Paul Walter Hauser's 15 Best Movies And TV Shows

Vastly underrated, Paul Walter Hauser has steadily been a fantastic actor in a variety of interesting movies and television shows throughout his career. The American actor has had a number of roles over the course of two decades, which include parts in Super Troopers 2, Beats, Cruella, and Inside Out 2. His breakthrough came in the Clint Eastwood-directed movie, Richard Jewell, showcasing the immense talents he has as an actor.

Hauser has had roles in a number of TV shows as well, including Kingdom, Netflix's fantastic series Cobra Kai, and Black Bird, one of the best Apple TV shows of all time. With an undisclosed role in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it's possible that Hauser's career is about to get even bigger, after he has already built an incredibly impressive resume.

15 Late Night (2019)

Paul Walter Hauser as Eugene Mancuso

Led by the charming pairing of Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson, Late Night follows a popular TV host who decides to hire a new writer to keep from getting replaced. Late Night is a solid dramedy that focuses on diversity behind the scenes of the television industry, as Mindy Kaling's Molly Patel is at least partially hired by Emma Thompson's Katherine Newbury due to the rest of the writer's room being men. It is well-written and timely, never punching down on anyone while still effectively exploring its ideas to great effect.

Though it is a smaller role, Paul Walter Hauser still does good work as Eugene Mancuso, who is one of the writers for "Tonight with Katherine Newbury," and was dubbed "One" by Katherine herself, which she uses in place of her group of writers' names. Paul Walter Hauser has done a great job at being charming throughout his career, and he does some solid work in Late Night.

14 Beats (2019)

Paul Walter Hauser as Terrence

Beats is an underrated, and often poignant coming-of-age film about August Monroe, a reclusive teenage music prodigy who forms an unlikely friendship with a struggling music producer named Romelo Reese, largely due to their mutual love of hip-hop. As they attempt to break into the music scene, their pasts are explored, leading to both of them growing immensely over the course of the film. A bit familiar in its adherence to the coming-of-age drama, Beats rises above due to its outstanding cast.

Paul Walter Hauser's performance as Terrence just goes to show how talented he is as an actor...

Paul Walter Hauser is one of the outstanding performances in Beats, even though it might not be the most substantial role of his career. He plays Terrence in the film, a famous music producer who was helped by Anthony Anderson's Romelo Reese. Paul Walter Hauser's performance as Terrence just goes to show how talented he is as an actor, as he is able to portray a diverse range of characters to great effect.

13 Cruella (2021)

Paul Walter Hauser as Horace Badun

It was reasonable to be weary of a prequel movie about the villain of One Hundred and One Dalmatians given Disney's hit-or-miss track record with live-action remakes, but Cruella was a delightful surprise, with a fantastic central performance by Emma Stone. Beautiful production design and cinematography elevate Cruella even more, making it one of the best live-action Disney movies in quite a long time. Its 1970s London punk rock setting was an inspired choice, making it feel fresh.

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Paul Walter Hauser plays Horace Badun in Cruella, a thief and a henchman who grew up with the titular character after her adoptive mother's death. His performance was largely inspired by Mr. Smee in Hook, and the inspiration is apparent, with Hauser giving a strong performance in each scene he is in.

12 The Luckiest Man In America (2024)

Paul Walter Hauser as Michael Larson

Telling the story of the 1984 Press Your Luck scandal and how contestant Michael Larson orchestrated it, The Luckiest Man in America is a solid drama that features Paul Walter Hauser in the role of Larson. One of the most interesting stories to come out of American game show television, The Luckiest Man in America provides a snapshot of the moment, while also being a tightly-wound thriller that never overstays its welcome. Add on to the fact that it has a superb cast, and it is an enjoyable film.

While the movie itself never really rises above being pretty good, Paul Walter Hauser is magnificent as Michael Larson, giving the character an interiority that reveals the complexities of his character as well as his idea to "cheat" the game. His performance captures the urgency of Larson and the brokenness inside of him. Paul Walter Hauser has always felt like an underrated actor despite his immense talent, and his performance in The Luckiest Man in America continues to prove it.

11 The Afterparty (2023)

Paul Walter Hauser as Travis Gladrise

The Afterparty is a delightful comedic murder mystery anthology series, with the first season taking place at a high school reunion after-party, and each episode showing a different character's perspective on what happened. Season 2 follows the same formula, but takes place the day after a wedding. Featuring an extensive list of guest actors, and its ability to blend genres, The Afterparty is a highly entertaining series.

Paul Walter Hauser joins the cast in The Afterparty season 2, playing Travis Gladrise, the ex-boyfriend of Poppy Liu's Grace Zhu, and a citizen detective, doing some online sleuthing prior to going to Grace's wedding. He tells his perspective in the style of crime noir drama, and Hauser does a fantastic job with that task. He is great throughout the entire season, never getting lost among the strong cast of actors around him.

10 Kingdom (2014-2017)

Paul Walter Hauser as Keith

Starring Frank Grillo, Kiele Sanchez, Jonathan Tucker, and surprisingly, Nick Jonas, Kingdom is a great drama series about Alvey Kulina (Grillo), a retired MMA fighter who now runs a gym where he helps train fighters, including his sons. Kingdom is often more concerned with what goes on outside the gym, making it a solid drama, with fully realized characters that are compelling to watch, especially Alvey.

While not a main character, Paul Walter Hauser plays a significant role in the series as Keith, a former halfway house roommate and friend to Matt Lauria's Ryan Wheeler, who then invites Ryan to live with him at his home. Keith is often emotional and prone to disturbing outbursts, making him a compelling, complex character to watch onscreen, and Hauser does an incredible job with that aspect of the character.

9 Americana (2025)

Paul Walter Hauser as Lefty Ledbetter

Led by Sidney Sweeney and Paul Walter Hauser, Americana is a stellar Western dramedy that revolves around the lives of both locals and outsiders in a small South Dakota town, and how they violently intertwine following a rare artifact appearing on the black market. Americana is a satisfying mixture of charming and gritty that has enough well-placed humor in between the moments of tension throughout. Of course, the acting is phenomenal by everyone involved, especially from the film's two leads.

Alongside Sidney Sweeney as Penny Jo Poplin, Paul Walter Hauser is incredible as Lefty Ledbetter, who is planning to propose to his girlfriend after only two weeks of dating and asks Penny for help while he is reciting it. After they hear about a plot to steal a Lakota ghost shirt, the two of them attempt to steal the shirt first and keep the money for themselves. The chemistry between Sidney Sweeney and Paul Walter Hauser is immensely fun throughout Americana.

8 Cobra Kai (2019-2025)

Paul Walter Hauser as Raymond "Stingray" Porter

Starting off as a YouTube Red original series before becoming a Netflix show, Cobra Kai surprised everyone with how great it actually was, following Johnny Lawrence decades after his fall from grace to Daniel LaRusso at the All-Valley Karate Championships. Leaning into earnestness, Cobra Kai is a surprisingly emotional love letter to the Karate Kid franchise, while also taking it in an incredible new direction, running for six fantastic seasons in the process.

Cobra Kai is a surprisingly emotional love-letter to the Karate Kid franchise.

Paul Walter Hauser plays Raymond "Stingray" Porter in a recurring role in Cobra Kai. Stingray is an immature man-child who took an interest in karate, hoping to be trained at the Cobra Kai Dojo to escape the responsibilities of adulthood. Hauser's performance as Stingray is often quite humorous, but he can easily dig deeper into who the character is sometimes, elevating Stingray to an even greater degree.

7 I, Tonya (2017)

Paul Walter Hauser as Shawn Eckhardt

Directed by Craig Gillespie (Cruella), I, Tonya is a fascinating look at American figure skater Tonya Harding and her connection to rival skater Nancy Kerrigan's assault prior to the 1994 Winter Olympics. I, Tonya features a tour-de-force performance by Margot Robbie as Harding. The movie often finds humor in the situation, while also exploring the darker aspects of the real-life story, making it quite poignant by the end of the film.

Paul Walter Hauser has the minor role of Shawn Eckhardt in the movie, Harding's bodyguard and friend of Sebastian Stan's Jeff Gillooly, Tonya's boyfriend and future ex-husband. Hauser makes the most of his screen time, as Shawn is instructed by Jeff to send death threats to Tonya's rival but ends up hiring two crooks to injure her instead. Hauser's chemistry with Stan is one of the highlights of his performance.

6 Inside Out 2 (2024)

Paul Walter Hauser as Embarrassment

Having to follow up one of Pixar's best films of the past decade is no easy task, but Inside Out 2 did an admirable job, becoming the highest-grossing animated movie of all time (for a short while, at least). Outside its financial success, it is also very good, following Riley's time at an ice hockey camp right before she starts her freshman year of high school. Inside Out 2 successfully introduces several new emotions that take center stage in Riley's mind, leading to the humor and gut-punching emotion the franchise is known for.

Paul Walter Hauser has the job of voicing Embarrassment in Inside Out 2, one of the new emotions that joins the crew as Riley begins to experience more complex emotions. He doesn't have many lines of dialogue for most of the movie, but Hauser is fantastic in the role, which often asks him to make various noises to express the embarrassment the character is feeling. When he does talk, it's a major surprise, but a sweet development for the character.

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