Cole Hauser

Born in Santa Barbara, California, on March 22, 1975, Cole Hauser comes from a family deeply rooted in the entertainment industry. His mother, Cass Warner, founded a film production company, Warner Sisters, and his father, Wings Hauser, was an actor. His grandfathers were screenwriters Dwight Hauser and Milton Sperling, and his maternal great-grandfather was Harry M. Warner, a co-founder of Warner Bros. After his parents divorced when he was two, Hauser moved between California, Oregon, and Florida. By age 15, he reconnected with his father who guided him in the audition process. He left high school at 16 to pursue acting.

Hauser made his film debut in 1992 in “School Ties” alongside early-career actors including Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. He continued to appear in notable films such as Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused” (1993) and reunited with Affleck and Damon in “Good Will Hunting” (1997). His performance in “Tigerland” (2000) earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination, and he received a Movieline breakthrough performance award for “White Oleander” (2002). Hauser has taken on diverse roles, including a Navy SEAL in “Tears of the Sun” (2003) and a mob boss in “2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003).

In more recent years, Hauser has become widely recognized for his television work, particularly his main role as Rip Wheeler in the Paramount Network western drama series “Yellowstone,” which began in 2018 and has extended into 2024. Prior to “Yellowstone,” he starred as Ethan Kelly in the DirecTV original drama “Rogue” from 2014 to 2017. His career also includes other significant film appearances such as “Transcendence” (2014) and “Olympus Has Fallen” (2013). Hauser’s continued presence in both film and television underscores his sustained career in the industry.