Troy donahue height

1. Biography of Troy Donahue
2. Early Career and Success
3. Challenges and Comeback

Biography of Troy Donahue

Troy Donahue was an American actor and teen idol in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was born Merle Johnson Jr. on January 27, 1936, in New York City. His father, Merle Johnson Sr., was a vice president at General Motors, and his mother, Edith, was a theater actress. When Troy was 14 years old, his father passed away, and his mother sent him to a military school. It was there that he became friends with a classmate named Francis Ford Coppola. This friendship would later help Troy land a role in "The Godfather Part II."

Originally, Troy wanted to become a journalist and enrolled at Columbia University, one of the oldest universities in New York City and the United States. However, he changed his mind and decided to pursue an acting career. Troy headed to Hollywood, where he met agent Henry Willson. It was Willson who came up with the catchy stage name for the aspiring actor, just like he did for another one of his clients, Rock Hudson. According to Willson's biography, he considered giving Troy's name to actors Rory Calhoun and James Darren, but it only stuck with Troy Donahue.

Early Career and Success

Troy, a tall blonde with a heartthrob appearance (standing at 6'3"), made his film debut in 1957, playing small roles in movies such as "Man Afraid," "Man of a Thousand Faces," "The Tarnished Angels," and "The Monolith Monsters." He gradually moved on to bigger roles and in 1958, appeared in eight films and one television series. A year later, he landed one of the lead roles in the romantic film "A Summer Place" alongside teen idol Sandra Dee. The melodrama made him a star, particularly among the younger audience.

Troy signed a contract with Warner Bros. and went on to play several successful leading roles in movies like "Rome Adventure" and "A Distant Trumpet," both co-starring with actress Suzanne Pleshette. Troy married Pleshette in 1964, but their marriage only lasted eight months. His first wife was Alma Sharp, and his third was actress Valerie Pamela Allen, whom he met on the set of "Come Spy with Me" in 1967. Troy and Valerie married in Dublin, Ireland, lived together for two years, and divorced in November 1968.

Challenges and Comeback

After the release of the film "My Blood Runs Cold" in 1966, Troy's contract with Warner Bros. ended, and the studio did not renew it. He struggled to find roles for two years, and it was during this time that he developed problems with alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and amphetamines. Troy had started drinking at the age of 13 and became an alcoholic by the time he turned 30. He managed to overcome his addiction in 1982, at the age of 46, by becoming a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1968, Troy's career resumed, and he appeared in the drama series "The Secret Storm." In 1974, he portrayed Connie Corleone's groom in the second part of "The Godfather," and his character was named Merle Johnson, Troy's real name. Throughout his 43-year career, Troy played nearly a hundred roles in film and television. However, he faced another setback in the early 1980s when failures plagued him to the point where he was literally living on a park bench in New York's Central Park.

Troy Donahue passed away on September 2, 2001, at the age of 65, from a heart attack that occurred on August 30. He died in one of the medical centers in Santa Monica. Troy is survived by his daughter Janine and son Sean, as a reminder of his several unsuccessful marriages.