Did You Know ‘Yellowstone’ Star Cole Hauser Is Hollywood Royalty?

Cole Hauser plays the hardscrabble character of Rip Wheeler on Yellowstone, and he's become a fan favorite over the course of four seasons. Rip is a tough, no-nonsense character who was orphaned and taken in by John Dutton (Kevin Costner) after killing his own abusive father, but in real life, Hauser is the scion of a multi-generational entertainment business dynasty that includes one of the most powerful families in show business history.

Hauser's father is actor Wings Hauser, whose long list of television credits spans decades and includes The Young & the Restless, Magnum, P.I., The A-Team, Murder, She Wrote, Roseanne, Walker, Texas Ranger, JAG, House, Bones, Criminal Minds and more, as well as an extensive film resume that includes a role in the Al Pacino and Russell Crowe film The Insider.

His mother is Cass Warner, who founded the film production company Warner Sisters. His paternal grandfather was Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dwight Hauser, and his maternal grandfather was Hollywood screenwriter and producer Milton Sperling. Hauser's maternal great-grandfather was Harry Warner, one of the founding partners of Warner Bros., which has grown into one of the biggest all-time media companies in the entertainment business.

Despite his pedigree, Hauser did not grow up living the Hollywood life. His parents divorced when he was two years old, and his mother moved him and his siblings to Oregon and Florida before returning to California. He reconnected with his father when he was 15, and decided to leave school to focus on acting at age 16.

Hauser already had a long resume that included film roles in School Ties, Dazed and Confused, Good Will Hunting and many more high-profile projects before he won the career-changing role of Rip on Yellowstone.

He also married into showbiz; his wife, Cynthia Daniel, is a former model and actor who fans might recognize from her television role as Elizabeth Wakefield on Sweet Valley High from 1994-1997.

Daniel and her twin sister, Brittany Daniel, began modeling when they were 11 years old, most famously as the Doublemint Twins in a series of ads for Doublemint gum. They appeared together in Sweet Valley High, as well as subsequent projects that included The Basketball Diaries and That 80s Show.

Daniel retired from acting in 2002, according to Country Living, and she and Hauser married in 2006. The couple have town sons, Ryland and Colt, and a daughter, Steely Rose.

Stay tuned to Taste of Country as we provide ongoing coverage of both Yellowstone and 1883, including episode analysis, news on the shows, cast interviews and more. As part of our comprehensive coverage, check out the Dutton Rules podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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