| Troy Donahue | |
|---|---|
| Born | Merle Johnson, Jr. January 27, 1936 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 2, 2001 (aged 65) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1957–2000 |
| Spouse | Alma Sharp Suzanne Pleshette (1964) Valerie Allen (1966–1968) Vicky Taylor (1979–1981) |
Troy Donahue (January 27, 1936 – September 2, 2001) was an American actor, who was active between the late 1950s and late 1990s.
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Born Merle Johnson, Jr., Donahue was initially a journalism student at Columbia University in New York City before he decided to become an actor in Hollywood, where he was represented by Rock Hudson's agent, Henry Willson. According to Robert Hofler's 2005 biography, The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson, Willson tried out the name Troy on Rory Calhoun and James Darren, with no success before it finally stuck to Donahue. The blond heartthrob established himself with uncredited roles in The Monolith Monsters and Man Afraid in 1957, leading to larger parts in several films.
He starred in Monster on the Campus, Live Fast, Die Young, and The Tarnished Angels, all in 1958, and opposite fellow teen idol Sandra Dee in A Summer Place in 1959. The latter made him a star, especially among teenage audiences. He signed a contract with Warner Bros. and played several successive leading roles in films such as Rome Adventure and A Distant Trumpet. The two co-starred Suzanne Pleshette, whom he married in 1964, but divorced later that same year.
After the release of My Blood Runs Cold (1965), Donahue's contract with Warner Bros. ended. He later struggled to find new roles and had problems with drug addiction and alcoholism. He was married again in 1966 to actress Valerie Allen, but they divorced in 1968. In 1969 he appeared in an episode of the long running TV western The Virginian. In 1970 he appeared in the daytime drama The Secret Storm. In 1974 he was cast in his most high-profile role, a small part in The Godfather Part II as the fiancé of Connie Corleone. His character was called Merle Johnson, Donahue's real name.
Donahue starred with Van Williams from 1960 to 1962 in the ABC television series Surfside 6, set in Miami, Florida. After Surfside 6, Donahue joined the cast of Hawaiian Eye for its last season, 1962–1963, in the role of hotel director Philip Barton.
After the breakup of his brief second marriage to actress Suzanne Pleshette, Donahue married actress Valerie Pamela Allen (born 1940) on October 21, 1966, in Dublin, Ireland. The union ended two years later when Allen claimed in divorce proceedings that Donahue was constantly late for dinner and ignored her. No alimony was granted, but Donahue agreed to pay Allen $14,000 in monthly installments of $800 each.[1]
Donahue spent his last few years with his fiancée, mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao. He died of a heart attack at the age of 65 on September 2, 2001. His A Summer Place and Susan Slade co-star Dorothy McGuire died the following week (Sep 13th).
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