Troy Donahue, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

Back

Back

Top

Korplix
Korean Online
Content Archives

0
3.208

Troy Donahue
Acting

Troy Donahue
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1936-01-27,New York City, New York, U.S.
Gender
Male
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.

Filmography

Assault of the Party Nerds

3.5

Assault of the Party Nerds
1989-08-03

4.9

Deadly Prey
1987-11-02

The Godfather 1901–1959: The Complete Epic

9.3

The Godfather 1901–1959: The Complete Epic
1981-03-24

Imitation of Life

7.4

Imitation of Life
1959-06-26

6

Cockfighter
1974-08-01

2.8

Blood Nasty
1989-05-01

Monster on the Campus

6.1

Monster on the Campus
1958-12-17

American Rampage

3.8

American Rampage
1989-01-23

5.4

Parrish
1961-05-04

4.3

Sweet Savior
1971-09-01

5.1

Seizure
1974-11-15

4

The Chilling
1989-01-01

Palm Springs Weekend

4.9

Palm Springs Weekend
1963-11-05

The Tarnished Angels

6.619

The Tarnished Angels
1957-11-21

Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon

5.6

Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
1967-07-13

3.8

Terminal Force
1989-08-01

6.5

A Summer Place
1959-11-18

5.3

Low Blow
1986-04-01

A Distant Trumpet

5.2

A Distant Trumpet
1964-05-20

Voice in the Mirror

5.8

Voice in the Mirror
1958-08-13

4.1

Cyclone
1987-06-05

Horrible Horror

7

Horrible Horror
1986-01-01

Grandview, U.S.A.

5.957

Grandview, U.S.A.
1984-08-03

2.8

Omega Cop
1990-07-19

5.8

Susan Slade
1961-11-08

The Crowded Sky

5.6

The Crowded Sky
1960-09-02

5.4

Rome Adventure
1962-04-21

Katy Caterpillar

6.2

Katy Caterpillar
1984-07-05

Hard Rock Nightmare

4.9

Hard Rock Nightmare
1988-01-01

4.5

Bad Blood
1988-10-26

This Happy Feeling

3.8

This Happy Feeling
1958-06-18

Hot Times at Montclair High

3.9

Hot Times at Montclair High
1989-11-08

My Blood Runs Cold

4.5

My Blood Runs Cold
1965-03-24

Nudity Required

4.2

Nudity Required
1990-12-04

5

Summer Love
1958-03-10

6.5

Fight to Win
1987-03-17

4.5

Wild Heritage
1958-07-23

The Perfect Furlough

7.1

The Perfect Furlough
1958-11-30

5.75

Man Afraid
1957-04-04

4.6

Hollywood Cop
1987-09-22

Click: The Calendar Girl Killer

3.6

Click: The Calendar Girl Killer
1990-03-01

The Boys Behind the Desk

0

The Boys Behind the Desk
2000-01-01

Live Fast, Die Young

5.7

Live Fast, Die Young
1958-04-01

Come Spy with Me

0

Come Spy with Me
1967-01-18

5.1

Dr. Alien
1989-10-12

3.7

Legion
1998-04-18

4.2

Shock 'Em Dead
1991-01-31

4.4

Showdown
1993-10-27

3.3

Tin Man
1983-01-01

The Monolith Monsters

6.5

The Monolith Monsters
1957-12-01

The Godfather Part II

8.574

The Godfather Part II
1974-12-20

4.3

Hawkeye
1988-12-01

The Phantom Gunslinger

4.6

The Phantom Gunslinger
1970-04-30

4.7

Double Trouble
1992-02-14

0

South Seas
1974-09-19

The Drifting Classroom

4.9

The Drifting Classroom
1987-07-11

The Platinum Triangle

6.7

The Platinum Triangle
1989-12-16

1

Sexpot
1990-10-31

The Pamela Principle

4.6

The Pamela Principle
1992-11-11

Deadly Diamonds

1

Deadly Diamonds
1991-03-01

Merchants of Venus

7.2

Merchants of Venus
1998-03-01

Bimbo Movie Bash

3.2

Bimbo Movie Bash
1997-06-24

4.5

Outrage
1977-11-10

Deadly Spygames

1

Deadly Spygames
1989-01-01

The Legend of Frank Woods

0

The Legend of Frank Woods
1977-04-30

3

Malibu
1983-01-23

Man of a Thousand Faces

6.7

Man of a Thousand Faces
1957-08-15

6.5

Cry-Baby
1990-04-06

The Lonely Profession

0

The Lonely Profession
1969-10-21

Sounds of Silence

4.9

Sounds of Silence
1989-05-01

Split Second to an Epitaph

0

Split Second to an Epitaph
1968-09-26

Lover, Come Back to Me

0

Lover, Come Back to Me
1983-09-23

6.8

CHiPs
1977-09-15

77 Sunset Strip

6.7

77 Sunset Strip
1958-10-10

The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

7

The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977-01-30

5

Surfside 6
1960-10-06

Laverne & Shirley

7.2

Laverne & Shirley
1976-01-27

5

Hawaiian Eye
1959-10-07

7

Monsters
1988-10-22

7

Rawhide
1959-01-09

7

Vega$
1978-09-20

6.2

Matt Houston
1982-09-26

The Patty Duke Show

5.7

The Patty Duke Show
1963-09-18

4.8

Bronco
1958-09-23

5.5

The Alaskans
1959-10-04

4.2

Sugarfoot
1957-09-17

The Eddie Capra Mysteries

5

The Eddie Capra Mysteries
1978-09-08

6.8

Maverick
1957-09-22

Bourbon Street Beat

5

Bourbon Street Beat
1959-10-05

The Bob Hope Show

7

The Bob Hope Show
1950-04-09

The Name of the Game

6.8

The Name of the Game
1968-09-20

7.4

Ellery Queen
1975-09-11

6.9

Ironside
1967-03-28

77 Sunset Strip

6.7

77 Sunset Strip
1958-10-10

6.291

The Love Boat
1977-09-24

The Ed Sullivan Show

6.5

The Ed Sullivan Show
1948-06-20

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

8.5

Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
1977-11-12

Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story

0

Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
1991-11-07