With his blond and clean-cut good looks, this iconic actor became the Hollywood heartthrob of the 1950s and 1960s. He drove young female fans into fits of ecstasy – but was hiding a dark secret that almost destroyed him…

Troy Donahue was a popular actor and musician in the 1950s and 1960s, known largely for his physical appeal.

But the pressure of his fame and fans would plague the actor throughout the majority of his life.

Sadly, his life and all the tragedies would eventually culminate in a completely unsuspected surprise…

I remember Troy Donahue, every time I hear the song ”Summer Place,” I think about him – and how as a child, I watched the movie in the theater. Wow, I thought he was good-looking!

To many of us, Troy Donahue was the picture of American beauty in the 1950s and 60’s: young, blond, blue-eyed, and handsome, the actor’s appearance attracted countless young female fans.

Though only a star in Hollywood for a handful of years, his name is still recognizable to most – even though some might have forgotten him.

Despite this fame, he was apparently not compensated well. His life slowly descended into chaos, and his spiral was only stopped 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 can remember always being exposed to Broadway and theater people. I can remember sitting with Gertrude Lawrence while she read her reviews in ‘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.