Troy Donahue
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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.
Known for
Credits
The Godfather Part II (1974)
as Merle Johnson
A Summer Place (1959)
as Johnny Hunter
Cry-Baby (1990)
as Hatchet's Father
Grandview, U.S.A. (1984)
as Donny Vinton
Imitation of Life (1959)
as Frankie
Double Trouble (1992)
as Leonard
A Distant Trumpet (1964)
as 2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard
The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959 (2016)
as Merle Johnson
South Seas (1974)
as Steve
The Chilling (1989)
as Dr. Miller
Outrage (1977)
as Daniel
Bob Hope's World of Comedy (1976)
as Self (archive footage)
Bimbo Movie Bash (1997)
as Dr. Ackerman (archive footage)
Rome Adventure (1962)
as Don Porter
The Tarnished Angels (1957)
as Frank Burnham
Seizure (1974)
as Mark Frost
This Happy Feeling (1958)
as Tony Manza
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (1992)
as Merle Johnson
Monster on the Campus (1958)
as Jimmy Flanders
Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)
as Assistant Director (uncredited)
The Crowded Sky (1960)
as McVey
Live Fast, Die Young (1958)
as Artie Sanders / Artie Smith
The Monolith Monsters (1957)
as Hank Jackson
Dr. Alien (1989)
as Dr. Ackerman
Cyclone (1987)
as Bob Jenkins
Susan Slade (1961)
as Hoyt Brecker
The Perfect Furlough (1958)
as Sgt. Nickles
The Phantom Gunslinger (1970)
as Bill
Deadly Spygames (1989)
as Python
The Drifting Classroom (1987)
as Taggart
Merchants of Venus (1998)
as FBI Agent
The Pamela Principle (1992)
as Troy
Shock 'Em Dead (1991)
as Record Exec
Man Afraid (1957)
as Reporter (uncredited)
Deadly Prey (1987)
as Don Michaelson
Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon (1967)
as Gaylord Sullivan
Hard Rock Nightmare (1988)
as Uncle Gary
Terminal Force (1989)
as Slim
Hollywood Cop (1987)
as Lt Maxwell
Cockfighter (1974)
as Randall Mansfield
My Blood Runs Cold (1965)
as Ben Gunther
Legion (1998)
as Flemming
Voice in the Mirror (1958)
as Paul Cunningham
Low Blow (1986)
as John Templeton
Parrish (1961)
as Parrish McLean
Palm Springs Weekend (1963)
as Jim Munroe
Mondo Hollywood (1967)
Actor
Hawkeye (1988)
as Mayor
The Lonely Profession (1969)
as Julian Thatcher
Bad Blood (1988)
as Jack Barnes
Click: The Calendar Girl Killer (1990)
as Alan
Wild Heritage (1958)
as Jesse Bascomb
Summer Love (1958)
as Sax Lewis
Omega Cop (1990)
as Slim
Come Spy with Me (1967)
as Jill Parsons
Sweet Savior (1971)
as Moon
American Rampage (1989)
as Police Psychiatrist
Blood Nasty (1989)
as Barry Hefna
Split Second to an Epitaph (1968)
as Father Dugan
Fight to Win (1987)
as Rosenberg
Tin Man (1983)
as Lester
Assault of the Party Nerds (1989)
as Sid Witherspoon
Malibu (1983)
as Clint Redman
The Legend of Frank Woods (1977)
as Sheriff John Baxom
Hot Times at Montclair High (1989)
as Mr. Nichols
Sexpot (1990)
as Phillip
The Boys Behind the Desk (2000)
Actor
The Platinum Triangle (1989)
as Harold Farber
Showdown (1993)
as Police Captain
Nudity Required (1990)
as Jack
Sounds of Silence (1989)
as Larry Haughton
Deadly Diamonds (1991)
as Matt Plimpton
Lover, Come Back to Me (1983)
Actor