Reed Howes

Hermon Reed Howes was an American actor who began as a leading man in the silent film era and later became a familiar supporting player in B-Westerns during the talkie period. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1900, he served as an apprentice seaman in the U.S. Navy during the final year of World War I. After the war, he graduated from the University of Utah and attended Harvard Graduate School before appearing in small roles in stock and vaudeville productions. Known for his striking good looks, Howes was selected as a model for artist J.C. Leyendecker's Arrow Collar advertisements. Though one of several models for the ads—including John Barrymore, Fredric March, Brian Donlevy, and Jack Mulhall—Howes is the only one of these future actors to be remembered as "the former Arrow Collar Man." Some sources have suggested a romantic relationship between Howes and Leyendecker, but this likely conflates him with the original Arrow Collar model, Charles Beach. Actor-director-producer Ben F. Wilson discovered the model and signed him to a film contract. Howes quickly became a popular leading man, appearing opposite many of the era's top actresses. However, with the advent of sound, it became clear that neither his voice nor his acting style was well suited to the new medium, and he soon transitioned into supporting roles, frequently playing villains in action films and B-Westerns. He continued in these roles throughout the 1940s and 1950s before retiring due to health issues. His condition worsened, and he died in 1964 at the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital, where he had been staying for several months. He was 64. His final screen appearance was in an episode of the TV series *Mister Ed* (1961). He is buried in the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California.