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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.

The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959
as Merle Johnson
The Boys Behind the Desk

Legion
as Flemming

Merchants of Venus
as FBI Agent

Bimbo Movie Bash
as Dr. Ackerman (archive footage)

Showdown
as Police Captain

The Pamela Principle
as Troy

Double Trouble
as Leonard

Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
as Rob Kamen

Deadly Diamonds
as Matt Plimpton

Shock 'Em Dead
as Record Exec

Nudity Required
as Jack

Sexpot
as Phillip

Omega Cop
as Slim

Cry-Baby
as Hatchet's Father

Click: The Calendar Girl Killer
as Alan

The Platinum Triangle
as Harold Farber

Hot Times at Montclair High
as Mr. Nichols

Dr. Alien
as Dr. Ackerman

Assault of the Party Nerds
as Sid Witherspoon

Terminal Force
as Slim

Blood Nasty
as Barry Hefna

Sounds of Silence
as Larry Haughton

American Rampage
as Police Psychiatrist

The Chilling
as Dr. Miller

Deadly Spygames
as Python

Hawkeye
as Mayor

Bad Blood
as Jack Barnes

Monsters
as Dr. Thomas Becker

Hard Rock Nightmare
as Uncle Gary

Deadly Prey
as Don Michaelson

Hollywood Cop
as Lt Maxwell

The Drifting Classroom
as Taggart

Cyclone
as Bob Jenkins

Fight to Win
as Rosenberg

Low Blow
as John Templeton

Grandview, U.S.A.
as Donny Vinton

Lover, Come Back to Me

Malibu
as Clint Redman
Tin Man
as Lester

Matt Houston

Vega$

The Eddie Capra Mysteries

Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
as Merle Johnson

Outrage
as Daniel

The Love Boat
as Mr. Clark

CHiPs

The Legend of Frank Woods
as Sheriff John Baxom

The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
as Self (archive footage)

Laverne & Shirley

Ellery Queen
as Gilbert Mallory

The Godfather Part II
as Merle Johnson

Seizure
as Mark Frost

South Seas
as Steve

Cockfighter
as Randall Mansfield

Sweet Savior
as Moon

The Phantom Gunslinger
as Bill

The Lonely Profession
as Julian Thatcher

Split Second to an Epitaph
as Father Dugan