Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler)
When Cole Hauser signed on to play John’s loyal ranch hand, Rip, he had no idea that his violent trips to the “train station” would make him an unexpected sex symbol. As Rip’s unconventional romance with Beth caught fire, viewers were willing to overlook the occasional gruesome killing.
“I think it surprised Taylor too,” Hauser told Town & Country in 2022. “It’s definitely not something that was ever on the table, that we ever discussed. In fact, I think it was quite the opposite. [Taylor] was like, ‘Oh man, people are gonna think you’re f—ing nuts. I wrote this scene, the way you kill this guy or burn this guy,’ you know what I mean? And for whatever reason it’s kind of worked the opposite.”
Before Yellowstone, Hauser appeared in classic coming-of-age movies like School Ties (1992), Dazed and Confused (1993), and Good Will Hunting (1997), as well as the action films 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), and Transcendence (2014).
Hauser also starred in two movies released in 2023: the action-thriller The Ritual Killer with Morgan Freeman and the Western film Dead Man’s Hand with Stephen Dorff and Jack Kilmer.
Hauser and his wife, Cynthia Daniel, wed in 2006. The couple has three children: sons Ryland and Colt, and daughter Steely Rose.
