If you look through the glossy, black-and-white archives of 1940s Hollywood, you’ll see her everywhere. Dorothy Lamour. The "Sarong Queen." The woman who held her own alongside Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in the legendary Road to... movies. But if you look closer at the photos of her off-set, usually standing just a bit back or holding her hand at a premiere, you see him. William Ross Howard III.
He wasn't a movie star. He wasn't a director. Honestly, he was a Maryland businessman who happened to fall for one of the most famous women in the world.
In an era where celebrity marriages lasted about as long as a film premiere, their story was weirdly normal. It was stable. It lasted nearly four decades until his death in 1978. That kind of longevity is basically a miracle by Tinseltown standards. People today often gloss over the "non-famous" spouses of Golden Age icons, but Howard is the reason Dorothy Lamour didn't become another tragic Hollywood statistic.
Who Was William Ross Howard III?
He wasn't a "nobody," even if he wasn't on the marquee. William Ross Howard III came from a background that was a world away from the soundstages of Paramount Pictures. Born in Maryland, he was an advertising executive and an Air Force captain.
He had this sort of East Coast, steady energy.
When they met, Dorothy had already been through the Hollywood ringer. She’d been married to Herbie Kay, a bandleader, but that dissolved as her fame skyrocketed. She was looking for something different. She found it in Howard. They married in 1943. Think about that for a second. 1943. The world was at war, the studio system owned your soul, and here comes this captain from Baltimore who steals the heart of the biggest pin-up girl of the decade.
They didn't just have a wedding; they built a life that stayed remarkably out of the tabloids. That’s the real trick, isn't it? Being married to a superstar and keeping your dignity. Howard managed it by staying in his lane and supporting her career without trying to hijack it.
👉 See also: Addison Rae and The Kid LAROI: What Really Happened
Life in the Shadow of the Sarong
It couldn't have been easy. Imagine being William Ross Howard III and walking into a restaurant where every head turns to look at your wife.
Men wanted her. Studios exploited her.
But Howard was her anchor. After the war, he moved into the world of business, specifically in the lath and plaster industry and later in various executive roles. They lived in Beverly Hills, sure, but they also spent significant time in Maryland. Howard kept her grounded in a reality that didn't involve scripts or lighting cues.
They had two sons together, John Ridgeley and Richard Thomson Howard. This wasn't a "PR marriage." You can tell because of how Lamour spoke about him in her later years. In her autobiography, My Side of the Road, she doesn't paint a picture of a perfect, plastic life. She paints a picture of a partnership.
The Howard Family Dynamic
A lot of people ask what happened to the Howard fortune or how they managed their private life. Truthfully? They were boring. And in Hollywood, "boring" is the ultimate compliment.
- They prioritized the kids.
- Howard continued his own career, never becoming a "Mr. Lamour" type who just lived off her residuals.
- They maintained a social circle that included the Hollywood elite but stayed away from the scandals.
William Ross Howard III was the kind of guy who handled the logistics. When Dorothy went on tour to sell war bonds—and she sold millions—he was the steady hand back home or the support system on the road.
✨ Don't miss: Game of Thrones Actors: Where the Cast of Westeros Actually Ended Up
The Maryland Connection
One thing most "Old Hollywood" fans miss is how much Howard influenced Lamour’s connection to the East Coast. He wasn't a creature of California. He was a Marylander through and through. They spent a lot of time in the Baltimore suburbs. Specifically, in the Suddenbrook area.
Think about the contrast. One week you're filming with Bing Crosby on a tropical-themed set, and the next you're in a brick house in Maryland dealing with humidity and local social mixers. That was the Howard influence. He gave her an exit ramp from the artifice of Los Angeles.
The Sad Reality of 1978
Everything changed in 1978. Howard passed away, leaving Dorothy a widow after 35 years of marriage.
For the public, he was a footnote. For her, he was the foundation. After he died, you notice a shift in how she approached her public life. She stayed active, she did dinner theater, she made appearances, but the "team" was gone.
People forget that William Ross Howard III died relatively young compared to Dorothy, who lived until 1996. Those eighteen years she spent without him were often filled with her reminiscing about their time in Maryland and the early days of their marriage during the war.
Why We Should Care About Him Today
You might wonder why a businessman from the mid-20th century matters now. It’s because he represents the "other side" of the industry.
🔗 Read more: Is The Weeknd a Christian? The Truth Behind Abel’s Faith and Lyrics
For every starlet who burned out or had five messy divorces, there was someone like Dorothy Lamour who found a William Ross Howard III. He is the proof that you can be adjacent to extreme fame and not let it destroy your family.
He didn't seek the spotlight.
He didn't leak stories to Louella Parsons.
He just worked, raised his kids, and loved his wife.
In the modern era of "influencer" couples and staged paparazzi shots, Howard’s approach to celebrity-adjacent life is actually a blueprint.
Actionable Takeaways for History and Film Buffs
If you're researching the life of Dorothy Lamour or the social structure of the Golden Age, don't just look at the IMDb credits.
- Read Dorothy’s Memoir: My Side of the Road gives the best personal insight into Howard’s personality and their domestic life. It’s out of print but easy to find used.
- Visit the Maryland Historical Society: They occasionally have archives related to the Howard family and their local influence.
- Look at 1940s Business Trends: To understand Howard, you have to understand the post-WWII business boom in Maryland, which is where his professional identity lived.
- Analyze the "Road" Films with New Eyes: Knowing she had a stable, loving husband back home changes how you view her chemistry with Hope and Crosby. It was all an act, made possible by a secure home life.
William Ross Howard III wasn't a legend of the silver screen, but he was the hero of Dorothy Lamour’s actual life. That’s probably a much better legacy anyway.
Next Steps for Your Research:
To get a full picture of the Howard-Lamour legacy, look into the specific charitable works they did in Baltimore during the late 50s. Much of their private wealth was directed toward local Maryland causes rather than Hollywood charities, which explains why his name remains highly respected in East Coast social circles today. For those interested in genealogy, the Howard family lineage in Maryland is extensive and predates his Hollywood connection by generations.