Dean Cain is one of America’s finest actors, with an acting career that began in 1976. He is most famous for his role as Clark Kent/Superman in the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Although popularly known as Dean Cain, the actor was born Dean George Tanaka in Mount Clemens, Michigan, on July 31, 1966. Cain is also known for his political views and stands on issues.
Dean Cain was active in a decade when superhero movies had gained prominence. With DC’s Superman and Batman making live-action adaptations of its comic superheroes, playing Superman helped increase the actor’s Hollywood profile ranking. Since then, he has starred in different notable productions in film and television. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Dean Cain.
1. The Movies You Know Dean Cain From
Dean Cain has had more success in television than in film. Although he has starred in more movies than many actors, his works in television have had more impact on his career. Cain played Clark Kent and Superman in ABC’s superhero TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The show ran from September 12, 1993, to June 14, 1997, with 88 episodes spread across four seasons.
Two years after playing Superman, Cain became the host of the second revival of the documentary TV series Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Cain stayed on as the host until it ended in 2003. Cain was a main cast in the sports drama Hit the Floor. He played former player-turned-coach Pete Davenport. Cain appeared in the series from 2013 to 2016 and in 2018.
2. Dean Cain’s Parents Were In Film
Dean Cain’s mother is actress Sharon Thomas Cain. Sharon is known for her work in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) as a waitress, in 1988 Young Guns playing Susan McSween, and in Calendar Girls (2003), where she played a TV Reporter. Three years after the birth of Dean Cain, Sharon remarried film director, producer, and screenwriter Christopher Cain in 1969. Christopher Cain became the father figure Dean Cain has always known.
3. Dean Cain Attended High School With Other Famous Actors
When Dean Cain’s mother married Christopher Cain, the family moved to Malibu, California. In Malibu, Cain attended Santa Monica High School. This was the same High School Charlie Sheen, Rob Lowe, and his brother Chad Lowe attended. All three actors were part of the school’s baseball team, along with Cain.
4. How Dean Cain Got Into Acting
Dean Cain was part of the university’s football team during his time at Princeton University. The actor set a record at the university with his 12 interceptions in ten games. After graduating from Princeton, Cain went Pro. He signed with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills as a free agent. However, Cain sustained a knee injury during training, ending his dream of becoming a professional football player.
With that chapter of his life closed Cain focused on screenwriting. He later tried acting and appeared in a series of commercials. Cain made his film debut in 1976, playing Dean Russell in Elmer. Three years later, he appeared as Joe in Charlie and the Talking Buzzard. After that, his career as an actor kicked off with more roles.
5. Dean Cain Has Dated A Career Co-worker and Models
Dean Cain met and dated actress Brooke Shields during his time at Princeton University. They dated for about two years during the 80s. Cain dated Gabrielle Reece, a model and American professional beach volleyball player. Cain was engaged to American country music singer Mindy McCready in 1997. However, the couple split the next year.
Cain later dated Samantha Torres, a Spanish model and Playboy Playmate. Torres gave birth to Cain’s son, Christopher Dean Cain, on June 11, 2000. Cain named the child after his stepfather, Christopher Cain.
6. Other Movies Dean Cain Was In
The actor Cain is credited to have starred in over 90 films, excluding his work in television. Cain has appeared in several direct-to-video productions and short films. In the 80s, Cain played Eugene Hillerman in The Stone Boy (1984). Cain was Sergeant ‘Buzz’ Thomas in the 1997 crime comedy Best Men. He appeared in several movies in the 2000s, like Rat Race (2000), Bailey’s Billion$ (2005), September Dawn (3006), and Ace of Hearts (2008). Others include A Nanny for Christmas (2010), God’s Not Dead (2014), and OBAMAGATE: The Movie (2020).
7. The Nominations & Awards Dean Cain Has Received
As an actor, Cain has received several nominations from minor award associations. Cain won the Actors Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2018 for his performance as Maxwell in 2050. Cain was nominated at the 2020 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Special Class Special for shared work in Hate Among Us (2019). Other awards include IndieFEST Film Awards, MovieGuide Awards, and Christian Film Festival.
8. Dean Cain’s Work As A Director, Producer, and Writer
Dean Cain is also an established director, producer, and writer. He is credited with directing two movies, a TV series and a short film, and an upcoming movie, Little Angels. As a producer, he has produced 16 movies, with one in the post-production stage. As a writer, Cain wrote two episodes of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in 1994 and 1995. He has written a short film and a movie.
9. Other TV Shows Dean Cain Was In
Besides his numerous appearances in TV movies, Dean Cain has also starred in several TV series. Cain’s first credited TV series feature was season 2, episode 2 of Life Goes On as Kimo in 1990. Cain was in a single episode of A Different World as Eddie in 1992. He played Rick in 4 episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210. Cain has appeared in CSI: Miami, Entourage, hosted Bloopers in 2012, and was on 6 episodes of Supergirl.
10. What Dean Cain Is Doing Next
Cain has about four movies in post-production. In Faith Under Fire, Cain will play Pastor Dan Underwood. In Baby Bulldog, Cain will play Judge Kelly. Cain will direct and play Jake Rogers in Little Angels. In The Ride, Cain will play Mark Smith. There has been no official release date for any of the movies.
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