Gerald Dwight "Wings" Hauser (December 12, 1947 – March 15, 2025) was an American actor, screenwriter, film director and musician. A prolific character actor, he appeared in over 100 film and television productions since 1967, and was once called "the biggest star you've never heard of". He received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Male for his role in Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987). He is the father of actor Cole Hauser.

Early life Hauser was born in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, the son of Geraldine (née Thienes) and Dwight Hauser, a director and producer. His brother is actor Erich Hauser. The elder Hauser's career was hampered by the Red Scare, and the family moved outside Los Angeles when Hauser was 8 years old, where his father started a small theatre group. He earned his nickname during high school, when he played football as a wing-back.

Hauser made his film debut at the age of 18, when he played a small role in the 1967 war film First to Fight. Although from an acting family, Hauser did not seriously pursue acting at first, and spent most of his twenties working as a folk musician and busker. For a period in the early 1970s, Hauser was homeless, and spent several months living in a vacant garage with his infant daughter Bright.

In 1970, he was a member of the band "Vision of Sunshine" that released a self-titled album on the Avco-Embassy label. In 1975, Hauser released an album for RCA titled Your Love Keeps Me Off the Streets. For this LP, he used the name "Wings Livinryte". Though the album was not a success, it enabled Hauser to move into more stable housing with his daughter. The same year, he appeared in an episode of the television series Cannon, earning his SAG card.

Career Hauser first attracted notice in December 1977, when as an unknown he was cast to play Greg Foster on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, succeeding Brian Kerwin in the part. Hauser remained with the show until 1981, when he was succeeded by Howard McGillin. He returned to the part nearly thirty years later for three episodes, in 2010.

Hauser had his film breakthrough playing the villainous pimp Ramrod in Vice Squad (1982). Hauser also wrote and performed the film's theme song, "Neon Slime".

In 1983, he wrote the story for the Paramount Pictures box-office hit Uncommon Valor. The film was stories of a childhood friend, Gary Dickerson, who had been to Vietnam. According to Hauser:I saw that [Dickerson] had left something behind in Viet Nam and that triggered the whole thing. And then I became aware of the MIA and the POW situation and said well that will be the excuse to go back to Nam and get the POWs, but what they’re really going back for is their own clarity and their own integrity right? And that’s the story. That’s the whole film.In 1982, Hauser starred as Garrard in Hear No Evil, a television film. In 1987, he was co-starred in the Norman Mailer-directed Tough Guys Don't Dance, earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Male.

Hauser appeared in 41 television series, including recurring roles in Beverly Hills, 90210, Murder, She Wrote, and Roseanne, and a cameo as a juror in the season 4 episode "Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty" of Monk.

In 2010, Hauser appeared in Rubber,Sales Art and Bizarro Clip - Junk Gets Revenge in Rubber a French film directed by Quentin Dupieux.A Fiery Death for Race of 'Rubber'

Personal life and death Hauser had a daughter from his first marriage to Jane Boltinhouse. From his second marriage to Cass Warner Sperling, daughter of Milton Sperling, he had a son, actor Cole Hauser. According to the younger Hauser, he and his father did not have a relationship when he was a child, but later reconciled and reconnected when he was a teenager.

Hauser later remarried to actress Cali Lili Hauser, with whom he built a marine life and butterfly animal sanctuary.

In the early 1990s, Hauser was in a relationship with actress Linda Blair.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease resulted in declining health for Hauser, who relied on breathing assistance from oxygen tanks in his final years. He died in Santa Monica on March 15, 2025, at the age of 77.

Filmography Film

1967: First to Fight as Ragan (uncredited) 1978: Who'll Stop the Rain as Marine Driver 1982: Vice Squad as "Ramrod" 1982: Homework as "Reddog" 1982: Hear No Evil as Garrard 1983: Ghost Dancing as Frank Carswell 1983: Deadly Force as "Stoney" Cooper 1984: Mutant as Josh Cameron 1984: A Soldier's Story as Lieutenant Byrd 1984: Sweet Revenge as Major Frank Hollins 1984: Terror in the Aisles as "Ramrod" in Vice Squad (archive footage) (uncredited) 1985: Command 5 as Jack Coburn 1985: The Long Hot Summer as Wilson Mahood 1986: 3:15 as Mr. Havilland (uncredited) 1986: Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling as Cliff 1986: The Wind as Phil 1986: Hostage as Major Sam Striker 1987: Tough Guys Don't Dance as Captain Alvin Luther Regency 1987: No Safe Haven as Clete Harris 1988: Dead Man Walking as John Luger 1988: Dark Horse as Captain Brandt 1988: Death Street USA (a.k.a. Nightmare at Noon) as Ken Griffiths 1988: The Carpenter as Carpenter 1989: The Siege of Firebase Gloria as Corporal Joseph L. DiNardo 1989: L.A. Bounty as Cavanaugh 1989: Bedroom Eyes II as Harry Ross 1990: Reason to Die as Elliot Canner 1990: Marked for Murder as Emerson 1990: Coldfire as Lars 1990: Street Asylum as Arliss Ryder 1990: Out of Sight, Out of Mind as Victor Lundgren 1990: Wilding as Tim Parsons 1990: Pale Blood as Van Vandameer 1990: Living to Die as Nick Carpenter 1991: Bump in the Night as Patrick Tierney 1991: Frame Up as Ralph Baker 1991: The Killers Edge (a.k.a. Blood Money) as Jack 1991: Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time as Arklon 1991: The Art of Dying as Jack 1991: In Between as Jack Maxwell 1992: Frame Up II: The Cover-Up (a.k.a. Deadly Conspiracy) as Sheriff Ralph Baker 1992: Mind, Body & Soul as John Stockton 1992: Exiled in America as Fred Jenkins 1993: Champagne and Bullets as Huck Finney 1994: Watchers 3 as Ferguson 1994: Skins (a.k.a. Gang Boys) as Joe Joiner 1995: Victim of Desire as Leland Duvall 1995: Tales from the Hood as Officer Strom 1995: Broken Bars as Warden Pitt 1995: Guns & Lipstick as Michael 1996: Original Gangstas as Michael Casey 1999: Life Among the Cannibals as Vince 1999: The Insider as Tobacco Lawyer 2000: Clean and Narrow as Sheriff Brand 2001: Savage Season as Maddox 2002: The Blue Lizard as "Little G" 2004: Irish Eyes (a.k.a. Vendetta: No Conscience, No Mercy) as Kevin Kilpatrick 2004: The Ruining as Not Hasselhoff 2006: Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery as Strother Elam 2007: Avenging Angel as Colonel Cusack 2007: The Stone Angel as Older Bram 2010: Rubber as Man in Wheelchair 2019: Eve N' God: This Female Is Not Yet Rated (TM) as God

Television

1975: Cannon “A Touch of Venom” as Ethan Morse (Credited as Wings Livinryte) 1976: Baretta as Dave 1977: Emergency! as Larry, and injured gymnast 1981–2010: The Young and The Restless as Greg Foster 1981: Magnum, P.I. - "Wave Goodbye" as Nick Frangakis 1983: The Fall Guy - "Just a Small Circle of Friends" as Baba 1984: Hunter - "Dead or Alive" as Jimmy Jo Walker 1985: Hardcastle and McCormick - "You Don't Hear The One That Gets You" as Arvin Lee 1985: Airwolf - "Airwolf II" as Harlan Jenkins 1985: The A-Team - "The Big Squeeze", "Blood, Sweat, and Cheers" as Jack 'The Ripper' Lane / Karl Ludwig 1985–1996: Murder, She Wrote - "Reflections of the Mind", "Night Fear", "Love & Hate in Cabot Cove", "Track of a Soldier" as Howard Levering / Sam Bennett / Wallace Evans / Carl 1986: The Last Precinct as Lieutenant Hobbs 1987: Perry Mason - "The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel" as Captain James Rivers 1988–1991: China Beach as Lt. Col. Mac Miller 1990: Freddy's Nightmares - "Easy Come, East Go" as Sonny 1992: Lightning Force as LT. Col Matthew "Trane" Coltrane 1992–1993: Roseanne as Ty Tilden, Neighbor 1993: Space Rangers - "Fort Hope" as Ex-Ranger Decker 1994: Walker, Texas Ranger - "Right Man, Wrong Time" as Wayland Hampton 1994–1996: Beverly Hills 90210 as J. Jay Jones 1995: Kung Fu: The Legend Continues - "Brotherhood of the Bell" as Damon 1996: JAG - "Sightings" as J.D. Gold 2003: Kingpin as Doug Duffy 2005: House - "Hunting" as Michael Ryan 2007: Bones - "The Man in the Mud" (2007) as Lenny Fitz 2009: The Mentalist - "Paint It Red" as A.P. Caid 2010: Criminal Minds - "Exit Wounds" as Sheriff Rhodes

References Citations

Sources

External links

Wings Hauser (Aveleyman)