# Cole Hauser
**Cole Hauser** (full name Cole Kenneth Hauser) is an American actor best known for playing Rip Wheeler on the modern Western television series *[Yellowstone](https://www.edgepedia.org/yellowstone-american-tv-series)* (2018–2024) and its spinoff *Dutton Ranch* (2026), and for film roles such as Benny O'Donnell in *Dazed and Confused* (1993) and Carter Verone in *2 Fast 2 Furious* (2003).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369513/) • [2](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/266240-Cole-Hauser)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975, Santa Barbara, California, USA[3](https://www.fandango.com/people/cole-hauser-281819/film-credits) |
| Family | Son of Cass Warner, founder of the production company Warner Sisters, and actor Wings Hauser; great-grandson of Harry M. Warner, a founder of Warner Bros.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hauser-cole-1975) |
| Signature role | Rip Wheeler on *Yellowstone*, 53 episodes from 2018 to 2024[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369513/) |
| Current series | *Dutton Ranch*, Paramount+, premiered May 15, 2026; Hauser stars as Rip Wheeler and is an executive producer[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-television-studios/shows/dutton-ranch/releases/?view=112585-beth-and-rip-fight-for-their-future-dutton-ranch-premieres-may-15-on-paramount-first-look-images-and-teaser-unveil-new-series-starring-cole-hauser-and) |
| Notable early films | *School Ties* (1992), *Dazed and Confused* (1993), *Good Will Hunting* (1997), *Pitch Black* (2000)[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/266240-Cole-Hauser) • [3](https://www.fandango.com/people/cole-hauser-281819/film-credits) |
| Awards | Independent Spirit Award nomination, best supporting male actor, 2001, for *Tigerland*; Young Hollywood Award for breakthrough male performance, 2003[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hauser-cole-1975) |
| Business ventures | Co-founder partner in Lazy K Bar Bourbon and owner of the Free Rein coffee brand[6](https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2024/08/06/cole-hauser-bourbon-texas-san-antonio-stores) • [7](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/cole-hauser-dutton-ranch-cast-was-wiped-out-texas-weather) |
## Early life and family
Hauser was born in 1975 in [Santa Barbara, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-barbara-california), into a family with deep roots in the American film industry.[3](https://www.fandango.com/people/cole-hauser-281819/film-credits) His mother, Cass Warner Sperling, founded the film production company Warner Sisters; his father, [Wings Hauser](https://www.edgepedia.org/wings-hauser), was an actor, director, and writer.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hauser-cole-1975) Through his mother he is a great-grandson of Harry M. Warner, the film executive and a founder of Warner Bros.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hauser-cole-1975) He studied acting and improvisation, and before acting worked as a semiprofessional soccer player.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hauser-cole-1975)
He married the actress [Cynthia Daniel](https://www.edgepedia.org/cynthia-daniel) on December 22, 2006, and the couple has three children.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369513/)
## Film career
Hauser made his film debut as Jack Connors in *School Ties* (1992), followed the next year by Benny O'Donnell in [Richard Linklater](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-linklater)'s *Dazed and Confused*.[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/266240-Cole-Hauser) Through the 1990s he appeared in *Higher Learning* (1995), *All Over Me* (1996), *Good Will Hunting* (1997) as Billy McBride, and *The Hi-Lo Country* (1998).[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hauser-cole-1975) • [3](https://www.fandango.com/people/cole-hauser-281819/film-credits) On television he played Officer Randy Willitz on the ABC police drama *High Incident* from 1996 to 1997.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hauser-cole-1975)
**2000s roles.** In 2000 he appeared in two military-themed films, *Tigerland* as Staff Sergeant Cota and *Pitch Black* as the bounty hunter William J. Johns.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hauser-cole-1975) His performance in *Tigerland* earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best supporting male actor in 2001.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hauser-cole-1975) He then played Staff Sgt. Vic W. Bedford in *Hart's War* (2002), Ray in *White Oleander* (2002), the drug lord Carter Verone in *2 Fast 2 Furious* (2003), James "Red" Atkins in *Tears of the Sun* (2003), and the lead, Bo Laramie, in *Paparazzi* (2004).[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/266240-Cole-Hauser) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hauser-cole-1975) Later credits include *The Cave* (2005), *The Break-Up* (2006), [Tyler Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-perry)'s *The Family That Preys* (2008), and *A Good Day to Die Hard* (2013).[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/266240-Cole-Hauser) • [3](https://www.fandango.com/people/cole-hauser-281819/film-credits)
## Yellowstone and Rip Wheeler
Hauser's career changed course with *Yellowstone*, [Taylor Sheridan](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-sheridan) and John Linson's Western drama that debuted on the [Paramount Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-network) in 2018.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369513/) Hauser played Rip Wheeler, the ranch foreman and enforcer for John Dutton ([Kevin Costner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-costner)), across 53 episodes from 2018 to 2024.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369513/) The character is defined by loyalty to the Dutton family; Hauser has described Rip as embodying an older kind of masculinity rooted in loyalty, honesty, and grit.[8](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/dutton-ranch-star-cole-hauser-says-rip-wheeler-throwback-old-school-american-man)
Preparation for the role was physical. Hauser credits the "Cowboy Camp" that Sheridan's productions run before filming, which trains actors in ranch and cowboy work beyond riding and roping.[9](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/cowboy-camp-cole-hauser-went-through-yellowstone-sounds-extra-intense) He has said he usually puts on about 25 pounds to play Rip, though during *Dutton Ranch* filming in Texas heat he found the weight hard to keep on.[10](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/forget-snakes-another-reason-cole-hauser-filming-dutton-ranch-impossibly-hard)
## Dutton Ranch
After *Yellowstone* ended in 2024, Hauser and his co-star [Kelly Reilly](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelly-reilly) reprised their roles as Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton in *Dutton Ranch*, a [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) spinoff that premiered on May 15, 2026, with two episodes.[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-television-studios/shows/dutton-ranch/releases/?view=112585-beth-and-rip-fight-for-their-future-dutton-ranch-premieres-may-15-on-paramount-first-look-images-and-teaser-unveil-new-series-starring-cole-hauser-and) Hauser also serves as an executive producer on the series.[11](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369513/?showAllCredits=true)
The story moves the couple from Montana to the fictional South Texas town of Rio Paloma after their homestead burns down in a brushfire, where they build a new life with their adopted teenage son Carter (Finn Little) and clash with the family of a slaughterhouse owner played by [Annette Bening](https://www.edgepedia.org/annette-bening); [Ed Harris](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-harris) plays a local veterinarian.[12](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/dutton-ranch-kelly-reilly-cole-hauser-yellowstone-interview/) Hauser has said that "rumblings" of a Beth and Rip spinoff began while shooting the final season of *Yellowstone*, and that he and Reilly were approached about a month and a half after the flagship ended.[12](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/dutton-ranch-kelly-reilly-cole-hauser-yellowstone-interview/)
**Production changes.** Filming the first season brought difficulties Hauser has described publicly. With Sheridan serving as executive producer rather than working in the writers' room, the returning core was small: Hauser, Reilly, Finn Little, and director [Christina Alexandra Voros](https://www.edgepedia.org/christina-alexandra-voros), working with new writers and directors.[13](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/cole-hauser-everything-changed-yellowstone-ended-dutton-ranch) Showrunner Chad Feehan departed after season one amid reported friction with the series' stars, and Benjamin Cavell was hired as showrunner for season two, which was renewed a few weeks before the season one finale with production set to begin in early 2027.[13](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/cole-hauser-everything-changed-yellowstone-ended-dutton-ranch) Hauser said of the first season, "We had to figure out on our feet how to really perform and tell a story. I'm proud of what we accomplished, and I'm looking forward to doing it again."[13](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/cole-hauser-everything-changed-yellowstone-ended-dutton-ranch)
## Business ventures
Hauser has built brands around the ranch lifestyle associated with his screen persona. He partnered with beverage industry veteran Britt West and Lazy K Bar Ranch owner David Leuschen on Lazy K Bar Bourbon, an 8-year-old bourbon; as of 2024, Texas was the only state outside Montana where it was sold.[6](https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2024/08/06/cole-hauser-bourbon-texas-san-antonio-stores) He also owns the coffee brand [Free Rein](https://www.edgepedia.org/free-rein), whose products include an American Dirt Protein Coffee.[7](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/cole-hauser-dutton-ranch-cast-was-wiped-out-texas-weather)
## References
1. [Cole Hauser, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369513/)
2. [Cole Hauser filmography, AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/266240-Cole-Hauser)
3. [Cole Hauser Filmography and Movies, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/cole-hauser-281819/film-credits)
4. [Hauser, Cole 1975–, Encyclopedia.com (Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hauser-cole-1975)
5. [Dutton Ranch Premieres May 15 on Paramount+, Paramount Press Express](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/paramount-television-studios/shows/dutton-ranch/releases/?view=112585-beth-and-rip-fight-for-their-future-dutton-ranch-premieres-may-15-on-paramount-first-look-images-and-teaser-unveil-new-series-starring-cole-hauser-and)
6. [Cole Hauser-owned bourbon now available in Texas, Axios](https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2024/08/06/cole-hauser-bourbon-texas-san-antonio-stores)
7. [TV Hours Can Be Long And Hard, But Dutton Ranch Cast Was 'Wiped Out' For Totally Different Reasons, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/cole-hauser-dutton-ranch-cast-was-wiped-out-texas-weather)
8. [Cole Hauser says Rip Wheeler embodies old-school American masculinity, Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/dutton-ranch-star-cole-hauser-says-rip-wheeler-throwback-old-school-american-man)
9. [The Cowboy Camp Cole Hauser Went Through For Yellowstone Sounds Extra Intense, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/cowboy-camp-cole-hauser-went-through-yellowstone-sounds-extra-intense)
10. [Forget The Snakes, There's Another Reason Cole Hauser Says Filming Dutton Ranch Was Impossibly Hard, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/forget-snakes-another-reason-cole-hauser-filming-dutton-ranch-impossibly-hard)
11. [Cole Hauser full credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369513/?showAllCredits=true)
12. ['Dutton Ranch': Why Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly Returned to Their 'Yellowstone' Characters, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/tv-shows/dutton-ranch-kelly-reilly-cole-hauser-yellowstone-interview/)
13. [Cole Hauser On Why 'Everything Changed' After Yellowstone Ended, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/cole-hauser-everything-changed-yellowstone-ended-dutton-ranch)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames H to Ha*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license