Before becoming an actor, Troy Donahue (then Merle Johnson Jr.) studied for a journalism degree. With his eyes set on Hollywood, he met with an agent who advised he changed his name and started booking him acting gigs. His breakthrough role was in the film “A Summer Place” alongside Sandra Dee. With his incredible good looks, the fans soon appeared in masses.
Dealing with the success sent him to a downward spiral of substance abuse, which was hard to recover from. After his rehab, Donahue appeared in a number of small roles. He passed away from a heart attack in 2001 at 65 years old.
Barry Williams (1970s)
Born in ’54, Barry Williams knew that he wanted to be an actor from a young age. He made his TV debut on "Dragnet" in 1967. Two years later, they took the world by storm as Greg Brady on "The Brady Bunch." Once the show ended in 1974, Williams tried switching to the musical theater but was continuously typecast as the Greg Brady type character.
Williams also fancies himself a rapper. In 2000 Williams parodied Eminem’s "The Real Slim Shady" titled "The Real Greg Brady." And as far as what he’s up to recently? Well, his latest film, "Flea," came out in 2018, with him starring as the Marsh Man.
Jay North (1960s)
The modern cartoon version of "Dennis the Menace" is nothing like the older, live-action one starring Jay North. North became famous as Little Dennis back in 1959, and the show ran up until 1963. This role brought on many more suggestions for other acting parts. And for a minute there, Hollywood was Jay's oyster.
Years later, adult North transitioned into voice acting for animated shows, these included "The Flinstone Comedy Hour" and "The Simpsons," to name a few. In 1977, North quit acting altogether and joined the Navy. Later on, in more recent times, he has become an activist for child actors' welfare.
Jackson Five (1970s)
The Jackson Five rose to prominence with their hit single, "I Want You Back," and took the world by storm. Young Michael Jackson eventually turned out to be the biggest star of them all, but he was also probably the most troubled one too.
His many successes, as well as his more troubling moments, can be credited to his father, Joe, who was notoriously tough with his children. He conceded to treating them harshly in an interview with Oprah and constantly made his children rehearse, especially in the early days of the band. The rest of the Jacksons still nurture showbusiness careers.
Dwayne Hickman (1950s)
In another life, Dwayne Hickman would have been a priest. In this life, he's a superstar. Hickman owes a lot of his career to Bob Cummings, who cast him as "Chuck" on his show when he was still in college! In 1958, Hickman was cast in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" as the titular character for four years.
However, like many teen stars, he became stereotyped and was only offered certain roles. Later on, Hickman found more success in being involved in production roles, working at CBS as a programming exec! Well, you know what they say — when one door closes, another opens!