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.
★8.6
MOVIE1974
The Godfather Part II
as Merle Johnson
★6.6
MOVIE1959
A Summer Place
as Johnny Hunter
★6.5
MOVIE1990
Cry-Baby
as Hatchet's Father
★5.8
MOVIE1984
Grandview, U.S.A.
as Donny Vinton
★7.5
MOVIE1959
Imitation of Life
as Frankie
★4.8
MOVIE1992
Double Trouble
as Leonard
★5.5
MOVIE1964
A Distant Trumpet
as 2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard
★9.0
MOVIE2016
The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959
as Merle Johnson
★8.0
MOVIE1974
South Seas
as Steve
★3.9
MOVIE1989
The Chilling
as Dr. Miller
★4.6
MOVIE1977
Outrage
as Daniel
MOVIE1976
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
as Self (archive footage)
★3.4
MOVIE1997
Bimbo Movie Bash
as Dr. Ackerman (archive footage)
★5.8
MOVIE1962
Rome Adventure
as Don Porter
★6.8
MOVIE1957
The Tarnished Angels
as Frank Burnham
★5.1
MOVIE1974
Seizure
as Mark Frost
★4.8
MOVIE1958
This Happy Feeling
as Tony Manza
★8.9
MOVIE1992
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
as Merle Johnson
★6.1
MOVIE1958
Monster on the Campus
as Jimmy Flanders
★6.8
MOVIE1957
Man of a Thousand Faces
as Assistant Director (uncredited)
★5.9
MOVIE1960
The Crowded Sky
as McVey
★6.5
MOVIE1958
Live Fast, Die Young
as Artie Sanders / Artie Smith
★6.5
MOVIE1957
The Monolith Monsters
as Hank Jackson
★5.1
MOVIE1989
Dr. Alien
as Dr. Ackerman
★4.1
MOVIE1987
Cyclone
as Bob Jenkins
★5.9
MOVIE1961
Susan Slade
as Hoyt Brecker
★6.8
MOVIE1958
The Perfect Furlough
as Sgt. Nickles
★4.9
MOVIE1970
The Phantom Gunslinger
as Bill
★2.8
MOVIE1989
Deadly Spygames
as Python
★5.2
MOVIE1987
The Drifting Classroom
as Taggart
★6.3
MOVIE1998
Merchants of Venus
as FBI Agent
★4.5
MOVIE1992
The Pamela Principle
as Troy
★4.3
MOVIE1991
Shock 'Em Dead
as Record Exec
★6.0
MOVIE1957
Man Afraid
as Reporter (uncredited)
★4.9
MOVIE1987
Deadly Prey
as Don Michaelson
★5.5
MOVIE1967
Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
as Gaylord Sullivan
★4.9
MOVIE1988
Hard Rock Nightmare
as Uncle Gary
★3.6
MOVIE1989
Terminal Force
as Slim
★4.4
MOVIE1987
Hollywood Cop
as Lt Maxwell
★6.0
MOVIE1974
Cockfighter
as Randall Mansfield
★5.2
MOVIE1965
My Blood Runs Cold
as Ben Gunther
★3.7
MOVIE1998
Legion
as Flemming
★6.4
MOVIE1958
Voice in the Mirror
as Paul Cunningham
★4.9
MOVIE1986
Low Blow
as John Templeton
★5.0
MOVIE1961
Parrish
as Parrish McLean
★5.0
MOVIE1963
Palm Springs Weekend
as Jim Munroe
★6.7
MOVIE1967
Mondo Hollywood
★5.4
MOVIE1988
Hawkeye
as Mayor
★7.0
MOVIE1969
The Lonely Profession
as Julian Thatcher
★4.3
MOVIE1988
Bad Blood
as Jack Barnes
★3.8
MOVIE1990
Click: The Calendar Girl Killer
as Alan
★6.0
MOVIE1958
Wild Heritage
as Jesse Bascomb
★5.5
MOVIE1958
Summer Love
as Sax Lewis
★3.3
MOVIE1990
Omega Cop
as Slim
★10.0
MOVIE1967
Come Spy with Me
as Jill Parsons
★4.3
MOVIE1971
Sweet Savior
as Moon
★3.5
MOVIE1989
American Rampage
as Police Psychiatrist
★3.3
MOVIE1989
Blood Nasty
as Barry Hefna
★9.0
MOVIE1968
Split Second to an Epitaph
as Father Dugan
★5.5
MOVIE1987
Fight to Win
as Rosenberg
★4.4
MOVIE1983
Tin Man
as Lester
★3.6
MOVIE1989
Assault of the Party Nerds
as Sid Witherspoon
★3.8
MOVIE1983
Malibu
as Clint Redman
★7.0
MOVIE1977
The Legend of Frank Woods
as Sheriff John Baxom
★3.7
MOVIE1989
Hot Times at Montclair High
as Mr. Nichols
★3.3
MOVIE1990
Sexpot
as Phillip
★7.0
MOVIE2000
The Boys Behind the Desk
★6.0
MOVIE1989
The Platinum Triangle
as Harold Farber
★5.2
MOVIE1993
Showdown
as Police Captain
★3.9
MOVIE1990
Nudity Required
as Jack
★4.3
MOVIE1989
Sounds of Silence
as Larry Haughton
★2.5
MOVIE1991
Deadly Diamonds
as Matt Plimpton
MOVIE1983