Troy Donahue
Age: N/A | From: New York City, New York, U.S.
Person Details
Birthday:
Aliases: Merle Johnson Jr. , Трой Донахʼю
Gender: Male
Place of birth: New York City, New York, U.S.
Homepage:
Movie Involvements: 56
TV Involvements: 6
Most Famous Work
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.
Most Famous Work
Rawhide
(1959) Buzz Travis
The Name of the Game
(1968) Norman Hoak
Surfside 6
(1960) Sandy Winfield II
Sugarfoot
(1957) Ken Savage
The Godfather Part II
(1974) Merle Johnson
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
(1977) Merle Johnson
Bourbon Street Beat
(1959) Man on Phone (voice)
The Godfather 1901–1959: The Complete Epic
(1981) Merle JohnsonActing
| Year | Character | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | N/A | |
| 1998 | Flemming | |
| FBI Agent | ||
| 1997 | Dr. Ackerman (archive footage) | |
| 1993 | Police Captain | |
| 1992 | Troy | |
| Leonard | ||
| 1991 | Matt Plimpton | |
| Record Exec | ||
| 1990 | Jack | |
| Phillip | ||
| Slim | ||
| Hatchet's Father | ||
| Alan | ||
| 1989 | Harold Farber | |
| Mr. Nichols | ||
| Dr. Ackerman | ||
| Sid Witherspoon | ||
| Slim | ||
| Barry Hefna | ||
| Larry Haughton | ||
| Police Psychiatrist | ||
| Dr. Miller | ||
| Python | ||
| 1988 | Mayor | |
| Jack Barnes | ||
| N/A | ||
| Uncle Gary | ||
| 1987 | Don Michaelson | |
| Lt Maxwell | ||
| Taggart | ||
| Bob Jenkins | ||
| Rosenberg | ||
| 1986 | John Templeton | |
| Jimmy Flanders in 'Monsters on the Campus' | ||
| 1984 | Donny Vinton | |
| Gilbert (voice, English version) | ||
| 1983 | N/A | |
| Clint Redman | ||
| Lester | ||
| 1982 | N/A | |
| 1981 | Merle Johnson | |
| 1978 | N/A | |
| N/A | ||
| 1977 | Merle Johnson | |
| Daniel | ||
| Mr. Clark | ||
| N/A | ||
| Sheriff John Baxom | ||
| N/A | ||
| 1976 | N/A | |
| 1975 | N/A | |
| 1974 | Merle Johnson | |
| Mark Frost | ||
| Steve | ||
| Randall Mansfield | ||
| 1971 | Moon | |
| 1970 | Bill | |
| 1969 | Julian Thatcher | |
| 1968 | Father Dugan | |
| Norman Hoak | ||
| 1967 | Gaylord Sullivan | |
| N/A | ||
| Jill Parsons | ||
| 1965 | Ben Gunther | |
| 1964 | 2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard | |
| 1963 | Jim Munroe | |
| N/A | ||
| 1962 | Don Porter | |
| 1961 | Hoyt Brecker | |
| Parrish McLean | ||
| 1960 | Sandy Winfield II | |
| McVey | ||
| 1959 | Johnny Hunter | |
| N/A | ||
| Man on Phone (voice) | ||
| N/A | ||
| Frankie | ||
| Buzz Travis | ||
| 1958 | Jimmy Flanders | |
| Sgt. Nickles | ||
| N/A | ||
| N/A | ||
| Paul Cunningham | ||
| Jesse Bascomb | ||
| Tony Manza | ||
| Artie Sanders / Artie Smith | ||
| Sax Lewis | ||
| 1957 | Hank Jackson | |
| Frank Burnham | ||
| Dan Jamison | ||
| Ken Savage | ||
| Assistant Director (uncredited) | ||
| Reporter (uncredited) | ||
| Year | Character | Movie/Tv |
