80s TV pin-up, 59, has barely aged a day 36 years after soap fame and starring in iconic Prince video
EIGHTIES American soap opera actress Troy Byer has seemingly reversed the ageing process, as the TV star doesn’t a look a day over the age she landed onto our screens almost four decades ago.
Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles in the early 80s from her hometown of New York City, she became a regular character in the classic 80s prime-time soap opera, Dynasty, back in 1986.
In an array of recent Instagram snaps, Troy, 59, who appears to be ageing in a Benjamin Button fashion, looks just as youthfully radiant as her former life as a soap opera princess.
Fans stormed the comment section of her recent Instagram post to adorn the stunning star with messages such as: “Super model vibes! You are still gorgeous!”
The then 19-year-old actress played the role of Jackie Deveraux, the daughter of the late legendary actress Diahann Carroll‘s character, Dominique Deveraux, before leaving the show in 1987.
TROY’S EARLY BEGINNINGS
Prior to fulfilling her soap opera ambitions, the ageless actress began her career as a four-year-old in the children’s TV series, Sesame Street back in 1969.
She won a small part in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club back in 1984, before deciding to move from her home of New York City, to Los Angeles, where her career would soon take off.
That same year, she would appear on popular TV programmes of that era, such as 21 Jump Street alongside then teen heartthrob, Johnny Depp, 60, and youth-centred sitcom, A Different World.
In the 90s, she continued to act and star in a string of TV shows and films, including Walker, Texas, Danger in 1993.
The timeless actress appeared the following year in TV drama Diagnosis Murder as the character Brianna Jones, before falling out of love with acting, and turning her focus onto script writing.
The Five Heartbeats actress made her screenwriting debut with 1998 cult-classic film B*A*P*S, which starred a then pre-academy award winning Halle Berry, 57.
In 1999, Troy made her directing debut with her screenplay Let’s Talk About Sex which she also starred in.
In 2003, the John Q actress wrote and directed teen comedy film Love Don’t Cost a Thing, starring singer-actress Christina Milian, 42 and comedian-actor Nick Cannon, 43.
TROY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH PRINCE
She spoke about her relationship with the late music icon, Prince, Troy told the vlog Black Hollywood Live in 2015: “Prince was amazing. I wasn’t raised with much, and he never spoke down to me.”
The two 80s icons met in the late 80s through mutual friends in the entertainment industry, and quickly formed a romantic relationship.
Their bond spilled spilled over to MTV, when Prince suggested Troy appear as a video vixen in his 1992 hit song Sexy MF, which went to number four in the UK charts that year.
She continued: “He always told me ‘You’re intelligent’. I needed money for the next semester of University, and Prince said: ‘I have this music video [Sexy MF], I can pay you to be in the video. So I said ‘cool!’ “
However, the lovebirds split a year after.
When asked about Prince shortly after his untimely passing back in April 2016, Troy told Extra TV: “I think we will remember him for the rest of our lives and not just today, that’s all I can say without crying.”
TROY’S MORE RECENT LIFE
Troy married film producer and actor Mark Burg, 64, in 1994.
The film titans share one child, 24-year-old son Jordan. Troy and Mark got a divorce in 2000.
The MA graduate expanded her writing skills to being the author of two self books, 2008’s How To Be Ex-Free: 9 Keys To Happiness After Heartbreak, and 2017’s How To Be A Responsible B***h.
Both books topped Amazon‘s best-sellers list.
Dr. Troy attained a doctorate in clinical psychology from California Southern University in 2017, with a certification in industrial organisational psychology as well as clinical psychology.
The mental health expert is also an advocate for the foster care system, which she belonged to as a child.
Troy regularly posts gorgeous images of her travelling adventures where she writes upcoming books on Instagram, to her dedicated social media audience.
