Troy Donahue was a famous actor and singer in the 1950s and 1960s, known for his good looks and charm.

However, the pressure from his fame and fans weighed heavily on him throughout most of his life.

In the end, his story took an unexpected turn that no one saw coming…

Whenever I hear the song “Summer Place,” I think of Troy Donahue.

I remember watching the movie as a kid and thinking he was so handsome!

In the 1950s and 60s, Troy Donahue was seen as the ideal American heartthrob: young, blond, blue-eyed, and very good-looking. He had many young female fans because of his appearance.

Even though Troy was only a Hollywood star for a few years, many people still recognize his name, even if they might not remember him well.

Even though Troy Donahue was famous, he didn’t make much money from his career. His life started to fall apart, and things only began to improve when he reconnected with his teenage son.

Troy was born Merle Johnson in New York City. He was inspired by his mother, who was a stage actress, and wanted to be an actor from a young age. In a 1984 interview with People magazine, he said:

“I always grew up around Broadway and theater people. I remember sitting with Gertrude Lawrence while she read her reviews for ‘The King and I.’”

Troy Donahue went to Columbia University to study journalism, but he kept acting in local theater productions on the side. When he started appearing in movies, he had a new name, an agent, and was working with studio executives.

He said, “At first, they wanted to name me Paris, like the lover of Helen of Troy. But they changed it because there was already a Paris, France, and Paris, Illinois.”

Troy made his film debut in *Man Afraid*. Just two years later, he signed with Warner Bros, who saw his potential.

He recalled, “They asked me to light a cigarette, and when I did, they were so surprised, they fell down.”

In 1959, Troy starred in *A Summer Place*, which made him a big star and a popular teen heartthrob. He often played the good guy alongside a beautiful blonde actress. Despite his fame, he didn’t make much money.

Troy Donahue admitted that he was living like a movie star but not getting paid like one. He said, “I lived way over my head and got into a lot of trouble.”

In the late 1950s, Troy and Sandra Dee were known as a romantic movie couple. Over his life, Troy was married four times: first to Suzanne Pleshette, then to Valerie Allen, Alma Sharpe, and Vicky Taylor. All of these marriages ended in divorce.

As his love life fell apart, Troy began struggling with substance abuse. His unhealthy habits made things worse for his acting career.

By the end of the 1960s, his life was in a mess. He said, “I was loaded all the time. I’d wake up around 6:30 in the morning, take three aspirins with codeine, drink half a pint of vodka, and then do four lines of cocaine.”

Despite his struggles, Troy claimed that his addiction never affected his work. He insisted he was never drunk or impaired while working and that his drinking problems were not caused by his career.