Troy Donahue

Troy Donahue

Birthday: 1936-01-27

Deathday: 2001-09-02

Place of birth: New York City, New York, U.S.

Also known as: Merle Johnson Jr., Трой Донахʼю

imdb_id: nm0001148

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.

Played in movies:

The Godfather 1901–1959: The Complete Epic

Score: 9.4

The Godfather Part II

Score: 8.6

Imitation of Life

Score: 7.4

Merchants of Venus

Score: 6.8

The Tarnished Angels

Score: 6.7

Man of a Thousand Faces

Score: 6.7

The Perfect Furlough

Score: 6.6

Cry-Baby

Score: 6.5

The Monolith Monsters

Score: 6.5

A Summer Place

Score: 6.5

Monster on the Campus

Score: 6.1

Cockfighter

Score: 6.1

Man Afraid

Score: 5.8

Susan Slade

Score: 5.8

Grandview, U.S.A.

Score: 5.8

Voice in the Mirror

Score: 5.8

Live Fast, Die Young

Score: 5.7

The Crowded Sky

Score: 5.6

Rome Adventure

Score: 5.5

Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon

Score: 5.5

A Distant Trumpet

Score: 5.4

Parrish

Score: 5.4

Fight to Win

Score: 5.3

The Platinum Triangle

Score: 5.3

Dr. Alien

Score: 5.0

The Drifting Classroom

Score: 5.0

Summer Love

Score: 5.0

Palm Springs Weekend

Score: 5.0

Seizure

Score: 5.0

Hard Rock Nightmare

Score: 4.8

Deadly Prey

Score: 4.8

Double Trouble

Score: 4.7

The Phantom Gunslinger

Score: 4.6

Hollywood Cop

Score: 4.6

Low Blow

Score: 4.6

Outrage

Score: 4.5

Hawkeye

Score: 4.5

Wild Heritage

Score: 4.5

My Blood Runs Cold

Score: 4.5

Showdown

Score: 4.4

Sounds of Silence

Score: 4.4

Shock 'Em Dead

Score: 4.3

The Pamela Principle

Score: 4.2

Cyclone

Score: 4.0

This Happy Feeling

Score: 3.8

Bad Blood

Score: 3.8

The Chilling

Score: 3.8

Nudity Required

Score: 3.7

Hot Times at Montclair High

Score: 3.6

Sweet Savior

Score: 3.5

Assault of the Party Nerds

Score: 3.5

Tin Man

Score: 3.3

Click: The Calendar Girl Killer

Score: 3.3

Legion

Score: 3.3

American Rampage

Score: 3.2

Terminal Force

Score: 3.2

Malibu

Score: 3.0

Bimbo Movie Bash

Score: 3.0

Omega Cop

Score: 2.8

Blood Nasty

Score: 2.5

Deadly Spygames

Score: 1.3

Deadly Diamonds

Score: 1.0

Sexpot

Score: 1.0

Lover, Come Back to Me

Score: 0.0

Split Second to an Epitaph

Score: 0.0

The Lonely Profession

Score: 0.0

The Legend of Frank Woods

Score: 0.0

South Seas

Score: 0.0

Come Spy with Me

Score: 0.0

The Boys Behind the Desk

Score: 0.0

Played in tv shows:

Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television

Score: 8.6

Ellery Queen

Score: 7.4

Golden Globe Awards

Score: 7.2

Laverne & Shirley

Score: 7.2

Rawhide

Score: 7.1

Monsters

Score: 7.1

The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

Score: 7.1

The Bob Hope Show

Score: 7.0

Vega$

Score: 7.0

Ironside

Score: 6.8

CHiPs

Score: 6.8

The Ed Sullivan Show

Score: 6.8

The Name of the Game

Score: 6.8

Maverick

Score: 6.8

77 Sunset Strip

Score: 6.7

77 Sunset Strip

Score: 6.7

The Love Boat

Score: 6.3

Matt Houston

Score: 6.2

The Patty Duke Show

Score: 5.8

The Alaskans

Score: 5.5

The Mike Douglas Show

Score: 5.4

Bronco

Score: 5.2

Hawaiian Eye

Score: 5.2

Bourbon Street Beat

Score: 5.0

The Eddie Capra Mysteries

Score: 5.0

Surfside 6

Score: 5.0

Sugarfoot

Score: 4.8

Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story

Score: 0.0