Troy Donahue was a famous actor and singer in the 1950s and 1960s, known mostly for his handsome appearance.
But the pressure from being so popular and the constant attention from fans troubled him throughout his life.
Sadly, all the difficulties he encountered would result in an unexpected turn in his life story.
I always think of Troy Donahue when I hear the song “Summer Place.” It takes me back to when I was a kid and saw the movie in the theater. I thought he was super good-looking!
For a lot of people, Troy Donahue represented the ideal American heartthrob in the 1950s and 60s. He was young, had blond hair, blue eyes, and was really handsome, which made him popular with many young girls.
Even though he was only a big star in Hollywood for a few years, his name is still known by many, even if some might not remember him well.
Even though he was famous, it seems like he didn't get paid very well. His life started to fall apart, and things only began to change when he met his teenage son.
Donahue was born in New York City under the name Merle Johnson. Influenced by his mother, a stage actress, the boy desired to be an actor at a young age. In a 1984 interview with People magazine, he shared:
I remember being around Broadway and theater folks all the time. I can picture myself sitting with Gertrude Lawrence as she looked over her reviews for ‘The King and I.'
He eventually attended Columbia University for journalism but kept his passion alive by acting in stock productions. As he hit screens for the first time, he already had a new name, an agent, and studio executives.
”At first, they had Paris, the lover of Helen of Troy in mind. But I guess they thought they couldn't name me Paris Donahue because there was already a Paris, France and Paris, Illinois,” he said.
The actor finally got his start in movies with the film Man Afraid. Just two years later, he joined Warner Bros, the studio that recognized his real talent.
“They asked me to light a cigarette, and when I did, they all screamed and fell over,” Troy remembered.
In 1959, he appeared in A Summer Place, the movie that launched him into fame and made him really popular.
He often played the nice guy next to a pretty blonde girl, and Donohue quickly became a teen heartthrob. Even with all this fame, he struggled with money.
I was living the life of a movie star, but I wasn't making the money to match it, he said. “I was spending way too much and got myself into a lot of trouble.”
Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee were a famous romantic pair in movies during the late '50s. Over his lifetime, Troy got married four times.
His first wife was Suzanne Pleshette, then he married Valerie Allen, Alma Sharpe, and Vicky Taylor, but all of those marriages ended in divorce.
As his relationships fell apart, he started to struggle and turned to different substances. His bad habits didn't help his acting career at all.
By the end of the 1960s, his life was a complete mess.
”I was loaded all the time. I'd wake up about 6:30 in the morning, take three aspirins mixed with codeine, slug down half a pint of vodka, and then do four lines of cocaine,” he shared.
But Donahue always maintained that his addiction never tainted any sets he worked on, claiming he was never drunk or otherwise impaired while working. His career was, according to the actor, not the reason he began drinking in the first place.
He started drinking in seventh grade while he was preparing for a test. Over time, this turned into a habit that almost ruined his future.
At one stage, when he was a young adult, he was said to be living in the bushes at Central Park, carrying all his stuff in a backpack.
The addiction continued throughout his career and only stopped after his fourth failed marriage. It was at this point that the actor decided to get sober, seeking professional help in May of 1982. He explained:
I see my sobriety as something amazing. I take it one day at a time. The urge to stay sober has grown just as strong as the urge to drink. I feel really lucky.
Not long after starting this journey of staying sober, Donahue bumped into an old girlfriend from Los Angeles. While they were chatting, she pointed to a thirteen-year-old boy and told him that his name was Sean and that Sean was actually his son.
Donahue had a good reason to trust her right away, and it wasn't just because he understood the timeline. He could see a younger version of himself in the boy.
Luckily, the father and son hit it off right from the start. Sean's mom never asked for child support, and they worked out a schedule for visitations so Sean could spend time with his dad. Donahue had missed out on being with his son before because he was struggling with drug and alcohol problems that took over his life.
These issues also affected his acting career. At that time, he wasn't getting offers for big movies anymore and was instead taking roles in films like Cry-Baby, Bad Blood, and Assault of the Party Nerds.
Troy DonahuePosted by Movies from the 20s – 60s on Monday, June 19, 2017
In 1998, Donahue mentioned in an interview that he wasn't worried about his shift towards B-films. He believed his career was winding down, but he still saw himself as a skilled actor, even with the negative comments from critics.
Just a few years later, in 2001, Donahue passed away from a heart attack at the age of 65.
After getting sober, he had been living a healthier life and had built a strong bond with the son he discovered later in life.
Troy was definitely a good-looking kid and had a great presence on screen! It's sad to hear about his challenges, but I hope he will always be remembered! Thanks for all the great memories, Troy!
