Troy Donahue
72 movies · 24 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Jan 27, 1936
- Died
- Sep 2, 2001 (age 65)
- Place of birth
- New York City, New York, U.S.
- Also known as
- Merle Johnson Jr. · Трой Донахʼю
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.
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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.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
Troy Donahue: movies and TV shows
Acting (96)
- 2000
- 1998 Legion
as Flemming
- 1998 Merchants of Venus
as FBI Agent
- 1997 Bimbo Movie Bash
as Dr. Ackerman (archive footage)
- 1993 Showdown
as Police Captain
- 1992 The Pamela Principle
as Troy
- 1992 The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
as Merle Johnson
- 1992 Double Trouble
as Leonard
- 1991
- 1991 Deadly Diamonds
as Matt Plimpton
- 1991 Shock 'Em Dead
as Record Exec
- 1990 Nudity Required
as Jack
- 1990 Sexpot
as Phillip
- 1990 Omega Cop
as Slim
- 1990 Cry-Baby
as Hatchet's Father
- 1990 Click: The Calendar Girl Killer
as Alan
- 1989 The Platinum Triangle
as Harold Farber
- 1989 Hot Times at Montclair High
as Mr. Nichols
- 1989 Dr. Alien
as Dr. Ackerman
- 1989 Assault of the Party Nerds
as Sid Witherspoon
- 1989 Terminal Force
as Slim
- 1989 Blood Nasty
as Barry Hefna
- 1989 Sounds of Silence
as Larry Haughton
- 1989 American Rampage
as Police Psychiatrist
- 1989 The Chilling
as Dr. Miller
- 1989 Deadly Spygames
as Python
- 1988 Hawkeye
as Mayor
- 1988 Bad Blood
as Jack Barnes
- 1988
- 1988 Hard Rock Nightmare
as Uncle Gary
- 1987 Deadly Prey
as Don Michaelson
- 1987 Hollywood Cop
as Lt Maxwell
- 1987 The Drifting Classroom
as Taggart
- 1987 Cyclone
as Bob Jenkins
- 1987 Fight to Win
as Rosenberg
- 1986 Low Blow
as John Templeton
- 1984 Grandview, U.S.A.
as Donny Vinton
- 1983
- 1983 Malibu
as Clint Redman
- 1983 Tin Man
as Lester
- 1982
- 1978
- 1978
- 1978
- 1977
- 1977 Outrage
as Daniel
- 1977
- 1977
- 1977 The Legend of Frank Woods
as Sheriff John Baxom
- 1977
- 1976 Bob Hope's World of Comedy
as (archive footage)
- 1976
- 1975
- 1974 The Godfather Part II
as Merle Johnson
- 1974 Seizure
as Mark Frost
- 1974 South Seas
as Steve
- 1974 Cockfighter
as Randall Mansfield
- 1971 Sweet Savior
as Moon
- 1970 The Phantom Gunslinger
as Bill
- 1969 The Lonely Profession
as Julian Thatcher
- 1968 Split Second to an Epitaph
as Father Dugan
- 1968
- 1967 Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
as Gaylord Sullivan
- 1967
- 1967
- 1967 Come Spy with Me
as Jill Parsons
- 1965 My Blood Runs Cold
as Ben Gunther
- 1964 A Distant Trumpet
as 2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard
- 1963 Palm Springs Weekend
as Jim Munroe
- 1963
- 1962 Rome Adventure
as Don Porter
- 1961 Susan Slade
as Hoyt Brecker
- 1961 Parrish
as Parrish McLean
- 1960
- 1960 The Crowded Sky
as McVey
- 1959 A Summer Place
as Johnny Hunter
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959 Imitation of Life
as Frankie
- 1959
- 1958 The Perfect Furlough
as Sergeant Nickles
- 1958 Monster on the Campus
as Jimmy Flanders
- 1958
- 1958
- 1958 Voice in the Mirror
as Paul Cunningham
- 1958 Wild Heritage
as Jesse Bascomb
- 1958 This Happy Feeling
as Tony Manza
- 1958 Live Fast, Die Young
as Artie Sanders / Artie Smith
- 1958 Summer Love
as Sax Lewis
- 1957 The Monolith Monsters
as Hank Jackson
- 1957 The Tarnished Angels
as Frank Burnham
- 1957
- 1957
- 1957 Man of a Thousand Faces
as Assistant Director (uncredited)
- 1957 Man Afraid
as Reporter (uncredited)
Talk shows and appearances (4)
- 1961 The Mike Douglas Show
1 episode
- 1950 The Bob Hope Show
1 episode
- 1948 The Ed Sullivan Show
1 episode
- 1944 Golden Globe Awards
2 episodes