Actor Wings Hauser, best known for his roles in films such as Vice Squad and The Insider, died March 15 at the age of 78. But a resurfaced interview with his son, Yellowstone star Cole Hauser, reveals the pair once shared a fraught relationship.
In a 2021 interview with Cowboys & Indians magazine, Cole revealed he learned the identity of his father only after watching him on television when he was nine or 10 years old.
“I saw him on TV, and I didn’t know he was my dad. I waited for the finish of the film, and I saw Wings Hauser [in the credits]. So, I went into my mom’s room, and I said, ‘Hey mom. I just saw a guy on TV, his name’s Wings Hauser,’” he recounted. “And she goes, ‘Yeah, well, let’s talk about that.’ And so, she explained to me who he was. And that’s how I found out about my dad.”
Cole’s parents divorced when he was just two years old. It then took years for the father and son to reconnect.
In a 2002 interview with Film Freak Central, Cole revealed they reconnected when he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
“I didn’t really grow up with him but when I moved out to LA he let me live with him for a year and we got to know each other a little then,” he said, per The Daily Mail.
The Yellowstone star told Cowboys & Indians magazine that his father was “very proud” of his work on the hit Paramount Network series.
“He’s a huge fan of the show, and is obviously very proud of what I’ve done in it. He’s an old cowboy, after all,” Cole said.
Wings died from natural causes. He was a character actor who had memorable performances in several television shows including Magnum P.I., Murder she Wrote, Beverly Hills 90210, and Criminal Minds. One of his final credits was a recurring role on The Young and the Restless that he played from 1977 to 2010.
Cole has not released a statement regarding his father’s death. But the actor is now poised to lead Yellowstone in light of Kevin Costner‘s exit alongside Kelly Reilly.
Yellowstone is streaming now on Paramount Network.
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