So you’re looking up Carol Marlow, right? Here’s the thing – there are actually TWO different women with this exact name, and they lived completely different lives. One was a big shot in the cruise ship business, and the other was married to the guy who played Wally on “Leave It to Beaver.”
Let me break down everything about both of them, so you can find exactly what you’re looking for.
Who Are We Talking About Here?
Look, I get it. You searched for Carol Marlow and now you’re confused because you’re seeing stuff about cruise ships AND stuff about an old TV show. Don’t worry – you’re not going crazy. There really are two different Carol Marlows.
Here’s the Quick Version
Carol Marlow (The Cruise Ship Lady)
- Ran Cunard Line– you know, those fancy cruise ships
- British woman who made it big in a man’s world
- Was in charge of famous ships like the Queen Mary 2
- Worked with pretty much every major cruise company
Carol Marlow (Tony Dow’s First Wife)
- Born in Los Angeles in August 1942
- Married to Tony Dow(Wally from “Leave It to Beaver”) from 1969 to 1980
- They had one son named Christopher
- Keeps to herself and stays out of the spotlight
Part 1: Carol Marlow – The Woman Who Ran the Biggest Cruise Ships
How She Got Started
Carol Marlow didn’t just wake up one day running cruise ships. She worked her way up from the bottom, which is pretty impressive when you think about it. Back when she was starting out, you barely saw any women running big companies, especially not in the shipping business.
She started working in different parts of the travel industry – hotels, tour groups, even some media stuff. This gave her a really good understanding of what customers actually want when they’re traveling. It’s one thing to read about it in a book, but she learned by doing it.
School and Getting Ready for the Big Leagues
Carol Marlow went to the University of Southampton in England. She got a degree in economics and business, which makes sense when you think about running a massive cruise company. You need to understand money and how businesses work, not just ships.
That education paid off big time later when she was making decisions about million-dollar ships and trying to figure out what people in different countries wanted from their vacations.
Taking Over at Cunard – A Pretty Big Deal
In 2005, Carol Marlow became President and Managing Director of Cunard Line. If you don’t know Cunard, they’re basically the royalty of cruise ships. We’re talking about the company that built the original Queen Mary and has been around forever.
Before she got the top job at Cunard, she was already working there as the boss for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She did such a good job that they basically said, “Hey, why don’t you just run the whole thing?”
But here’s what makes her story even cooler – before Cunard, she worked at Princess Cruises and actually held jobs at FIVE different cruise lines. So when she finally got to lead Cunard, she knew the business inside and out.
Running the Most Famous Ships in the World
When Carol Marlow was running things, Cunard had three absolutely massive luxury ships:
- Queen Mary 2– The big kahuna with room for 2,592 people
- Queen Elizabeth 2– The legend that everyone knew about
- Queen Victoria– The new kid on the block that launched in 2007
She made sure these ships went everywhere – back and forth across the Atlantic between England and New York, around the entire world once a year (hitting about 40 different ports), and all over Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and Mexico.
That’s not just booking trips. That’s planning routes, dealing with different countries’ laws, making sure thousands of people have a good time, and keeping these giant floating hotels running smoothly.
Launching the Queen Victoria – Her Big Moment
One of Carol Marlow’s coolest achievements was getting the Queen Victoria ready and launched. This wasn’t just ordering a new ship. She was involved in deciding how it should look, what it should have inside, and making sure it felt like a classic Cunard ship while still being modern.
She made sure the ship had things like:
- A huge fancy lobby that goes up three floors with real wood and marble
- A library with 6,000 actual books and TWO librarians (yes, really!)
- A theater like the ones in London’s West End, complete with private boxes
- An outdoor Italian-style restaurant area just for people in the fancy suites
These details mattered because Cunard had been around for 168 years, and people expected a certain style.
Getting Respect in the Industry
Carol Marlow wasn’t just focused on her own company. She also became Chairman and Director of the U.K. Passenger Shipping Association. Basically, that’s like being chosen to represent and lead the entire cruise industry in the UK.
That tells you something. People respected her enough to have her speak for everybody, not just Cunard.
Moving On to Other Ships
In 2009, Carol Marlow switched from Cunard to become the boss at P&O Cruises. Funny enough, she’d actually worked at P&O before earlier in her career, so this was like coming back home but in a much bigger role.
She spent 16 years total working for Carnival UK, which owns both Cunard and P&O plus some other brands. During that time, she helped launch five brand new ships and built up these cruise brands around what customers actually wanted.
In 2013, the company did some reorganizing and Carol Marlow left along with another executive named Peter Shanks. That was the end of her time in the cruise business, but what a run she had.
What She Left Behind
Carol Marlow’s real legacy is showing that you can keep a company’s history and traditions alive while also making it work for modern people. That’s actually harder than it sounds.
A lot of companies either go full nostalgia and become outdated, or they change everything and lose what made them special. She found the sweet spot – keeping Cunard feeling British and elegant and special, but also making sure people today would actually want to book a trip.
Part 2: Carol Marlow – The Woman Who Married Wally Cleaver
Growing Up in LA
Carol Marie Theresa Marlow was born in August 1942 in Los Angeles. Her parents were Herman Clifford Morelvitz Marlow and Cecilia Annette Kresak – quite a mouthful, right? She had an older brother named Gene who was born in 1939.
Her parents got married back in December 1937 and raised their kids with pretty traditional values. Carol grew up in a normal, supportive family, which probably helped her stay grounded later when she married someone famous.
Meeting and Marrying Tony Dow
Carol Marlow married Tony Dow on June 14, 1969. She was in her twenties, and so was Tony – he was only 24. But Tony was already super famous from playing Wally Cleaver on “Leave It to Beaver.” If you’re not familiar, that show was HUGE. Everyone watched it.
So here’s Carol, a regular person, marrying America’s favorite big brother from TV. That had to be weird, right? We don’t know exactly how they met (they kept that private), but they got together during the late 1960s when everything in America was changing.
Being Married to a TV Star
Being Tony Dow’s wife came with challenges. Unlike Tony, Carol Marlow didn’t want to be famous. She stayed out of the spotlight as much as possible and focused on being a wife and mom instead of going to Hollywood parties or doing interviews.
A lot of celebrity wives back then were like that. They just wanted a normal family life even though their husband was on TV. Carol Marlow was definitely one of those wives who said, “Thanks, but no thanks” to the whole celebrity thing.
Having Their Son Christopher
On March 26, 1973, Carol Marlow and Tony had a baby boy they named Christopher Taylor Dow. Being a mom became the most important thing in Carol’s life. She really dedicated herself to raising Christopher away from all the Hollywood craziness.
Christopher Dow grew up and got married to a woman named Melissa, and they have a daughter named Tyla. So Carol became a grandma, and the three generations of the Dow family spent a lot of time together while Tony was still alive.
When Things Fell Apart
Carol Marlow and Tony Dow’s marriage started having problems. In 1978, nine years after they got married, they started the process of legally separating.
Around that same time, Tony met another woman named Lauren Shulkind. She was a mosaic artist, and they met in Kansas City in late 1978. Tony also dealt with depression and anger problems during his life, which probably didn’t help things at home.
The divorce became final on March 10, 1980, after eleven years of marriage. Then just three months later, on June 16, 1980, Tony married Lauren. He stayed married to Lauren until he died in July 2022.
Life After the Divorce
After divorcing Tony Dow, Carol Marlow did something pretty classy – she just disappeared from public life. She didn’t sell stories to tabloids, didn’t do interviews, didn’t try to cash in on being his ex-wife. She just went on with her life.
Today, she’s believed to be living in Fresno, California, somewhere near where her son Christopher lives with his family. She’s 83 years old now (as of 2025), and she’s still keeping things private.
Zero Social Media
Carol Marlow isn’t on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or anything else. Absolutely zero online presence. In today’s world where everybody’s posting everything, that’s actually pretty remarkable. She’s been consistent for over 40 years – she wants privacy, and she’s stuck to it.
What She Looked Like
Carol Marlow was about 5 feet 4 inches tall and usually weighed around 130 pounds. She wasn’t trying to look like a Hollywood starlet or anything. Just natural and normal, which fit with her whole approach to life.
Money Stuff
When Tony Dow died in 2022, he had about $4 million. But what Carol Marlow got from the divorce or whether she’s doing okay financially now? That’s all private.
There was one little detail from 1991 that mentioned she owned a 1971 Porsche, so she wasn’t broke. But beyond that, we don’t know if she had her own career or what her situation is now. She seems to be living comfortably in retirement though.
Questions People Always Ask About Carol Marlow
Are the cruise ship Carol Marlow and Tony Dow’s wife the same person?
Nope. Totally different people who just happen to have the same name. Carol Marlow the cruise executive is British and worked in the ship business. Carol Marlow the ex-wife is American and from California. Just a coincidence.
What happened to Carol Marlow after she divorced Tony Dow?
After the divorce in 1980, Carol Marlow basically chose to live a quiet, private life. She’s now living near her son’s family in Fresno, California, and has stayed completely out of the public eye for over 40 years.
Where’s the Cunard Carol Marlow now?
Carol Marlow left her job with Carnival UK in September 2013. Nobody really knows what she’s doing now or where she’s living, but people in the cruise industry still remember and respect what she accomplished.
Did Carol Marlow get money from Tony Dow when he died?
That’s private information. Tony had about $4 million when he died, but who got what isn’t public knowledge. Divorce settlements and estate stuff usually stays confidential.
How many kids did they have?
Carol Marlow and Tony Dow had one son, Christopher Taylor Dow, born in 1973. Christopher’s married now with a daughter, so Carol’s a grandmother.
Why’d they split up?
The exact reasons are private, but we know Tony Dow struggled with depression and anger issues. He also started a relationship with Lauren Shulkind before his divorce from Carol Marlow was finished. They separated in 1978 and divorced in 1980.
What exactly did Carol Marlow do at Cunard?
Carol Marlow was the President and Managing Director from 2005 to 2009. She ran everything – all the ships including Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth 2, and Queen Victoria. She handled the business side, the marketing, and helped launch new ships.
How old is Carol Marlow now?
Carol Marlow (Tony Dow’s ex-wife) was born in August 1942, so she’s 83 years old in 2025.
What’s Carol Marlow worth?
Nobody knows. Carol Marlow (Tony’s ex) hasn’t shared that information, and neither has Carol Marlow the cruise executive. Most private people keep their financial information private, which makes sense.
Two Carol Marlows, Two Very Different Stories
The Carol Marlow name represents two completely different ways women have lived their lives:
The Career Woman
Carol Marlow the cruise executive broke through in an industry that was almost all men. She ran some of the most famous ships in the world and showed that women could lead in the maritime business just as well as men.
Her time at Cunard Line proved you could respect history and tradition while still running a modern, successful business. The cruise industry is still better because of the standards she set and the doors she opened for other women.
The Private Person
Carol Marlow, Tony Dow’s first wife, chose a completely different path. She could’ve done interviews, written a book, gone on talk shows – but she didn’t. She valued her privacy and her family more than fame or attention.
For over 40 years since her divorce, she’s been consistent about this. That takes real strength. While her ex-husband stayed famous, she raised her son, became a grandmother, and lived life on her own terms.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re looking up Carol Marlow the cruise ship executive or Carol Marlow who was married to Tony Dow, both women deserve respect for how they lived their lives.
The Cunard boss Carol Marlow built an amazing career leading luxury ships, launching famous vessels, and growing the cruise industry. Her work still influences how cruise companies operate today.
Tony Dow’s ex-wife Carol Marlow chose privacy, family, and dignity over publicity. Her story shows that not everyone connected to fame wants to be famous themselves, and that’s totally okay.
Both of these women, in their own ways, showed strength and stayed true to what mattered to them. They navigated complicated situations – whether it was running a massive business or being married to a celebrity – with grace.
If you’re researching the cruise executive Carol Marlow, remember her professional achievements in luxury travel. If you’re interested in Carol Marlow Dow, respect her choice to keep her life private.
The name Carol Marlow might belong to two people, but both their stories teach us something about different ways to find success and happiness in life.
Want to know more? Head over to ABC Magazine.
