William Ross Howard III nació el 9 de agosto de 1907 en Baltimore, Maryland, Estados Unidos. Estuvo casado con Dorothy Lamour y Louise Brooks. Murió el 15 de febrero de 1978 en Los Ángeles, California, EE.UU..
Contrary to published reports, his first wife was not the actress Louise Brooks, His wife was a debutante from Palm Beach, Florida, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.