Cast
Troy Donahue
Acting
Cast
Troy Donahue
Known for
Acting
Born
1936-01-27
From
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died
2001-09-02
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. 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.
The Godfather Part II
as Merle Johnson
Cry-Baby
as Hatchet's Father
A Summer Place
as Johnny Hunter
The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959
as Merle Johnson
Imitation of Life
as Frankie
Malibu
as Clint Redman
Terminal Force
as Slim
Cockfighter
as Randall Mansfield
Mondo Hollywood
Live Fast, Die Young
as Artie Sanders / Artie Smith
Man Afraid
as Reporter (uncredited)
Tin Man
as Lester
Double Trouble
as Leonard
Monster on the Campus
as Jimmy Flanders
Man of a Thousand Faces
as Assistant Director (uncredited)
The Tarnished Angels
as Frank Burnham
Rome Adventure
as Don Porter
Omega Cop
as Slim
Dr. Alien
as Dr. Ackerman
Parrish
as Parrish McLean
Wild Heritage
as Jesse Bascomb
Grandview, U.S.A.
as Donny Vinton
This Happy Feeling
as Tony Manza
Merchants of Venus
as FBI Agent
Bimbo Movie Bash
as Dr. Ackerman (archive footage)
A Distant Trumpet
as 2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard
Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
as Gaylord Sullivan
Deadly Prey
as Don Michaelson
The Drifting Classroom
as Taggart
The Pamela Principle
as Troy
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
as Self (archive footage)
Seizure
as Mark Frost
Legion
as Flemming
Cyclone
as Bob Jenkins
The Perfect Furlough
as Sgt. Nickles
The Crowded Sky
as McVey
Shock 'Em Dead
as Record Exec
The Chilling
as Dr. Miller
Bad Blood
as Jack Barnes
Susan Slade
as Hoyt Brecker
Lover, Come Back to Me
Palm Springs Weekend
as Jim Munroe
Split Second to an Epitaph
as Father Dugan
Assault of the Party Nerds
as Sid Witherspoon
The Boys Behind the Desk
Low Blow
as John Templeton
Hollywood Cop
as Lt Maxwell
Click: The Calendar Girl Killer
as Alan
Summer Love
as Sax Lewis
Deadly Diamonds
as Matt Plimpton
Hot Times at Montclair High
as Mr. Nichols
The Monolith Monsters
as Hank Jackson
Blood Nasty
as Barry Hefna
Voice in the Mirror
as Paul Cunningham
The Lonely Profession
as Julian Thatcher
My Blood Runs Cold
as Ben Gunther
The Platinum Triangle
as Harold Farber
American Rampage
as Police Psychiatrist
Showdown
as Police Captain
Outrage
as Daniel
Sounds of Silence
as Larry Haughton
Hard Rock Nightmare
as Uncle Gary
South Seas
as Steve
Nudity Required
as Jack
Come Spy with Me
as Jill Parsons
Hawkeye
as Mayor
The Legend of Frank Woods
as Sheriff John Baxom
Sweet Savior
as Moon
Deadly Spygames
as Python
The Phantom Gunslinger
as Bill
Fight to Win
as Rosenberg
Sexpot
as Phillip