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…

At one point, as a young man, he was reportedly living in the bushes at Central Park, keeping all of his belongings in a backpack.

The addiction continued throughout his career and only stopped after his fourth failed marriage. It was at this point that the actor decided to get sober, seeking professional help in May of 1982. He explained:

”I look upon my sobriety as a miracle. I simply do it one day at a time. The obsession to not drink has become as big as the obsession to drink. I was very fortunate.”

It was shortly after this sobriety journey began that Donahue ran into an old flame from Los Angeles. As they caught up, the woman pointed to a thirteen-year-old boy, telling the actor that his name was Sean and that Sean was his son.

Knowing the timeline made sense was not the only reason Donahue believed her straight away–he also immediately saw himself at a young age in the boy.

Thankfully, the father and son immediately got along. Sean’s mother never asked for child support, and the two parents arranged visitations so that Sean could get to know his father. Donahue had been kept from his biological son previously because of his battle with drugs and alcohol taking over so much of his life.

His addictions had an impact on his career, as well. Around this time, he was no longer getting offers for big-budget roles, instead acting in films such as Cry-Baby, Bad Blood, and Assault of the Party Nerds.