‘1923’: Did You Spot C. Thomas Howell’s Cameo? Paramount

Viewers who tuned in to 1923 this weekend were introduced to one of the kindest cowboys the western series has ever featured onscreen. The scene occurred around halfway through the second season’s third episode, when Runs His Horse (Michael Spears) travels to find the cowboys who are working on the ranch that he and Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) are camped on in Texas. He eventually runs into the group’s head cowboy, Anders, played by actor C. Thomas Howell.

For rodeo-heads, the cameo was hard to miss. Howell was a Junior Rodeo State All-Around Champion for three years in a row (1979–1981) in California. He’s also the son of Hollywood stuntman Chris Howell. When Howell was 12, he won the part of the BMX-riding neighborhood kid Tyler in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Then he went on to portray the lead in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders, as well as serial killer George Foyet (the Boston Reaper) on CBS’s Criminal Minds.

Howell’s 1923 cowboy, Anders, is featured in a scene with Runs His Horse (played by Michael Spears). Lauren Smith – Paramount

“When I hit 40, I went, ‘Okay, am I going to quit this or am I going to do this?’ And I was able to reinvent myself in a role on Criminal Minds,” Howell told The Roping Journal in 2021. “It was a very significant role that changed my career. All the sudden, I had established this significant television career. That’s sort of where I’ve been parked for the past 15 years, is doing really good episodic television.”

Now Howell’s acting is “better than it’s ever been,” as the former rodeo star said himself. “I think there’s more of an authentic self that I can find when I’m on my ranch, when I’m on my horses, when I’m roping cows, doctoring steers, building fence, whatever,” he continued. “This is the new normal for me.”

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In the Yellowstone prequel, Howell’s character tells Runs His Horse that the Broken Rock Reservation chief is safe to stay on the land and even help them herd stray cattle for pay. Before Runs His Horse leaves, the cowboy offers him a meal—though Runs His Horse declines. For a series as dark as 1923, Howell’s cameo as a warm and welcoming cowboy makes perfect sense. However, Howell is not likely to return to 1923. If his IMDb page is correct, his only appearance this season is in episode 3. That’s bad news for Runs His Horse. He and Teonna will need all the help they can muster in the second half of the Dutton-family drama.