Cole Hauser

Cole Hauser wasn’t always a fan favorite. In fact, many of his roles before he grabbed the most popular role of his career with Yellowstone’s Rip Wheeler were those of character with, well, questionable character. So, how did Hauser turn his career into a western powerhouse and just exactly what famous family does he call his own?

HIS EXPERIENCE FIGHTING AND HORSEBACK RIDING MADE HIM PERFECT FOR THE ROLE OF RIP WHEELER

Cole Hauser embodies Rip Wheeler. Like his on-screen character, Hauser has always been a fighter. In fact, Hauser claims he’s been in a fight in just about every continent.

“I’ve probably been in one on every continent. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fighting. Sometimes I’m just tired of words, so let’s beat the shit out of each other. Maybe at the end of it, you’ll buy me a Guinness and I’ll buy you a Bushmills, and we’ll be done. It’s kind of what guys do.”

Not only is Cole Hauser proficient in fisticuffs, but he is also pretty damn good on a horse. He had been familiar with horses before he joined the Yellowstone cast, even suffering a broken back falling off a horse while filming The Last Champion. Even though Hauser was familiar with being in the saddle, it was nothing compared to the intense boot camp Sheridan had set up for Yellowstone’s actors.

Now, Cole Hauser is set for season five of Yellowstone. From what we’ve seen in the season trailer, things look like they are going to be very interesting for the Duttons and Rip Wheeler. Other than the trailer, the season five plot has been kept under tight wraps except for what executive producer David C. Glasser shared.

“Episode 1 will immediately surprise everybody — where our story starts and what has happened,” Glasser teased. No doubt Rip’s relationship with his new wife, Beth, will be tested, as will his relationship with their “new” son, Carter (Finn Little). Of course, Rip will continue to do everything he can to help protect the Dutton family.

COLE HAUSER IS THE GREAT-GRANDSON OF WARNER BROS. FOUNDER

Cole Hauser was born a California kid on March 22, 1975. His mom is Cass Warner, and if that name (at least her last name) looks familiar, it should. Cass’s grandfather was Harry M. Warner, one of the founders of Warner Bros. studio and its original president.

Although Cole was born in California, he and his mom moved to Eugene, OR when he was four years old. This could be considered when Cole began his training to be Rip Wheeler as they lived on a 1500-acre ranch. Cole loved the ranch, but often described his mother as a hippie and vagabond and after a few years in Oregon, she moved them to Clearwater, Florida.

Hauser does not have many, if any, fond memories of Florida. Life was completely different than what he was used to in Oregon. It was a life that Cole Hauser says he’d never wish upon anyone, wish seems strange for him to say as Florida is where Cole makes his home with his wife and children.

Cass Warner’s vagabond ways didn’t last too long as she finally fully embraced her Hollywood roots. Her father was the award-winning writer/producer Milton Sperling. However, when she finally jumped into the moviemaking business, she kept the Warner name.

Now, you may be wondering where his father was during this time, but Cole Hauser’s father was not in his life at all. Cole’s father, though, was famous in his own right. His father is Wings Hauser, the character actor who has been in movies like Vice Squad, A Soldier’s Story, and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling along with many TV series such as The Fall Guy, Hardcastle & McCormick, Airwolf, Bones, and Saving Grace.

Cole Hauser’s parents divorced when he was only two years old, so he did not know his father in his early years. In fact, Hauser didn’t even know about his family’s standing in Hollywood. It wasn’t until Cole Hauser and his mother were living back in California and he began to show interest in acting that he found out about his mother’s family and who his father was.

HE FIRST GOT INTO ACTING BECAUSE OF A DESIRE TO WORK NEXT TO BEAUTIFUL WOMEN

Hauser explained to the Men’s Journal that his first interest in acting had nothing to do with the craft but with the nice-looking young ladies. “It was just a f***-off class,” Hauser says. “There were good-looking girls, and you do a few plays. But I fell in love with acting and caught the bug.”

Cole Hauser went home and told his mom that he had a desire to pursue acting. This is when she shared the news about his family and his father. Cole actually went to live with his father for a while, so he could be closer to the studios. But Hauser eventually realized that his father was struggling with drugs and alcohol.

Cole Hauser knew it wasn’t going to work living with his father, so he ventured out on his own. Being a teenager in Los Angeles, living in an old PT boat that was docked in Marina Del Ray is what he opted for. “That was an awesome time,” Hauser explained about his days living on the boat, “because it meant freedom.”

He continued to push his acting career. He auditioned and failed, then auditioned more. His big break came with the 1992 film School Ties. On the set of that film, Cole Hauser made friends with two other cast members, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Up next for Cole Hauser was Dazed and Confused and by this time, he was no longer calling the PT boat home. He found a house to live in and, for a few months early on, his friends Damon and Affleck lived with him. It was there that the duo completed the script for Good Will Hunting and it was the sale of the script that allowed them to move out of Hauser’s home.

COLE HAUSER WAS FREQUENTLY TYPCASTED AS THE BAD GUY IN FILMS LIKE PITCH BLACK

Because of his relationship with Damon and Affleck, and hopefully also because he had talent, Cole Hauser grabbed a role in Good Will Hunting. It would be three years later, though, that Hauser took on the role as William J. Johns in the Vin Diesel horror thriller, Pitch Black. It was also a character that Hauser would constantly find himself playing – the douchy bad guy.

Hauser found time on features such as Hart’s War, Tears of the Sun, and 2 Fast 2 Furious, a film where he was supposed to reteam with Diesel, except that Diesel bailed on the sequel. Hart’s War was the first film that Cole Hauser starred in with Bruce Willis and he followed that with Tears of the Sun, then A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), and finally Acts of Violence (2018).

It’s not that Cole Hauser’s career hasn’t been remarkable, because the actor has had a very busy and nice career. On top of starring in four films with Willis, he was also seen in films like Olympus Has Fallen, Transcendence, Running with the Devil, and The Last Champion. He also found time on TV shows such as Chase, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, and Rogue.

COLE HAUSER SHARES HIS FAMILY LIFE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

It may not be too hard to imagine that Cole Hauser is a family man. He has been married to former actress Cynthia Daniel since 2006 and the couple has three children, two sons, and a daughter. Hauser spends a good amount of time on Instagram, showing off all his projects as well as his family.

Cole even got his mom on a horse.

Who knows how much longer fans are going to be treated with Yellowstone and Rip Wheeler? Until that time it ends, you can rest assured that Cole Hauser will continue to pour his heart and soul into the character. Don’t be surprised if he also pours a few punches into it as well.