Paul Walter Hauser Bio
Paul Walter Hauser (born October 15, 1986) is an American actor, comedian, and occasional professional wrestler. He first drew widespread attention for his portrayal of security guard Richard Jewell in Clint Eastwood’s 2019 drama Richard Jewell, and he later earned his highest acclaim for playing serial killer Larry Hall in the 2022 Apple TV+ true crime miniseries Black Bird, winning both a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. Beyond drama, Hauser is widely recognized for his comedic turn as Raymond Porter, nicknamed Stingray, in the Netflix series Cobra Kai. He has also expanded into voice work and pro wrestling, signing with Major League Wrestling in 2024.
Early Life and Background
Paul Walter Hauser was born on October 15, 1986, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and raised in Saginaw, Michigan. He is the son of Rev. Paul Hauser, a Lutheran minister, and Deborah Hauser, and his upbringing in a deeply religious household shaped his values and later public persona. Hauser is a Christian and has appeared with his wife in a video series for the online Christian multimedia movement I Am Second.
He attended Valley Lutheran High School, a private parochial school in Saginaw, where he first began exploring performance. Hauser later enrolled at Concordia University Chicago, though he ultimately dropped out to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. His Midwestern roots and church background have often informed the working-class and small-town characters he portrays on screen.
Path to Acting
Hauser began his professional acting career in 2005, taking on small parts and pursuing opportunities in both television and film. His screen debut came when he was cast as an extra in the 2010 film Virginia, directed by Dustin Lance Black. After Black won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Milk in 2009, Hauser approached him to compliment the speech, and Black responded by writing him a larger role in the movie. The encounter helped launch Hauser’s transition from background work to credited supporting performances.
Throughout the early 2010s, Hauser built his résumé with guest spots on popular series including It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Community, Key & Peele, Superstore, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Blunt Talk. He also held recurring roles on the Amazon series Betas as Deshawn and on Kingdom as Keith, steadily establishing himself as a reliable and distinctive character actor. He later expanded into comedy films, appearing in Super Troopers 2 and BlacKkKlansman in 2018, while continuing to take on prestige projects.
Paul Walter Hauser Career
Early Career (2005–2018)
Hauser’s early career was defined by a string of memorable supporting roles that showcased his range across comedy and drama. In 2017, he portrayed Shawn Eckhardt in I, Tonya, a role that introduced him to a wider audience and demonstrated his talent for playing oddball, true-to-life characters. He also appeared as Lonnie Laloush in Super Troopers 2 and as Ivanhoe in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman in 2018, further solidifying his reputation as a versatile screen presence.
During this period, Hauser also took on his first major recurring television role as Stingray in Cobra Kai, initially appearing in Season 2 before becoming a major anti-hero figure in Seasons 4 and 5. The role became one of his signature characters, blending deadpan humor with unexpected toughness.
Breakthrough (2019–2022)
Hauser’s breakthrough arrived in 2019 when Clint Eastwood cast him as the title character in Richard Jewell, based on the true story of the security guard wrongly suspected in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. The performance earned him widespread critical praise and positioned him as a leading dramatic actor. He followed this success with a role in the 2020 pandemic-themed thriller Songbird and joined the Disney live-action prequel Cruella in 2021 as Horace Badun.
His most defining role came in 2022, when he portrayed serial killer Larry Hall in the Apple TV+ miniseries Black Bird, adapted from James Keene’s memoir In with the Devil. Critics singled out his performance as one of the most unsettling of the year, and Hauser went on to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Limited Series and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for the role.
Notable Works and Milestones
Hauser’s signature works include Richard Jewell, Black Bird, Cobra Kai, and Cruella, each highlighting a different facet of his craft. His portrayal of Larry Hall stands as his most decorated performance, earning him both a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy. He also voiced the lead role in the 2024 DreamWorks Animation film Orion and the Dark and played Embarrassment in Pixar’s Inside Out 2, demonstrating his reach across both live-action and animation.
Paul Walter Hauser Award Nominations
Hauser has earned recognition from major awards bodies across both comedy and drama. His performance as Larry Hall in Black Bird led to nominations from the Golden Globe Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards, and he has continued to draw attention for subsequent projects, including The Luckiest Man in America and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.
Paul Walter Hauser Awards Won
Hauser has won two of the most prestigious honors in television. In 2023, he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Television Film for his role in Black Bird. That same year, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the same performance, cementing his status as one of the most respected character actors of his generation.
Paul Walter Hauser Family
Hauser is the son of Deborah Hauser and Rev. Paul Hauser, a Lutheran minister who raised him in Saginaw, Michigan. His religious upbringing and close family ties have remained an important part of his public identity, and he and his wife have participated in faith-based media projects together.
Personal Life
Hauser married Amy Elizabeth Boland on July 23, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. The couple has three children: sons Harris, born in 2021, and Jonah, born in 2023, and daughter Isla Grace, born in 2025. Outside of acting, Hauser has pursued professional wrestling, signing with Major League Wrestling in May 2024 and capturing the PROGRESS Wrestling Proteus Title in April 2025.
