1936-01-27 ( 89 years old ) in 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.
Movies
The Boys Behind the Desk
2000-01-01
Legion
1998-04-18
Merchants of Venus
1998-03-01
Bimbo Movie Bash
1997-06-24
Showdown
1993-10-27
The Pamela Principle
1992-11-11
Double Trouble
1992-02-14
Deadly Diamonds
1991-03-01
Shock 'Em Dead
1991-01-31
Nudity Required
1990-12-04
Sexpot
1990-10-31
Omega Cop
1990-07-19
Cry-Baby
1990-04-06
Click: The Calendar Girl Killer
1990-03-01
The Platinum Triangle
1989-12-16
Hot Times at Montclair High
1989-11-08
Dr. Alien
1989-10-12
Assault of the Party Nerds
1989-08-03
Terminal Force
1989-08-01
Blood Nasty
1989-05-01
Sounds of Silence
1989-05-01
American Rampage
1989-01-23
The Chilling
1989-01-01
Deadly Spygames
1989-01-01
Hawkeye
1988-12-01
Bad Blood
1988-10-26
Hard Rock Nightmare
1988-01-01
Deadly Prey
1987-11-02
Hollywood Cop
1987-09-22
The Drifting Classroom
1987-07-11
Cyclone
1987-06-05
Fight to Win
1987-03-17
Low Blow
1986-04-01
Grandview, U.S.A.
1984-08-03
Katy Caterpillar
1984-07-05
Lover, Come Back to Me
1983-09-23
Malibu
1983-01-23
Tin Man
1983-01-01
The Godfather 1901–1959: The Complete Epic
1981-03-24
Outrage
1977-11-10
The Legend of Frank Woods
1977-04-30
The Godfather Part II
1974-12-20
Seizure
1974-11-15
South Seas
1974-09-19
Cockfighter
1974-08-01
Sweet Savior
1971-09-01
The Phantom Gunslinger
1970-04-30
The Lonely Profession
1969-10-21
Split Second to an Epitaph
1968-09-26
Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
1967-07-13
Come Spy with Me
1967-01-18
My Blood Runs Cold
1965-03-24
A Distant Trumpet
1964-05-20
Palm Springs Weekend
1963-11-05
Rome Adventure
1962-04-21
Susan Slade
1961-11-08
Parrish
1961-05-04
The Crowded Sky
1960-09-02
A Summer Place
1959-11-18
Imitation of Life
1959-06-26
Monster on the Campus
1958-12-17
The Perfect Furlough
1958-11-30
Voice in the Mirror
1958-08-13
Wild Heritage
1958-07-23
This Happy Feeling
1958-06-18
Live Fast, Die Young
1958-04-01
Summer Love
1958-03-10
The Monolith Monsters
1957-12-01
The Tarnished Angels
1957-11-21
Man of a Thousand Faces
1957-08-15
Man Afraid
1957-04-04
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