Troy Donahue, a '50s teen idol who starred alongside Sandra Dee, Connie Stevens and Diane McBain, struggled with addiction before his death in 2001 at age 65.
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Donahue’s career in Hollywood was nearly over from the start. The actor, born Merle Johnson Jr., drove cross-country at age 20 from New York City to California in hopes of finding work in films. One evening, Donahue sat alone at The Golden Pheasant in the San Fernando Valley. His sun-kissed features caught the eye of William Asher, a producer at Columbia Studios and James Sheldon, a TV director who worked with James Dean. He was quickly offered a screen test at Columbia.
"It was an enormous success," said Michaud."But the truth is, he wasn’t ready for that overwhelming success. He certainly wanted to be a movie star, but he wasn’t ready for this overnight tidal wave. He always had issues with his self-esteem. He suffered from insecurity, which is probably why he was drinking at a very early age. His father, whom he adored, died of Lou Gehrig’s disease. He never really got over that.
The height of Donahue’s fame only lasted about five years. During that time, he was receiving up to 7,000 fan letters a week. Many even climbed over the fence of his home, hoping to get a glimpse of the star. The roles kept coming both in films and television. But by the late ‘60s, the studios stopped making the same"youth films" that catapulted Donahue to stardom. His clean-cut image was no longer desirable.As Troy Donahue struggled to find work in Hollywood, his alcoholism worsened.
"I went home with fans for a hot meal or a shower," Donahue once admitted."And a couch or bed to sleep in."
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