Wings Hauser was a character actor whose many roles spanned decades and included parts in “Vice Squad,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Roseanne,” and many other productions.
- Died: March 15, 2025 (Who else died on March 15?)
- Details of death: Died in Los Angeles of natural causes at the age of 77.
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Wings Hauser’s legacy
Hauser’s career spanned 58 years and included over 100 roles. Thanks to a run of television and movie appearances in the 1980s and early ‘90s, he became one of the era’s recognizable character actors, known for roles in “Vice Squad,” “Roseanne,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “The A-Team,” and many other productions.
Born Gerald Hauser, he got his nickname, “Wings,” when playing football in high school. His father, Dwight Hauser, was a writer, director, and producer. Wings made his own entry into entertainment in 1967, when, at 18, he had a small part in the film “First to Fight.” His start was not immediate, however. He dabbled in music for a time before starting to act regularly in 1975.
Once he began, he did not stop for the next five decades.
Though arguably best known as Ramrod from 1981’s cult-favorite film “Vice Squad,” starting that year, Hauser was everywhere. On television, he had parts in the daytime drama “The Young and the Restless,” plus “Magnum, P.I.,” “The Fall Guy,” “Hardcastle and McCormick,” “Airwolf,” “Hunter,” and many more popular series. On the big screen, he showed up in “Deadly Force,” “A Soldier’s Story,” “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling,” “The Carpenter,” “Mutant,” and dozens of other films.
Hauser’s performance in 1987’s “Tough Guys Don’t Dance” earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Male.
His run on TV continued in the 1990s with “China Beach,” “Beastmaster 2,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Jag,” and six episodes playing J. Jay Jones in the hit show “Beverly Hills 90210.” He also had a small but notable role in 1999’s courtroom business drama, “The Insider,” and continued acting through 2019, with roles on “Bones,” “House,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “The Mentalist,” and other shows.
Tributes to Wings Hauser
Full obituary: Variety
