Cole Hauser

Biography

Cole Hauser was just 14 and a half years old when he told his divorced parents, Cass Warner and Wings Hauser, that he didn’t want to go to school anymore. His school in California didn’t particularly want him there either, after Cole’s repeated misdemeanors had left them with no other choice than to show him the door. So his parents, (who by all accounts were pretty easy going) gave him a choice, when he told them he just wanted to try acting. ‘You have six months to make it,’ they said.

He admits the first four months were hard going as he failed countless auditions, but he was determined to make it after he’d caught the acting bug from a late friend of his, Kelly Morgan. Kelly had joked with him whilst they were in freshman year, about Cole’s skills at lying convincingly, and as Kelly was into acting in a big way, he told Cole that he’d make a damn good actor. Cole wasn’t too struck on the idea, preferring sports as his ambition of preference, but Kelly persuaded him (dangling the two carrots young boys like most: girls and fun) to send in an audition tape to a New York acting camp that Kelly also planned to attend.

The next summer Cole was at that very acting camp in New York staring in his first stage role in Dark of the Moon. The lead role led to a standing ovation from the audience, and he won Best Actor to boot. Not bad going for a young boy who claimed he didn’t have a clue what he was doing. He was amazed and moved at the effect his acting skills had on complete strangers. He’d been bitten by the acting bug, and there didn’t seem to be any cure for his lust to pursue it.

Acting must run in the genes, since his father Wings Hauser is a celebrated character actor, and his mother Cass Warner is the granddaughter of the Warner brothers co-founder Harry M Warner. On paper its practically Hollywood royalty, but Cole Hauser himself is humble and seemingly unaffected by his legendary family ties.

It was in his sophomore year that he moved from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles to spend time with his father, Wings (who he’d not had much contact with) that he decided to get on the ladder of acting and pay his dues. Despite not finishing school, he showed his maturity in taking his destiny in his own hands at such a young age, and with some advice from his father he went out and auditioned his ass off.

His maturity, and will to get on with things on his own and on his own terms probably lends itself to his constant relocating his mother made him and his siblings undertake during his childhood.

Cole Kenny Hauser was born in 22 March 1975 in California. His mother soon found herself as a single mother, and Cole describes her as an, ‘old hippy, who got bored very easily.’ Cass moved her family to Oregon for 4 years, then Tampa Bay for 6 years. By the time Cole had got kicked out of school (and decided he wanted to be an actor) he’d moved to Santa Barbara and finally to Los Angeles to live with his father.

The dream didn’t happen overnight. Whether it was his choice to keep his family ties hush-hush, or the fact that maybe no one cared is not known? But his determination to do things his way, and be very certain he didn’t want to play the types of characters his father is best known for playing is pretty clear. The one thing he does retain from his family to this day is the motto of Warner Brothers, ‘To Educate, Enlighten and Entertain.’

After four months of painful rejections Cole was finally ‘discovered’ by casting director, Lisa Beech, who loved his style and personality, and in turn introduced him to Sherri Lansing, who is now the president of Paramount, and Sammy Jaffe. The meeting of the talented Cole and some of Hollywood’s casting elite led to a role in his first film in 1992, School Ties, (playing Jack Connor) but only after a grueling 500 screen tests!

He got his wish to remain out of school, and continued to make his mark in film. Just as his public image dictates, everything with Cole is a slow progression and with purpose. Cole is noted as a man of few words, but the ones he does utter are well thought out and with absolute direction. He made friends quickly in his new career and discovered his easy laid back attitude attracted the likes of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to become his buddies, whom he met on the set of School Ties.

In 1993 Cole went to Austin Texas, to play Benny, in Richard Linklater’s cult classic, Dazed and Confused. Cole’s character appears on the onset as fun loving, but Benny’s mood changes during the end of the film. The switch in Cole’s character is sharp and well acted, and it’s probably one of Cole’s best performances in terms of character progression, simply because you don’t see it coming, and it’s a shock when it does.

Yet again, Cole picked up a host of buddies during shooting, including Matthew McConaughey who incidentally once said that if anyone were to make a movie of his life, he’d like Cole to play him, as Cole is a good actor, and knows the truth (about McConaughey). Cole obviously knows more and seen more than most people have of McConaughey, as he was the ‘other guy’ present at McConaughey’s infamous naked bongo bust in Austin. But before you put two and two together and come up with six, Cole was fully clothed, and didn’t get into trouble with the law. However, Cole has had his minor brush with law enforcement in LA when he was 20. He was charged with grand theft after he had an argument with a parking attendant outside Canters Deli. The attendant claimed Cole identified himself as a police officer and asked the attendant to prove he was certified to work in the United States. An argument ensued and Cole allegedly took $10 out of the attendant’s hands and sped off. Maybe Cole figured since his grandfather was former Los Angeles Police Commissioner Stanley Sheinbaum he could get away with it? Well boys will be boys!

Cole’s career failed to slow down as he was cast in various role’s on the silver screen and TV. He also joined back up with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for their Oscar winning film, Good Will Hunting in 1997. Cole was even mentioned in their acceptance speech.

To look at Cole’s filmography you often feel his roles have been supporting or of little significance, but an actor has to cut their teeth somewhere. Each role is duly noted by the public and the powers that be. His body of work finally led to the credibility in getting the role of William J. Johns in the 2000 cult sci-fi film, Pitch Black, which also boosted the testosterone fuelled actor Vin Diesel into Vin-do-mania. Indeed, Cole must have finally felt he paid his dues, and then some when the critics the world over started to talk about this tall, blue eyed and deep voiced red head who could switch character mood in an instant.

Johns is a complex character, and Pitch Black’s writer and director, Robert Twohy gave Cole artistic license to take the character where he felt was best. Cole talks about his role and filming it with fondness. He was attracted to the role because of the metamorphosis from hero to villain that takes places. He also enjoyed spending time in Australia, and delivered his more lusty fans with one of the best quotes we all bet he wishes he’d never said, if only to save his blushes. And the quote was: "An additional positive experience I had was visiting Australia and exposing myself to that part of the world" And the lust fans rejoiced as they desperately hoped Cole would wander over to their country and expose himself!

2000 marked Cole appearing in an average of two films a year. Three of those were based on war. He played the training officer in Tigerland, under the direction of Joel Schumacher. Putting the ‘green as the grass’ solders (which included Colin Farrell) through their paces before they went off to serve in Vietnam. Cole speaks fondly of Mr Schumacher and his experience of working on Tigerland, He says, ‘In my part as Sergeant Cota, he gave me as much freedom as I've ever had from a director. He even let me write a scene for the movie, which ended up making the final cut of the film. I haven’t one thing negative to say about Mr. Schumacher.’

The study of war came in handy for Cole’s roles in films such as Hart’s War and Tears of the Sun. His grandfather was involved in World War II and Cole’s study of General Patton also polished his knowledge in the logistics and feelings pertaining to the delicate subject.

Just as you thought Cole would be pigeon holed as a war character actor up popped a performance that won him AMC & Movieline’s Best Breakthrough Actor award in 2003, White Oleander. Matthew McConaughey jokingly summed up Cole’s win as he presented his friend with the award. ‘ I never thought you'd have to play a paedophile to win somethin, I really didn't. And as Cole likes to say, 'Ain't nothing easy,' and I guess that's a good way to say it.’ In the book White Oleander, Cole’s character Ray is a much older man who falls for his girlfriend’s foster daughter, Astrid. In the film adaptation the character of Ray was changed slightly, to a younger more seemingly sweet and honest man, who was attracted to the purity of Astrid played by Alison Loman. But what really fuelled Cole to take the role was the chance to work with Robin Wright Penn, who he feels is one of the best and one of the most underrated actresses of our generation. Even though Cole is not in the whole movie, his performance as Ray left him with many admirers and not all of them young! He found it an odd experience when ladies his mother’s age tried to flirt with him after seeing him in White Oleander. He accepts that all things come with fame as you get more established, but he says the bottom line is giving your best performance and being a great actor.

In 2004 Cole returned to our screen (after the successful supporting role as Carter Verone in the souped up 2Fast2Furious), in a guest appearance in ER. No doubt, his soon to be released, Mel Gibson produced thriller Paparazzi will win him even more adoration the world over, as he takes his first established lead role as Bo Laramie with co-star Robin Tunney.

In summer 2004 it was announced Cole asked his long time girlfriend, Cynthia Daniel to marry him. The happy couple are expecting their first child in September 2004. So not only is his professional life going well, so is his private life.

His life so far is testament to hard work and determination, easy going nature but professionalism. He loves what he does, and he does what he loves. The last word goes to Cole. ‘There's nobody as good as me and I'm not as good as anybody else. Cole Hauser is the only person I've ever really wanted to be.’