A tall and imposing figure, with reddish brown hair and an amiable thug-next-door look, actor Cole Hauser racked up a good number of screen credits, frequently taking on supporting roles as the brute with a heart of gold, and occasionally delving into more sinister portrayals. He made his film debut in 1992's "School Ties.” co-starring alongside a host of soon-to-be big name players, including Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. He worked with Affleck again the following year in Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused,” also featuring a veritable talent pool ensemble cast. Here Hauser played Benny, a likable straight-talking football player, not as feel-good idealistic as quarterback Pink (Jason London) or as mindlessly brutal as two-time senior O'Bannion (Affleck).
In 1995, he was featured in John Singleton's bleak college drama "Higher Learning", playing an intriguing skinhead who recruits Michael Rappaport's character into his sinister flock. That same year, Hauser starred in the similarly themed "Skins", directed by his father, actor-director Wings Hauser. 1996 saw the actor take on a featured role in the acclaimed coming-of-age drama "All Over Me", playing the violent drug-dealing boyfriend of Alison Folland's best friend and unrequited love interest (Tara Subkoff). That same year he reunited with Affleck and Damon in a supporting role as Billy, one of Will's loutish but loyal neighborhood pals in the Oscar-winning feature "Good Will Hunting.” Hauser took an even higher-profile part in Stephen Frears' 1940s New Mexico-set Western "The Hi-Lo Country", playing Little Boy, the young man handling ranch business until Woody Harrelson's Big Boy returns from World War II. He worked again with his father that year, starring in Wings Hauser's "Gang Boys". The actor was additionally featured in "Dazed and Confused" co-star Adam Goldberg's directorial debut "Scotch and Milk,” an evocative jazz club portrait of a young man's heartache.
In 2000, the actor landed a part with a good amount of screen time, impressing audiences with a compelling performance as a futuristic bounty hunter who survive a spacecraft crash in David Twohy's sci-fi thriller "Pitch Black", co-starring Vin Diesel and Rhada Mitchell. A semi-professional soccer player before commencing an acting career, Hauser put his athletic experience to good use with a role in Michael Corrente's Scottish football drama "A Shot at Glory", which screened at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival. In 2002, Hauser played the easy going love interest to Robin Wright Penn's character who eventually falls for the under-aged lead (Alison Lohman), in "White Oleander." He was next seen in the navy action thriller "Tears of the Sun," a feature directed by Antione Fuqua and starred Bruce Willis, before moving on to his most high profile role yet as the villain in "2 Fast, 2 Furious" (2003), the high-octane action sequel to "The Fast and the Furious." Producer Mel Gibson then tapped Hauser to star in "Paparazzi" (2004), playing a celebrity who embarks on an ill-advised campaign to make a pesky photographer pay for his intrusiveness after nearly causing a tragedy.
In addition to his notable film resume, Hauser has appeared on the small screen in a featured role in the NBC miniseries "A Matter of Justice" (1993) as well as the regular role of enthusiastic rookie Randy Willitz on the hard-hitting ABC police series "High Incident" (1996-1997). He also enjoyed a recurring role as Linda Cardellini's bad-news ex on the popular NBC medical drama "ER" in 2004. But Hauser’s bread and butter has always been feature films. After “Paparazzi” came and went without a peep, he starred as a professional cave explorer who leads a pair of biologists into an elaborate cave system beneath the newly discovered ruins of a 13th century Romanian abbey. But instead of discovering an new ecosystem, as the biologists had hoped, the group finds a new species of unique and unwelcoming beings formed by the isolated environment. A clichéd storyline, unknown cast and lack of aggressive advertising ensured a $6 million opening weekend.