Troy Donahue

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 motionpicture 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 Donahues 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 longterm contract They put him to work gueststarring 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 longterm 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 Donahues 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 Donahues 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 Johns Health Center in Santa Monica He died three days later on September 2 at the age of 65