Troy Donahue's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Ironside Father Dugan The Secret Storm R.B. Keefer SurfSide 6 Sandy Winfi… Our Time Troy Donahue

Main Movie Roles 1997 - Bimbo Movie Bash 1991 - Shock 'Em Dead 1990 - Cry-Baby 1989 - American Rampage 1989 - Blood Nasty 1987 - Deadly Prey 1974 - Seizure 1974 - The Godfather: Part II 1974 - Cockfighter 1967 - Mondo Hollywood 1967 - Rocket to the Moon 1963 - Palm Springs Weekend 1961 - Parrish 1959 - A Summer Place 1959 - Imitation of Life 1958 - Monster on the Campus 1957 - Man of a Thousand Faces

BIOGRAPHY:

Troy Donahue was a journalism student at Columbia University when he began playing in stock productions. He made his film debut in Man Afraid (1957) and in 1959 signed as a contract player with Warner Bros., which promoted him to stardom with A Summer Place (1959) that year. He was soon a teenage heartthrob, his blond hair and blue eyes appearing frequently on the covers of movie magazines. His most successful film was Parrish (1961), in which he played the title character. A few years after that his career went into a decline; he made only a few television movies between the mid-'60s and his small role in The Godfather: Part II (1974) (in which his character's name, Merle Johnson, was actually his real name). His later films were almost entirely for the low-budget home video market, e.g., Sexpot (1988) and Nudity Required (1988).


TRIVIA:

• Died just eleven days before his _A Summer Place (1959)_ (qv) costar, 'Dorothy McGuire (I)' (qv).
• His admittedly limited talent was slightly chided in the smash Broadway musical "A Chorus Line." The lyric went: "If Troy Donahue could be a movie star, then I could be a movie star!"
• Starting drinking alcohol in seventh grade (age 13). After being dropped by Warner Brothers in 1966 (age 30) he became an alcoholic. Admitted that he was addicted to pain killers, amphetamines, & cocaine, and used marijuana daily. Joined AA in 1982 (age 46) and turned his life around with his sobriety.
• Son of Merle Johnson Sr., a vice-president at General Motors, and Edith, a stage actress.
• His name was used in the lyrics for the song, "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" in the musical, Grease. ("As for you Troy Donahue...").
• Received his movie name of "Troy Donahue" from the same person who named 'Rock Hudson' (qv): Hollywood press agent 'Henry Willson' (qv).
• Underwent successful angioplasty surgery upon his arrival in hospital, but then suffered a second heart attack and was given a heart bypass.
• Along with 'Doug McClure (I)' (qv), was the inspiration for _"The Simpsons" (1989)_ (qv) character "Troy McClure".