Original name, Mary Leta Dorothy Kaumeyer; born December 10, 1914, in New Orleans, LA; died September 22, 1996, in Los Angeles, CA. Actress, singer, and comedienne. Dubbed by the press as the "bond bombshell" during World War II for her work on war bond drives, Lamour was born to a poor family in Louisianaand went on to become one of the biggest screen stars of the 1930s and 1940s.She continued working on stage productions well into her sixties and made her final film appearance with a bit part in 1987's Creepshow 2. But it was Lamour's work playing the "straight" role to Bob Hope and Bing Crosby's wisecracking in the series of Road movies (The Road to Singapore, The Road to Morocco, etc.) that made her a household name. Her first movie was the hit The Jungle Princess and the sarong she wore in the film made her an instant star. (Thesarong would later be retired to the Smithsonian Institution.) Lamour's beginnings were more humble, as she had to quit high school and find work to helpthe family. But after winning a beauty contest in 1931 and doing a stint onthe New York nightclub circuit in the mid-1930s, Lamour found her niche in films. She became a "pinup" girl for thousands of American G.I.s during World War II and constantly worked war bond drives and danced with soldiers. She continued to star in popular movies like Here Comes the Groom and the aforementioned Road series after the war. Lamour retired from the film industry in the1960s but returned to the stage in 1968 with the national tour of Hello Dolly! She also went back to the New York cabaret circuit in the early 1980s. In 1980, Lamour wrote the autobiography, My Side of the Road, and later in the decade made appearances on television specials.
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