Acting · New York City, New York, U.S. · Born January 27, 1936
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.
MovieThe Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959
2016
as Merle Johnson
The Boys Behind the Desk
2000
MovieLegion
1998
as Flemming
MovieMerchants of Venus
1998
as FBI Agent
MovieBimbo Movie Bash
1997
as Dr. Ackerman (archive footage)
MovieShowdown
1993
as Police Captain
MovieThe Pamela Principle
1992
as Troy
MovieThe Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
1992
as Merle Johnson
MovieDouble Trouble
1992
as Leonard
TVShake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
1991
as Rob Kamen
MovieDeadly Diamonds
1991
as Matt Plimpton
MovieShock 'Em Dead
1991
as Record Exec
MovieNudity Required
1990
as Jack
MovieSexpot
1990
as Phillip
MovieOmega Cop
1990
as Slim
MovieCry-Baby
1990
as Hatchet's Father
MovieClick: The Calendar Girl Killer
1990
as Alan
MovieThe Platinum Triangle
1989
as Harold Farber
MovieHot Times at Montclair High
1989
as Mr. Nichols
MovieDr. Alien
1989
as Dr. Ackerman
MovieAssault of the Party Nerds
1989
as Sid Witherspoon
MovieTerminal Force
1989
as Slim
MovieBlood Nasty
1989
as Barry Hefna
MovieSounds of Silence
1989
as Larry Haughton
MovieAmerican Rampage
1989
as Police Psychiatrist
MovieThe Chilling
1989
as Dr. Miller
MovieDeadly Spygames
1989
as Python
MovieHawkeye
1988
as Mayor
MovieBad Blood
1988
as Jack Barnes
TVMonsters
1988
as Dr. Thomas Becker
MovieHard Rock Nightmare
1988
as Uncle Gary
MovieDeadly Prey
1987
as Don Michaelson
MovieHollywood Cop
1987
as Lt Maxwell
MovieThe Drifting Classroom
1987
as Taggart
MovieCyclone
1987
as Bob Jenkins
MovieFight to Win
1987
as Rosenberg
MovieLow Blow
1986
as John Templeton
MovieGrandview, U.S.A.
1984
as Donny Vinton
MovieLover, Come Back to Me
1983
MovieMalibu
1983
as Clint Redman
Tin Man
1983
as Lester
TVMatt Houston
1982
TVVega$
1978
TVThe Eddie Capra Mysteries
1978
TVFantasy Island
1978
as Jack Terry
TVMario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
1977
as Merle Johnson
MovieOutrage
1977
as Daniel
TVThe Love Boat
1977
as Mr. Clark
TVCHiPs
1977
MovieThe Legend of Frank Woods
1977
as Sheriff John Baxom
TVThe Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
1976
as Self (archive footage)
TVLaverne & Shirley
1976
TVEllery Queen
1975
as Gilbert Mallory
MovieThe Godfather Part II
1974
as Merle Johnson
MovieSeizure
1974
as Mark Frost
MovieSouth Seas
1974
as Steve
MovieCockfighter
1974
as Randall Mansfield
MovieSweet Savior
1971
as Moon
MovieThe Phantom Gunslinger
1970
as Bill
MovieThe Lonely Profession
1969
as Julian Thatcher
MovieSplit Second to an Epitaph
1968
as Father Dugan
TVThe Name of the Game
1968
as Norman Hoak
MovieJules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
1967
as Gaylord Sullivan
MovieMondo Hollywood
1967
TVIronside
1967
as Father Dugan
MovieCome Spy with Me
1967
as Jill Parsons
MovieMy Blood Runs Cold
1965
as Ben Gunther
MovieA Distant Trumpet
1964
as 2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard
MoviePalm Springs Weekend
1963
as Jim Munroe
TVThe Patty Duke Show
1963
MovieRome Adventure
1962
as Don Porter
TVThe Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
MovieSusan Slade
1961
as Hoyt Brecker
MovieParrish
1961
as Parrish McLean
TVSurfside 6
1960
as Sandy Winfield II
MovieThe Crowded Sky
1960
as McVey
MovieA Summer Place
1959
as Johnny Hunter
TVHawaiian Eye
1959
TVBourbon Street Beat
1959
as Man on Phone (voice)
TVThe Alaskans
1959
MovieImitation of Life
1959
as Frankie
TVRawhide
1959
as Buzz Travis
MovieThe Perfect Furlough
1958
as Sgt. Nickles
MovieMonster on the Campus
1958
as Jimmy Flanders
TV77 Sunset Strip
1958
TVBronco
1958
MovieVoice in the Mirror
1958
as Paul Cunningham
MovieWild Heritage
1958
as Jesse Bascomb
MovieThis Happy Feeling
1958
as Tony Manza
MovieLive Fast, Die Young
1958
as Artie Sanders / Artie Smith
MovieSummer Love
1958
as Sax Lewis
MovieThe Monolith Monsters
1957
as Hank Jackson
MovieThe Tarnished Angels
1957
as Frank Burnham
TVMaverick
1957
as Dan Jamison
TVSugarfoot
1957
as Ken Savage
MovieMan of a Thousand Faces
1957
as Assistant Director (uncredited)
MovieMan Afraid
1957
as Reporter (uncredited)
TVThe Bob Hope Show
1950
as Self
TVThe Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
TVGolden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Nominee
