For five seasons as Rip Wheeler on the Paramount drama series Yellowstone, Cole Hauser cut the figure of the tough guy masculine ideal: strong, a man of few words, fiercely loyal to his boss and willing to get his hands dirty when necessary. Taken in by Dutton Ranch patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner) as an orphan, Rip became Dutton's right-hand man, willing to do anything to protect the Dutton family while also developing a relationship with John's daughter Bethany (Kelly Reilly).

But while Yellowstone marked a big step forward in Hauser's career, it's certainly far from his first credit, having been making steady appearances in film and television since the early 1990s. In only his third-ever film role, Hauser appeared alongside several other up-and-coming young actors, including future superstars like Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, and Milla Jovovich in Dazed and Confused, director Richard Linklater's 1993 ode to his teenage...