Troy Donahue
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- January 27, 1936
- Died
- September 2, 2001
- Birthplace
- New York City, New York, U.S.
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.
Filmography
- The Boys Behind the Desk
The Boys Behind the Desk 2000
Actor
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
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 1992
as Merle Johnson
Double Trouble 1992
as Leonard
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
Sounds of Silence 1989
as Larry Haughton
Blood Nasty 1989
as Barry Hefna
American Rampage 1989
as Police Psychiatrist
Deadly Spygames 1989
as Python
The Chilling 1989
as Dr. Miller
Hawkeye 1988
as Mayor
Bad Blood 1988
as Jack Barnes
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
Grandview, U.S.A. 1984
as Donny Vinton
Katy Caterpillar 1984
as Chester
Lover, Come Back to Me 1983
Actor
Malibu 1983
as Clint Redman
- Tin Man
Tin Man 1983
as Lester
Outrage 1977
as Daniel
The Legend of Frank Woods 1977
as Sheriff John Baxom
- Bob Hope's World of Comedy
Bob Hope's World of Comedy 1976
as (archive footage)
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
Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon 1967
as Gaylord Sullivan
Mondo Hollywood 1967
Actor
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
Rome Adventure 1962
as Don Porter
Susan Slade 1961
as Hoyt Brecker
Parrish 1961
as Parrish McLean
The Crowded Sky 1960
as McVey
A Summer Place 1959
as Johnny Hunter
Imitation of Life 1959
as Frankie
The Perfect Furlough 1958
as Sergeant Nickles
Monster on the Campus 1958
as Jimmy Flanders
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
Man of a Thousand Faces 1957
as Assistant Director (uncredited)
Man Afraid 1957
as Reporter (uncredited)
Credits from TMDB.