Prolific character actor Wings Hauser, who has over 110 screen acting credits to his name, has passed away at age 77
We have some sad news to share today, as the official Wings Hauser page on social media has revealed that the prolific character actor passed away over the weekend at the age of 77. As the post reads, “Movie icon Wings Hauser took flight in the arms of his film & music partner, Cali Lili Hauser at their studio this weekend.“
Known for having one of the coolest names in cinema history, Wings Hauser was actually born Gerald Dwight Hauser on December 12, 1947. “Wings” was part of a stage name (Wings Livinryte) he used for a 1975 folk music album called Your Love Keeps Me Off the Streets, and he was credited as Wings Livinryte when he appeared on an episode of the TV series Cannon that same year. After that, he moved on to calling himself Wings Hauser.
Hauser made his screen debut with an uncredited appearance in the 1967 film First to Fight. After that, he spent several years focusing on his music career rather than acting – and for a time in the 1970s, he was homeless, living in a vacant garage with his infant daughter Bright. The release of Your Love Keeps Me Off the Streets, along with the Cannon episode that enabled him to join the Screen Actors Guild, helped him afford more stable housing for himself and his daughter.
From 1975 to 2019, he worked steadily in film and television, racking up credits on more than 110 different projects. Those credits include episodes of Baretta, Emergency!; Magnum, P.I.; The Fall Guy, Hunter, Hardcastle and McCormick, Airwolf, The A-Team, Freddy’s Nightmares, China Beach, Lightning Force, The Young Riders, Roseanne; Walker, Texas Ranger; Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, JAG; Murder, She Wrote; Beverly Hills, 90210; Arli$$, CSI: Miami, House, Monk, Cold Case, Bones, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds, The Young and the Restless, Hawaii Five-O, Castle, and more, as well as the films Rubber, The Insider, Original Gangstas, Tales from the Hood, Watchers III, Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time, Frame Up, Frame Up II: The Cover-Up, Bump in the Night, Bedroom Eyes II, A Soldier’s Story, Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel, Mutant, 3:15: The Moment of Truth, Who’ll Stop the Rain, The Carpenter, Nightmare at Noon, The Wind, Tough Guys Don’t Dance, Pale Blood; Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling; Out of Sight, Out of Mind, and more. He was in a lot of action movies and thrillers, with titles like The Killers Edge, Skins, Living to Die, Coldfire, Street Asylum, Marked for Murder, Reason to Die, L.A. Bounty, The Siege of Firebase Gloria, Dead Man Walking, No Safe Haven, Hostage, Dark Horse, Command 5, Deadly Force, and Hear No Evil.
Hauser may be best remembered for his performance as the homicidal pimp Ramrod in the 1982 film Vice Squad. He also sang that film’s theme song, “Neon Slime.” In addition to starring in the films Skins, The Art of Dying, Living to Die, and Coldfire, he also directed them. He co-wrote the screenplays for Skins and No Safe Haven, contributed to the script for Beastmaster 2, and came up with the story for the 1983 movie Uncommon Valor, which he didn’t appear in, but was credited as an associate producer on. While mostly known for B-movies, Hauser also made a big impression with a small role in Michael Mann’s The Insider, where he and another veteran character actor, Bruce McGill, memorably went at each other in a brief courtroom sequence many remember as one of the film’s best moments.
Wings Hauser was the father of daughter Bright with his first wife, Jane Boltinhouse. He had a son, actor Cole Hauser, with his second wife, Cass Warner Sperling. At the time of his death, he was married to Cali Lili Hauser.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to Wings Hauser’s family, friends, and fans.
