Suzanne Pleshette first husband: Meet Troy Donahue

In the annals of Hollywood’s romantic and tumultuous relationships, the union of Suzanne Pleshette and Troy Donahue shines as a captivating yet short-lived saga that graced the pages of fan magazines and left a lasting mark on the history of show business. Their whirlwind romance was a heady mix of sizzle, scandal, and a hint of sexual ambiguity, keeping fans and the media enthralled during the early 1960s.

Suzanne Pleshette, a prodigiously talented actress with a background in theater and television, was known for her Emmy-nominated performance as a morphine-addicted nurse on “Dr. Kildare” and her replacement of Anne Bancroft in Broadway’s “The Miracle Worker.” Although highly regarded for her acting chops, she initially remained somewhat of a nonentity in the fan magazines until her entanglement with Troy Donahue brought her into the spotlight.

Troy Donahue, on the other hand, was celebrated for his sun-bronzed good looks, often described as a “gorgeous specimen of healthy, sun-bronzed young male animal” and likened to a “young Viking.” His rise to fame during the early 1960s made him one of Hollywood’s heartthrobs. Despite his beauty and on-screen charisma, there was a constant assumption in Hollywood that he might be gay. This impression was fueled, if not created, by the entertainment industry, which was known for perpetuating rumors and innuendos.

The chronology of Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette’s romance, marriage, and subsequent divorce, as depicted in the fan magazines, is a tapestry of contradictions and sensationalism. Each passage cited here is a direct quote from those magazines:

1. “One day there was a knock on the door of his dressing room. She introduced herself as Suzanne Pleshette.”
2. “Troy was shopping in the Ann Sorrel Gift Shop in Hollywood when he noticed Suzanne, introduced himself and got into a discussion about acting.”
3. “A neighbor, an agent, introduced them, and Troy was immediately bent on making her his own.”
4. “They met in Rome, Troy fresh from a broken romance, Suzanne filled with disillusionment after playing the field, and they fell in love.”

As the story goes, the romance between Suzanne and Troy was the stuff of fan magazine dreams. The relationship was hailed as a glamorous, studio-financed love affair with rumors of a grand wedding at the Beverly Hills Hotel. However, the swift divorce that followed the marriage left fans bewildered, and the narratives of what went wrong began to circulate.

Their marriage was brief, lasting exactly six months, twenty-three days, and a handful of minutes. In the aftermath of their separation, various speculations arose. Some claimed that Troy was continuing an affair with Connie Stevens, while others believed Suzanne had an affection for Glenn Ford. Regardless of the reason, the marriage had already become a subject of fascination, making headlines in fan magazines even after the marriage was declared over.

The truth behind the Suzanne Pleshette and Troy Donahue saga remains elusive. Hollywood history is replete with such stories, and the exact nature of their relationship and the cause of their divorce are shrouded in mystery. What remains are the images, captured and etched into the annals of Hollywood’s golden era, and the realization that some stories, real or unreal, continue to thrill and intrigue.

Suzanne Pleshette and Troy Donahue’s marriage was a fleeting chapter in their lives, it remains a compelling tale in the ever-evolving story of Hollywood’s star-crossed romances.