voice) · 1 ep
Monster on the Campus
Movie · as Jimmy Flanders
Voice in the Mirror
Movie · as Paul Cunningham
This Happy Feeling
Movie · as Tony Manza
Summer Love
Movie · as Sax Lewis
Wild Heritage
Movie · as Jesse Bascomb
The Perfect Furlough
Movie · as Sergeant Nickles
Live Fast, Die Young
Movie · as Artie Sanders / Artie Smith
77 Sunset Strip
TV · as Sandy Winfield II · 1 ep
Bronco
TV · 2 eps
The Tarnished Angels
Movie · as Frank Burnham
Man Afraid
Movie · as Reporter (uncredited)
The Monolith Monsters
Movie · as Hank Jackson
Man of a Thousand Faces
Movie · as Assistant Director (uncredited)
Sugarfoot
TV · as Ken Savage · 1 ep
Maverick
TV · as Dan Jamison · 1 ep
The Bob Hope Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Golden Globe Awards
TV · as Self - Nominee, Self - Winner · 1 ep