Howie Dorough: Bio And Career Highlights

August 22, 1973

Orlando, Florida, US

53 Years Old

Leo

Howard Dwaine Dorough is an American singer and actor, best known as the "Latin Lover" of the iconic Backstreet Boys. His smooth falsetto harmonies define much of the group’s globally recognized sound.


He rose to fame with the Backstreet Boys' debut in the mid-1990s, becoming a key voice in their pop and R&B hits. The group’s early albums quickly sold millions, launching them into international stardom.

Howie Dorough grew up in Orlando, Florida, the youngest of five children to his Puerto Rican mother, Paula Flores-Dorough, and Irish American father, Hoke Dwaine Dorough. His sister, Pollyanna, significantly inspired his early interest in performing.


He attended Edgewater High School, where he was voted "Most Talented" and graduated in the top ten of his class. Dorough also pursued music studies at Valencia College and the University of South Florida.

Howie Dorough is currently married to Leigh Boniello, a film executive producer whom he met in December 2000. Their relationship evolved over six years before Dorough proposed to her on New Year's Day 2006.


The couple married on December 8, 2007, in a traditional Catholic ceremony in Orlando. They share two sons, James Hoke Dorough and Holden John Dorough.

Howie Dorough's career is defined by his integral role in the Backstreet Boys, which sold over 135 million records worldwide with hits like "I Want It That Way" and "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)". The group's albums, including Millennium and DNA, achieved massive global success.


Beyond music, Dorough co-founded Sweet D, Inc. with his brother, a real estate development company. He has also starred in his own musical, Howie D: Back in the Day, and released solo albums such as Back to Me and Which One Am I?

“All you can do as an artist is just strive to make the best record you can and ride the rollercoaster as it goes up and down.”