Troy Donahue (bornMerle Johnson Jr., January 27, 1936 – September 2, 2001) was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Johnny Hunter in the filmA Summer Place. He was a popularsex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s.

Troy Donahue
Donahue inHawaiian Eye, 1962 or 1963
Born	Merle Johnson Jr. (1936-01-27)January 27, 1936 New York City, U.S.
Died	September 2, 2001(2001-09-02) (aged 65) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Columbia University
Occupations	Actor singer
Years active	1957–2000
Spouses	Suzanne Pleshette ​ ​ (m. 1964;div. 1964)​ Valerie Allen ​ ​ (m. 1966;div. 1968)​ Alma Sharpe ​ ​ (m. 1969;div. 1972)​ Vicki Taylor ​ ​ (m. 1979;div. 1981)​
Partner(s)	Zheng Cao (1991–Donahue's death 2001, engaged from 1999)
Children	2

Merle Johnson Jr., later known as Troy Donahue, was born on January 27, 1936, inNew York General Hospital. His father was Frederick Merle Johnson, the Production Chief of promotional motion pictures ofGeneral Motors. His mother, Edith "Dede" Johnson (née Frederickson), was a Swedish retired stage actress.^[1][2][3] Donahue stated in a 1959 interview:

Acting is all I ever wanted. Ever since I can remember, I've studied and read plays. My mother would help me, but my parents didn't want me to become an actor. They preferred something more stable—doctor, lawyer, Indian chief, anything.^[4]

"I can remember always being exposed toBroadway and theater people", he added in 1984. "I can remember sitting withGertrude Lawrence while she read her reviews inThe King and I."^[5]

When he was six years old, he contractedpneumonia and was confined to bed for six weeks. Donahue's parents decided it would be better to move out the city for his recovery. They purchased a five-acre estate in Middle Road, inBayport, Suffolk County onLong Island. The family acquired a variety of farm animals. His sister, Eve, was born a year after the move.^[2][6]

Frederick was diagnosed withamyotrophic lateral sclerosis when Donahue was young. As his father's health declined over two years, Donahue began to exhibit behavior issues, including drinking alcohol in excess. On December 5, 1950, Frederick died in St. Alban's Hospital in New York City when Donahue was 14 years old. Following his death, Donahue's relationship with his mother became strained.^[2]

After Donahue dropped out of high school in his sophomore year, his mother enrolled him into theNew York Military Academy, where he roomed with English actor Owen Orr.^[7] There he metFrancis Ford Coppola after casting him in school plays.^[8][9] He was to attendWest Point, but suffered a knee injury at a track meet, knocking it out of thejoint and tearing thecartilage. The injury ruined the chance for a sports scholarship. He volunteered for theUnited States Army, but was rejected due to his permanently damaged knee.^[7][10]

After Donahue was left unable to participate in sports, he turned to writing and acting. He also wrote for the school paper, eventually ending up as the editor. He graduated from the academy in June 1954.^[7]

When Donahue was 18, he moved back to New York and got a job as a messenger for Sound Masters, a commercial film company that his father had founded. He attendedColumbia University and studied journalism. He acted in summer stock in Bucks County and trained briefly withEzra Stone, an American actor, director, and a family friend.^[11] During this time, Donahue had very little money and was kicked from six different apartments for not paying rent. He would move around different cheap hotels, refusing to move back in with his mother and sister - who had both moved back to New York. He would visit occasionally to eat a meal there.^[7]

He was fired from his job at Sound Masters, after being promoted to film cutter, due to being too young to join the union.^[7] Donahue wrote a letter to Darrell Brady, a family friend and working associate of his father, who managed a film company, Commercial Film Industries. After a few months, Brady wrote back and offered him a job with his company in Los Angeles. He also invited Donahue to stay at his home until he found a proper place to live.^[2][12]

In February 1956, Donahue moved toCalabasas, California and stayed in Brady's home. He worked cutting film at Brady's company. He would later rent a garage apartment inMalibu, near his mother and sister's new home.^[2]

In spring that same year, producerWilliam Asher and directorJames Sheldon spotted Donahue in a diner in Malibu and arranged for a screen test withColumbia Pictures. The weekend before the big meeting, Donahue suffered a near-fatal auto accident, plummeting 40 feet down into a canyon and smashing into a tree. He was hospitalized for various injuries, missing the test.^[10][13]

Later that year, Donahue was introduced to actressFran Bennett. Bennett introduced him to her agentHenry Willson, who also representedRock Hudson. Willson signed him and changed his name to Troy Donahue.^[13][14]

"At first they hadParis, the lover ofHelen of Troy, in mind", Donahue says. "But I guess they thought they couldn't name me Paris Donahue because there was already aParis, France, andParis, Illinois."^[5] He later added "it took me five minutes to get used to [my] new name."^[4]

Donahue signed a six-month contract, including extension options, withUniversal Studios in October 1956. He earned a $125 weekly salary and with that, moved toNorth Hollywood. Donahue started off in small roles in films such asMan Afraid,Man of a Thousand Faces,The Tarnished Angels,Above All Things, andThe Monolith Monsters (all 1957).^[2][15]

In 1958, he appeared inCharles F. Haas'Summer Love andPaul Henreid'sLive Fast, Die Young.

Due to Donahue's heavy drinking and a 1958 arrest for speeding, his contract with Universal was at its end. He had spent all his money and had no work, leaving him unable to pay for his apartment. Willson was able to secure guest starring roles in several western shows, allowing Donahue to rent a slightly smaller apartment in Hollywood.^[2]

Donahue began appearing on TV in a guest part inMan Without a Gun. This was followed by parts inThis Happy Feeling,Wild Heritage,Voice in the Mirror,The Perfect Furlough, andMonster on the Campus. He often had better roles on TV, guest-starring in episodes ofThe Californians,Rawhide,Wagon Train,Tales of Wells Fargo, andThe Virginian.

The big break of Donahue's career came when he was cast oppositeSandra Dee in the 1959Warner Bros' filmA Summer Place, directed byDelmer Daves.^[16] The movie was released to mixed critical reception, however still managed to gain widespread popularity and became a box office hit.^[17][18] The film was No. 1 at the US box office for two weeks. The film and its soundtrack have been continuously noted in popular culture since the film's release - the first being in another Donahue film,The Crowded Sky (1960) between Donahue's character and co-starEfrem Zimbalist Jr., the popular "Theme from A Summer Place" is heard on the restaurant sound system.^[19]

Donahue became a celebrity overnight, especially among teenage audiences. In John L. Scott'sLos Angeles Times review, he wrote simply of him, "Donahue reveals promise."^[20] In 1960, he was named byThe Film Daily as one of the five "finds" of the year.^[21] He would later receive theGolden Globe Award for "Most Promising Newcomer - Male" at the17th Annual awards.^[11] Following the success, Warner's signed him to a long-term contract in 1959, with a beginning salary of $400 weekly ($4,300 weekly in 2024).^[2][22] Warner Bros immediately sent Donahue on a cross-country tour to promote the film.

Journalist Joan Beck wrote in theChicago Tribune on October 22, 1959:

To plug the movie – and sell himself, too – Troy is touring the country with press agents and studio representatives from Warner Bros., to whom he is under contract. He's lionized by reporters for high school newspapers at special teen press conferences. He talks on disk jockey radio programs, women's television shows and teenage TV dancing parties. And for a dash of glamour, he's being seen at posh restaurants and celebrity gathering spots. He's interviewed by columnists and photographed by fan magazines – which appeal almost totally to teens these days. Along with the publicity build-up, Troy has acquired several other accouterments of a successful star. He has a top Hollywood agent. A business manager who keeps him on a $35 weekly allowance. A bachelor apartment. APorsche. And a circle of friends which includes many of the other rising young teen favorites of the movie colony. Now that all the proper stops have been pulled out, Hollywood's star makers expect teenagers to respond with a chorus of enthusiasm loud enough to sweep Troy into real movie stardom. They don't doubt that the tall, blue-eyed actor has what it takes to capture the all-important high school audience.^[23]

He guest starred in a variety of theirwestern television series, includingColt .45 (1959),Maverick (1959),Sugarfoot (1959),The Alaskans (1960), andLawman (1960). He also had a support part in a disaster movie,The Crowded Sky (1960). Donahue achieved good reviews for a brief, but effective part inDouglas Sirk'sImitation of Life (1959), playing Frankie, a young white man who beats his new girlfriend after he discovers she is black.^[24]Donahue also had a brief tenure as a recording artist at the height of his fame in the early 1960s, releasing a handful of singles forWarner Bros. Records, including "Live Young" and "Somebody Loves Me". No recordings entered theBillboard Hot 100 list.^[25]

He was reportedly going to be cast inElia Kazan's 1961 Americanperiod dramaSplendor in the Grass, but missed out toWarren Beatty.^[9][26] Instead Warner Bros. put him in a TV series,Surfside 6 (1960–62), one of several spin-offs of77 Sunset Strip, announced in April 1960. OnSurfside 6, Donahue starred withVan Williams,Lee Patterson,Diane McBain, andMargarita Sierra in the ABC series, set inMiami Beach, Florida. The show launched him to a household name.^[27][14][28]

He was sent on press junkets around the country to visit radio and television stations. Warner Bros. charged thousands for an appearance of him, yet Donahue never received a bonus. Donahue's face was plastered on merchandise - from posters to lunch boxes to board games.^[2]

McBain spoke on the marketing of the show:

Sex sells. The boys and I were sold as sex symbols, and so much of the publicity campaign had all of us posing in swim suits and frolicking around the beach. Troy was a beach-lover for sure – I think he would have been content to live in a tent on the beach all his life – but for the rest of us, it seemed so contrived. And more importantly, whatever acting abilities or ambitions we had seemed to be dismissed in favor of cheesecake and beefcake pictures."^[2]

AfterSurfside 6 was cancelled, Donahue joined the cast ofHawaiian Eye, another spinoff ofSunset Strip, for its last season from 1962 to 1963 in the role of hotel director Philip Barton. He joinedRobert Conrad andConnie Stevens in the series lead.^[29]

Donahue struggled with acting in television, believing himself to be a movie star, as opposed to a TV star. Both Donahue and Stevens expressed disinterest in the shows and their current career paths. They complained of a "mediocre pattern" and a "lack of great scripts" to journalistEdith Efron.^[30] This unhappiness began to fuel Donahue's drinking habits. In return, criticisms began to rise concerning his acting. Journalist Rick Du Brow wrote of him, "Troy is big and strong and has the rare ability to make the most glamorous and exciting events seem colorless and flat."^[31]

Donahue's career received another big break whenJoshua Logan dropped out as director ofParrish (1961). Logan was replaced byA Summer Place director, Delmer Daves, who brought in Donahue to star. The movie became a box office hit. Donahue would later describe the film as the most satisfying of his movies to date. "I had the best script and the best opportunity as an actor", he said. "Not too many of those came my way."^[32]

Donahue and Daves reunited for another melodrama in 1961,Susan Slade, withConnie Stevens,Dorothy McGuire andLloyd Nolan also starring. They made a fourth film,Rome Adventure (1962), a romance starringSuzanne Pleshette,Angie Dickinson, andRossano Brazzi.^[33][34]

In 1962, he claimed he received 5,000–7,500 fan letters a week.^[35] The following year, exhibitors voted him the 20th most popular star in the US.^[36] Donahue had also gained wide popularity inJapan, later saying^[37]

"I guess because I was blond, blue-eyed, and tanned, people associated me with all those beach movies that were around then, even though I never did one." He later said. "I was always the goody-goody, the guy who did what he was supposed to."^[5]

He did appear in a nearly beach-party film,Palm Springs Weekend (1963), alongside several other Warner Bros. players.^[38] His final film for Warner Bros was the 1964 westernA Distant Trumpet, the last film of directorRaoul Walsh.^[11]

In 1965, Donahue was cast as apsychopathic killer oppositeJoey Heatherton inWilliam Conrad'sMy Blood Runs Cold. While Donahue was happy to break type and play a different type of role, it was not well received by the public. His contract withWarner Bros. ended shortly thereafter—although it ran until early 1968, Donahue asked to be released from it in January 1966.^[39][40] Donahue later claimed:

Jack Warner called every studio I used to work for and used his muscle to keep me busted. I was blackballed and everyone in the business knew it. Please print that. I made one film in Europe playing a Victorian astronaut, but no one ever saw it. Then by the time I could get work again, it was too late because my type was already out of fashion.^[41]

He later reflected on this period,

"They pumped me til the well went dry. My image came out of Warner Bros. and it was one that was on its way out. I think I'm a little deeper than the roles I was given to play."^[42] In 1967, he saidParrish had been the most satisfactory of his movies. "I had the best script and the best opportunity as an actor. Not too many of those came my way. But I did get great exposure at Warner [Bros.]. Now I'm free to call my own shots. I've made more money in two years on my own than the whole time I was under contract."^[43]

Donahue appeared in a variety of smaller projects, including aspyspoof,Come Spy with Me (1967); a British adventure tale,Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon (1967); and a western forAlbert Zugsmith,The Phantom Gunslinger (1970).

From 1966 to 1967, Donahue co-starred in an onstage production ofThe Owl and the Pussycat on tour with his then-wife, Valerie Allen. The show had great success, resulting from Donahue's dedicated fanbase.^[2][44] In 1967, Donahue was slated to co-star in aPoor Richard production with Allen at the Pheasant Run Playhouse. In the week before, Donahue was drunk and could not focus on his lines. A few days before opening, he walked from the show, despite Allen begging him to stay.^[45][46]Terry Moore was brought in at the last minute to replace him.^[47][48] Donahue was sued for $200,000.^[2][49][50]

On February 22, 1968, Donahue signed a long-term contract withUniversal Studios for films and TV.^[51][52] This lasted a year and saw him get four roles: guest shots onIronside (1968),The Name of the Game (1968), andThe Virginian (1969), and an appearance in the TV movieThe Lonely Profession (1969).^[44]

Due to his recent divorce from Allen and other lawsuits, Donahue was advised to filebankruptcy by lawyer and he reluctantly did so on October 1, 1968.^[53] He eventually lost his home and began sleeping on friends couches.^[54] He claimed that he "spent a lot of time judging beauty contests and opening banks" during this time.^[42]

"I was living like a movie star but wasn't being paid like one", he says. "I lived way over my head and got into great trouble and lost everything. I went from a beautiful home, garden, swimming pool to living in shabby apartments."^[5]

Donahue was struggling to make his way in a changing Hollywood. As he said later, "If you're the boy next door and you're supposed to be squeaky clean, all you had to do was let your sideburns grow and suddenly you were ahippie." Donahue says when he met casting directors they would ask, "Why don't you comb your hair? How come you have grown a moustache? What are you doing with a beard?"^[55]

Donahue also believed his career was hurt by the fact he was an anti-Vietnam WarDemocrat while "everybody assumed [he] was aRepublican."^[55] In spite of this fact, Donahue was invited by theUSO toVietnam in 1968 and accepted, due to having "no place to go." He was sent home when theSpecial Services learned of him taking drugs from nurses. TheDepartment of Defense still awarded Donahue a Certificate of Appreciations in February 1969.^[2]

In 1969, Donahue moved from Los Angeles to New York City and into his new wife, Alma Sharpe's,Mahattan apartment.^[13] While in New York, Donahue appeared in the daytimeCBS dramaThe Secret Storm for six months.^[11][56]

Donahue was interviewed by Carol Kramer for New York Today in May 1970. Kramer noted key differences in Donahue's appearance and demeanor, reporting that he was not the heartthrob that fans once knew and loved. She noted his love forastrology, belief inGod andreincarnation, and that he had triedpsychoanalysis.^[57] By 1971, Donahue blamed his inability to find work on the outdated image created for him a decade before by the studio. At the same time, Wilson had retired, leaving him without an agent.^[2]

He starred in the 1971 Robert L. Robert's filmSweet Savior as aCharles Manson-esquecult leader. The movie received criticism for being avideo nastyexploitation film, being credited as a "blood-gushing shocker!" Donahue shocked the public when he assumed the Manson-like appearance, from clothing to hair.^[2][40][58] He defended the film, stating that:

I play Moon, a religious creep who murders a lot of people, a real heavy trip. But I don't want anyone to think I'm playing it in some phony exploitation flick that takes advantage of theManson case to make a fast buck. I don't like many things, man, but I dig this picture... We're trying to show both sides of the problem. The Hollywood glamor society is as guilty as the depraved hippy cults. They pick up people on theSunset Boulevard and tease them. When they made fun of Manson they picked on the wrong guy. I was up at theTate house. It was a freaky scene. Sure I met Manson at the beach playing volleyball.^[58]

He also had roles in low-budget films such asThe Last Stop (1972), andSeizure (1974),Oliver Stone's directorial debut.

By this time, Donahue's drug addiction andalcoholism had ruined him financially. After splitting from Sharpe, Donahue claimed he was homeless and lived in a bush inCentral Park. To survive, he depended on friends and even fans. Donahue stated, "I went home with fans for a hot meal or a shower. And a couch or bed to sleep in. I did what I had to do."^[2][13]

In November 1971, Donahue chopped his hair, shedding his new look, and moved toAtlanta, Georgia to play a cop in Michael Meola's independent filmWithout Last Rights. However, the project was never completed after the funds ran out in just a few weeks. Donahue and the rest of the cast and crew were never paid.^[2]

With no upcoming acting jobs, Donahue accepted a celebrity-for-pay engagement to host a mall-wide fashion show at the Lafayette Plaza Shopping Center inBridgeport, Connecticut on May 26, 1972. When interviewed by theBridgeport Post, he said he had been either "working to the extreme," or concentrating on "intensely goofing off."^[59]

In the spring of 1973, Donahue traveled to thePhilippines to make the low budget gory action filmSouth Sea Massacre. The film was directed by Pablo Santiago and written by Leo Martinez. The movie was criticized for a lack of story and an abundance of nudity, rapes, beatings, decapitations, machete slayings, and machine gun attacks. The film was never released theatrically in the United States.^[2] He also appeared inCockfighter (1974) for directorMonte Hellman.

In December 1973, Donahue returned to Atlanta to promote and participate in a concert atOmni Coliseum to raise money for theWounded Kneedefense fund. Donahue assisted the local AIM office to generate publicity for the benefit concert which starred Paul Ortega, aMescalero Apache. He acted as the Master of Ceremonies at the show which featured banjo picker John Hartford, actorBurt Reynolds,Doc andMerle Watson,Yoko Ono, several local performers, andSacheen Little Feather.^[60]

In 1974, former classmateFrancis Ford Coppola learned of Donahue's situation. Coppola cast him in a small part inThe Godfather Part II as the fiancé ofConnie Corleone. His character was named Merle Johnson, a nod to Donahue's real name. Donahue was paid $10,000 ($63,000 in 2024) for the role for one week's work.^[13][61]

He made his first television appearance in years as a guest star onThe Merv Griffin Show in August 1974. Donahue moved back to Los Angeles the same year.^[62]

On March 15, 1975, he participated in the Easter Benefit Ball inSan Francisco. The proceeds from the event benefited the Easter Seal Society for Crippled Children and Adults of San Francisco. Donahue led the celebrity judge panel that included film starsJane Withers,Janet Blair, andTerry Moore.^[63]

Without a studio to promote him, with no money to afford a publicist, and news agencies uninterested in covering his every move, he was at a loss and disadvantage in the market. In the summer of 1975, he licensed his name and likeness to a marketing company called First Seen, Inc. in New York. For $5.98, the company sent a specially recordedLP album featuring Donahue explaining how to get into show business. Advertisements appeared in tabloids around the country.^[2]

He acted in occasional television guest spots such as,Ellery Queen,The Hardy Boys, andCHiPs. Donahue appeared in a variety of whiskey commercials for the Japanese television market. Donahue said in 1978:

After eight years at Warners, I did a few independent pictures that never went any place. I travelled, played stickball, had a few marriages and many affairs. I just totally enjoyed myself and did the things I didn't get to do when I was a kid. Now I've decided I wanna go back to work again and I've been encouraged by a lot of people who feel that I have the talent and everything that goes with it.^[55]

Following his 1981 divorce from fourth wife, Vicki Taylor, he fell off the grid, and lost contact with most of his friends – many of whom had lost patience with him long before. His agent had let him go, professionals were not calling him, and they didn't return his calls. One friend warned him, that in his current physical state, he was uninsurable for producers. He spent months at the beach, often spending the night there in his car.^[2]

Aaron Spelling gave Donahue his first television job after becomingsober in 1982.Matt Houston was a crime drama series starringLee Horsley as Matt Houston, a rich Texas oilman who works on the side as aprivate investigator in Los Angeles.^[64] Donahue appeared in a supporting role in the 1984 feature filmGrandview, U.S.A.^[11]

On October 6, 1985, he hosted atelethon in Palm Springs to raise money for theAmerican Red Cross Mexican Earthquake Relief Fund. On September 19,an 8.0 earthquake had caused major damage to Mexico City, and killed at least five thousand people. The telethon was broadcast live from the ballroom of the Sheraton Plaza Hotel. Numerous celebrities participated includingCameron Mitchell andJune Lockhart.Trini Lopez performed. The five-hour event raised more than $27,400.^[65]

He appeared inJohn Waters' 1990 romantic comedy musicalCry-Baby, paying tribute to his idolism of the 50s.^[40]

In 1997, Donahue toured from January to May with Encore Attractions' production ofBye Bye Birdie. He starred alongside Casey Marshall, Krista Pigotti, and Chuck Ragsdale.^[66][67]

In July 1998, he joined Sandra Dee at theCastro Theatre for a one-night revival ofA Summer Place.^[5] Donahue also worked forHolland-America Lines, sailing for two months each year, doing a seminar discussing film and theater improvisations.^[9][68]

Donahue continued to act in films throughout the 1980s and into the late 1990s. However, he never obtained the recognition that he had in the earlier years of his career.^[69] His final film role was in the 2000 comedy filmThe Boys Behind the Desk, directed bySally Kirkland.

In 1956, Donahue was in a near-fatal accident. While under the influence, he skidded off Malibu Canyon Road and plummeted 40 feet in the canyon below. The car crashed into a tree, stopping the vehicle from falling the remaining 250 feet. He managed to escape the car and crawl back up to the road, meeting his friend who had been flung from the car and onto the road. The two were found by a passing motorist and taken to the hospital.^[10][13]

Donahue slipped in and out of consciousness for two days. He suffered two crackedribs, a bruisedspinal cord, aconcussion, a crackedkneecap, and a crushedkidney. In addition, he lost a tooth and had forty stitches.^[70]

In 1956, Donahue met actressJudi Meredith and the two began dating. The studio encouraged the romance and sent them on "publicity dates". The couple separated in 1958 due to her claims of Donahue being "too rough and too possessive." Meredith would go on to allege that Donahue "stormed into [her] place... and pushed [her] face into a glass covered picture" upon learning she was dating a mutual friend after their break up.^[2][71]

In 1957, he began a relationship with Nan Morris. They were engaged at one point during the two-year relationship, however Donahue continued to see other women. Morris attempted to salvage the relationship, despite his infidelity and heavy drinking. Donahue allegedly becamephysical with Morris during arguments - including, at one point, throwing her into the pool.^[2]

Donahue first met Swedish actress and model Lili Kardell at aHalloween party in 1956. The two reconnected in 1960 and began a romance. They became engaged in January 1961.^[72] The engagement was ended the same year after an allegeddomestic abuse incident. Kardell claimed that she had gone to Donahue's home on August 16 to pick up her dog and found him with another woman - some claims state it wasSuzanne Pleshette.^[73] According to her, Donahue charged at her and she slapped him in defense. The two got into a fist fight and he punched her in the face, knocking her to the floor. Donahue denied Kardell's version of the events; however, he agreed that the argument did become physical.^[2][74][75]

Diane McBain, Donahue'sSurfside 6 co-star, admitted to having an affair with him at this time as well; however, she claimed that she was unaware he had a serious girlfriend.^[2]

In December 1960, Donahue met actressSuzanne Pleshette in New York, while dating Kardell. They would later be cast as on-screen lovers inRome Adventure (1962), where they began their relationship. They announced their engagement on December 2, 1963, and wed on January 5, 1964, inBeverly Hills, California.^[76][77][78]

Pleshette filed for divorce in June 1964 on the grounds ofmental cruelty from Donahue. She was awarded the divorce by theSuperior court inSanta Monica, California.^[79][80]

She would later state that Donahue was a "sweet, good man... [They] just were never destined to be married [and] didn't have the same values."^[81]

In 1966, Donahue met his second wife, actress Valerie Allen, at an audition for the filmCome Spy With Me. The two began a relationship while filming the same year. Donahue and Allen married on October 21, 1966, inDublin, Ireland.^[82][83]

Allen filed for divorce in April 1968, citing "extreme cruelty" from Donahue. The divorce was finalized in November 1968, with Donahue agreeing to pay $14,000 then and $600 a month ofalimony.^[84][85][86]

Donahue's third marriage was to executive secretary Alma Sharpe. They married on November 15, 1969, inRoanoke, Virginia.^[87][88][89] The two had an on again/off again relationship. Sharpe grew tired of Donahue's friends and became frustrated that he would not listen to her warnings of them. The two separated in the early '70s with Donahue's packing a backpack and leaving upon Sharpe's request. Their divorce was finalized in summer of 1974.^[2][5]

Donahue's fourth and final marriage was toland developer Vicki Taylor. They were married in 1979 and divorced in 1981.^[5]

Donahue began datingmezzo-sopranoopera singerZheng Cao in October 1991.^[68] The two met at his seminar forHolland America Line, where she was also working as a singer. Donahue and Cao were engaged and living together inSanta Monica, California at the time of Donahue's death in 2001.^[14][69]

In 1982, Donahue learned he had a son, Sean, by a woman with whom he had a brief relationship in 1969.^[90][91] As he recalled in 1984:

She walked over and introduced herself and I remembered that we had been together four or five times in L.A. in 1969. Nothing serious. Just fun and games. She said, "I'm glad I saw you. I've always wanted to tell you about something. Look over there, Troy." I looked and across the room I saw a 13-year-old spitting image of what I looked like when I was young. "This is your son, Sean", she said. "He's known all his life that you are his father."... I see him every couple of weeks now.^[5]

In early 1987, Donahue learned that he had another child. He was contacted by Janene Curtis, a woman claiming to be his daughter.^[2] Curtis was born in 1964 to an unidentified woman and was given up foradoption at birth by her biological mother. Upon finding her mother, she was informed that Donahue was her biological father. Janene reached out to Donahue, and the two later met. They remained close until his death.^[90]

Donahue began drinking in the seventh grade, as a result of his father's health decline and later death.^[11] Donahue stated:

I think I was mad at my father for dying. A kid doesn't know how to process those things. I liked being by myself whenever I could. Even though I played sports, participated in school functions, and was always around kids. It was hard. I used to go and sit by myself. Funny, I liked being alone. It gave me a chance to think and read. But then I'd cut loose.^[2]

Donahue stated he did not blame the Hollywood lifestyle for his drinking habit. However, he would later state that he "never went before the cameras without having a buzz on." He admitted to getting drunk withJulie London on the way to filmVoice in the Mirror, falling out of the limo and trying to sober up. Donahue claimed that he was "drinking half a pint ofvodka mixed withcodeine."^[2] Donahue later admitted that he began abusing drugs and alcohol at the peak of his career and increased use after his career began to wane:

I was loaded all the time... I'd wake up about 6:30 in the morning, take three aspirins mixed withcodeine, slug down half a pint of vodka, and then do four lines ofcocaine. That was just so I could get the front door open to peek out and see if I could face the day... I would lie, steal, and cheat, all those wonderful things that drunks do. I was crafty. Nobody knew how much I drank then. If a bottle was out on the counter, I'd take a swig when I passed it and quickly put it back.^[5]

As his career progressed and Warner Bros. pushed for Donahue to star in more television, his drinking habit increased. Donahue was unhappy with the trajectory of his career, fueling frustration and further drinking. While he was often drunk on set, McBain could never recall smelling alcohol on his breath during shoots.^[2][92]

In 1968, while performing for troops inVietnam with theUSO, Donahue had been obtaining "mind-numbing" drugs from the nurses. He later admitted that he went "partly because [he] had nowhere else to go, but mostly because [he] was into drugs, and [he] knew Vietnam was one big medicine chest." WhenSpecial Services became aware of this he was kicked out and sent back to the United States.^[9]

He suffered frompancreatitis stemming from his drinking. The pain sent him to the hospital for days of treatment and recovery on an average of once a year. In the summer of 1976, he was ill for nearly a month.^[2]

Immediately upon marrying his fourth wife, Vicki Taylor, Donahue began his previousself-destructive behavior. He drank heavily and used drugs whenever he could get his hands on them. He stayed away from Taylor and the apartment for days at a time, passing out at friends' homes, or more often, sleeping on the beach. He failed to show up for scheduled auditions, or arrived looking disheveled and hungover. His drinking sent him to the hospital again for several days in early summer with a painful recurrence of pancreatitis. Doctors warned him that his uncontrolled drinking would kill him. On February 5, 1982, Donahue's addiction problem culminated in an embarrassing incident when he accompaniedJulie Newmar to the wrap party for her film,Hysterical. He made a drunken, stumbling spectacle of himself, and dozens of photographers captured his antics. He was again hospitalized for nearly two weeks with pancreatitis.^[2]

After his fourth marriage ended in 1981, Donahue decided to seek help for his drinking and drug use. In May 1982, he joinedAlcoholics Anonymous, which he credited for helping him achieve and maintain sobriety.^[5][93] Donahue stated

I realized I was going to die, and I was dying - or, worse than that, I might live the way I was living for the rest of my life.^[8]

Donahue was almost twenty years sober when he died in 2001.^[90]

In 1958, Donahue received five speeding tickets that all went ignored. After his sixth ticket, it was revealed he had fivewarrants. On April 17, he was sentenced to 15 days inLos Angeles County Jail. This caused him to miss a promotional tour for the film,This Happy Feeling (1958).^[2][94]

On August 9, 1968, theU.S. Tax Court ruled in favor of theInternal Revenue Service to collect $5,138.90 (equivalent to $45,500 in 2024) in back taxes from Donahue. His accountant had prepared the actor's 1964 income tax return. At the time, Donahue was involved in his divorce fromSuzanne Pleshette. The court decided his filing status had been incorrectly reported, which resulted in a delinquent tax bill.^[95][96]

In 1961, Kardell sued him for $60,450 in damages, claiming he had hit her without provocation. Kardell claimed that she had gone to Donahue's home on August 16, 1961, to pick up her dog and found him with another woman. According to her, Donahue charged at her and she slapped him. The two got into a fist fight and he punched her in the face, knocking her to the floor.^{[2][73][74][97]}

Donahue recounted the story differently, however agreed that blows were inflicted between the two.^[98]

In an attempt to suppress the news,Warner Bros. president,Jack L. Warner settled the case out of court for $3,000 ($31,300 in 2024) for medical and legal expenses, as well as a new two-piece suit to replace her ripped one.^[7] In return, Kardell was banned from theWarner lot and she disappeared from Hollywood.^[2]

On January 16, 1963, Donahue filed a $200,000 lawsuit in Santa Monica againstModern Screen magazine,Dell Publishing Co., and 17 year old Joyce Becker, a self-described actress and writer, who wrote an inflammatory article the magazine published titled, "The First Time Troy Made Love to Me".^[2][99]

Donahue protested that the article described them as better friends than they really were. His lawyer said they were only casually acquainted and had met only once, when Becker interviewed Donahue for a teen magazine. Donahue's action claimed that the story violated privacy and said the statements in the article were "unjustified and untrue".^[100]

Eventually, Dell Publishing Co. printed a retraction, and paid Donahue an undisclosed settlement.^[2]

On February 22, 1968, Arbua Productions, the talent hiring agency for the Pheasant Run Playhouse inIllinois, won a default judgement against him in the amount of $100,000. The actor was accused of inducing his wife, Valerie Allen, to break a contract with the theater, and walk out with him days before the production,Poor Richard, was scheduled to open. Donahue did not appear at the pleadings, and Allen was not named in the suit.^{[48][101][102][103]}

On August 30, 2001, Donahue suffered aheart attack and was admitted toSaint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. An emergencyangioplasty was performed successfully; however, Donahue suffered a second heart attack. He underwentbypass surgery on September 1.^{[104][105][106]}

Donahue died on September 2 at the age of 65.^[107]

In 2005, Donahue's daughter, Janene Curtis, hired a New York law firm to represent her in aclass action suit againstMerck & Co. Curtis and Donahue's close friend, Jane Nunez, believed the prescription painkillerVioxx was the cause behind her father's death. Donahue's sister andestate executor, Eve O'Neill, assisted in signing Curtis as an administrator of the estate to pursue the lawsuit. In September 2009, Curtis directed the lawyers to accept a settlement of $300,000, without the knowledge of O'Neill. However, Curtis' lawyers learned that she had been adopted at birth, leaving her no right to the estate and therefore, they could not accept the settlement without O'Neill's approval.^[108]

Curtis petitioned the court to restore her rights on the basis that Donahue had openly accepted her as his daughter before his death. The trial court ruled in Curtis' favor, finding that O'Neill had acted negligent for failing to learn legal impediments against Curtis, in addition to her previously stating she did not want the recovered funds, believing Donahue would want Curtis to have it. Curtis was awarded the full Vioxx settlement by the court.^[108]

• Live Young (1963)
• Somebody Loves Me (1963)

• 1960: voted 5th most likely star of Tomorrow
• 1961: 24th most popular star in the US
• 1963: 20th most popular star in the US

• Donahue andDoug McClure served as inspiration for the name and certain character aspects of the character ofTroy McClure onThe Simpsons.^{[116][117][118]}
• Donahue is mentioned in the song "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee", from the 1971 musicalGrease, reflecting his status as a teen idol at the time in which the action is set. The line, which is performed byStockard Channing in the1978 film version, is as follows: "As for you, Troy Donahue, I know what you want to do."^[119]
• Donahue is also mentioned in the song "Mother" in the musicalA Chorus Line, when the character Bobby sings, "If Troy Donahue could be a movie star, then I could be a movie star."^[119]

• Troy Donahue atIMDb
• Troy Donahue at theTCM Movie Database 
• Troy Donahue at Brian's Drive-In Theater
• Troy Donahue at Encore4.net