Paul Walter Hauser Bio
Paul Walter Hauser (born October 15, 1986) is an American actor, comedian, and professional wrestler. He first drew wide acclaim for his portrayal of security guard Richard Jewell in Clint Eastwood’s 2019 drama film Richard Jewell, and later earned career-defining honors for playing serial killer Larry Hall in the 2022 Apple TV+ true crime miniseries Black Bird. Hauser is also widely recognized as the lovable anti-hero Stingray in the Netflix series Cobra Kai, and he voices the role of Embarrassment in Pixar’s Inside Out 2. Beyond acting, he has built a parallel career in professional wrestling and is currently signed with Major League Wrestling.
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 Deborah Hauser and Reverend Paul Hauser, a Lutheran minister who guided his son’s early religious upbringing. Growing up in a faith-centered household, Hauser developed a strong work ethic and a comfort with performing in front of audiences, skills that would later shape his acting and wrestling careers.
Hauser attended Valley Lutheran High School, a private parochial school in Saginaw, where he took part in school productions and began exploring his interest in performance. After graduating, he enrolled at Concordia University Chicago to study further, but he eventually left college to chase his dream of working in entertainment. That early decision to leave formal education marked the start of a long and unpredictable path into the entertainment industry.
Path to Acting
Hauser’s first taste of professional acting came in 2010 when he was cast as an extra on the film Virginia, directed by Dustin Lance Black. After Black won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Milk in 2009, he delivered a speech that inspired Hauser, and the director responded by writing a larger role for him in the project. This early break opened the door to small parts in television series such as Kingdom and the Amazon web series Betas.
Throughout the early 2010s, Hauser built his resume with guest spots across a wide range of shows, including Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Superstore, Key & Peele, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Community, Blunt Talk, and I Think You Should Leave. He also appeared in films such as I, Tonya in 2017 and Super Troopers 2 in 2018, steadily earning a reputation as a reliable character actor with sharp comedic timing.
Paul Walter Hauser Career
Early Career (2005-2018)
Hauser began his professional career in 2005, taking on small acting jobs and honing his craft through stage work and independent projects. His earliest notable screen credit came with the 2010 film Virginia, followed by the recurring role of Deshawn in the Amazon series Betas. These early roles helped him learn the rhythms of film and television production while allowing him to develop a distinctive on-screen presence.
During this period, Hauser also built a strong portfolio of comedic guest appearances, including turns in BlacKkKlansman (2018) as Ivanhoe and Super Troopers 2 (2018) as Lonnie Laloush. His ability to shift between drama and comedy made him a favorite of casting directors looking for versatile character actors.
Breakthrough (2019-2022)
Hauser’s true breakthrough arrived in 2019 when director Clint Eastwood cast him as the title character in Richard Jewell, the true story of a security guard wrongly suspected in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing. The performance earned widespread critical praise and positioned Hauser as a serious dramatic actor capable of carrying a film. In 2020, he starred in the pandemic-themed thriller Songbird, and in 2021 he joined the Disney live-action film Cruella as Horace Badun.
At the same time, Hauser became a fan favorite as Raymond Porter, known as Stingray, in the Netflix series Cobra Kai, where he began as a recurring character in Season 2 and grew into a major anti-hero in Seasons 4 and 5. His biggest critical moment, however, came in 2022 with Black Bird on Apple TV+, in which he portrayed serial killer Larry Hall. Critics called his turn one of the most memorable villain performances in recent television, and the role earned him his first major industry awards.
Notable Works and Milestones
Hauser’s signature works include Richard Jewell (2019), Black Bird (2022), Cruella (2021), and Cobra Kai. His portrayal of Larry Hall in Black Bird is widely considered his defining performance, while his comedic turn as Stingray in Cobra Kai has made him a beloved figure among streaming audiences. In 2024, he voiced Embarrassment in Pixar’s Inside Out 2 and starred as Michael Larson in The Luckiest Man in America, further expanding his range across film and television.
Paul Walter Hauser Award Nominations
Hauser has earned recognition from major Hollywood awards bodies for both his comedic and dramatic work, including honors tied to his performances in Richard Jewell and Black Bird.
Paul Walter Hauser Awards Won
Hauser’s awards include a 2023 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and a 2023 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series, both earned for his portrayal of serial killer Larry Hall in the Apple TV+ miniseries Black Bird.
Paul Walter Hauser Family
Hauser was raised in Saginaw, Michigan, by his mother Deborah Hauser and his father, Reverend Paul Hauser, a Lutheran minister. His Christian faith and his father’s ministry played a meaningful role in shaping his values and his early interest in storytelling and public performance.
Personal Life
Hauser married Amy Elizabeth Boland on July 23, 2020, and the couple has three children: a son named Harris, born in 2021, a son named Jonah, born in 2023, and a daughter named Isla Grace, born in 2025. Hauser and his wife have also been featured in a video series for the online Christian multimedia movement I Am Second, reflecting the role of faith in their family life. In addition to acting, Hauser debuted as a rapper in 2022 under the name Signet Ringer and has become an active professional wrestler signed with Major League Wrestling.