Hauser was born in Hollywood, California, the son of Geraldine (née Thienes) and director and producer Dwight Hauser (1911–1969). His brother is actor Erich Hauser. In 1967, Hauser landed his first acting role as a marine rifleman in the World War II-drama First to Fight.

In 1975, Hauser released an album for RCA entitled Your Love Keeps Me Off the Streets. For this LP, he used the name Wings Livinryte. Hauser first attracted notice in 1977 in The Young and the Restless as Greg Foster. He starred in the 1982 made-for-TV-movie Hear No Evil as Garrard. Hauser appeared in forty-one television series, including recurring roles in Beverly Hills 90210, Murder, She Wrote, and Roseanne, and a cameo as a juror in the season 4 episode “Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty” of Monk.

In 1983, his story became the Paramount box-office hit Uncommon Valor. Hauser appeared in the 1982 movie Vice Squad as the pimp “Ramrod,” and performed the song “Neon Slime” for the opening and closing credits. He appeared in Deadly Force, No Safe Haven, Tough Guys Don’t Dance, and the French movie Rubber, directed by French musician Quentin Dupieux.

Hauser has a daughter, Bright Hauser, from his first marriage to Jane Boltinhouse. From his second marriage to Cass Warner Sperling, daughter of Milton Sperling, he has a son, actor Cole Hauser. Wings Hauser is married to actress Cali Hauser. The Melbourne Underground Film Festival held a retrospective with his films in 2009.