Ron Dean is an American actor who is a familiar face for American television and film audiences from decades ago to more recent years. Dean is a veteran actor who has appeared in dozens of movies and television series. Some of the most notable have been “The Dark Night,” “The Fugitive,” and “The Babe.” He was fairly well typecast in law enforcement roles, but he has played a few other character types throughout the years. He hasn’t been seen for a few years and some fans are wondering whatever happened to him? We looked into Ron’s history both careerwise and personal and we made some interesting discoveries. Here is what we learned.
His early career
Ron Dean was born on August 15, 1938. This makes him 81 years old as of his last birthday. He made his debut appearance on the screen in the film “The Last Affair” in 1976. This was a minor role and he went on to appear in the television series “The Duke” in 1979 in yet another small role. He started gaining more recognition when he appeared as Plesko in the 1981 film “Continental Divide.” This was followed by further roles in more popular films in the early 1980s including “Risky Business” as a small part as a detective, “The Big Score” and “Heart of Steel.”
His first big break
Dean was cast in a recurring role as Chief Kramer in the television series “Crime Story” from 1986 to 1987. This seemed to cement his talents for effectively portraying a law enforcement character. He appeared in similar roles in “Big Shots,” “Above the Law,” “Wiseguy,” and several others throughout the late 1980s. He naturally fit the parts in size, build, attitude, and demeanor.
Decades of supporting roles
Ron Dean has spent several decades of his professional career as an actor delivering convincing supporting roles. He has an amazing 91 credits in his acting portfolio. He’s appeared in more television series and films than many of the more well-known famous actors who have made it to the A-list. Dean’s career has spanned from 1976 through 2016 when we saw his most recent appearance in an episode of the television series “Chicago P.D.” in 2016 as Ray Sharansky. Prior to that, he appeared as a bartender in “Out of Touch,” and as Duke in “Sense8,” both in 2015.
His trademark
Dean is known for his roles as a Chicago-style law enforcement officer who embodies the working class. He is a character actor with short hair and tough talk who exhibits a touch of world-weariness from everything he’s seen on the job. He is so skilled at delivering high on this type of character that producers scrambled to bring him on board for supporting roles. This is an example of how typecasting can work in your favor to keep the jobs rolling in for decades.
“Cocktail” was a breakthrough role
Tom Cruise was the leading man and star of the film, “Cocktail,” but Ron Dean shined in his supporting role. This was a bit of a breakthrough role for him because as the uncle of the main character, he had the biggest part aside from Cruise. His character became one of the most remembered from the movie.
He was nominated for an award
Ron Dean was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Supporting role in 1996. It for his role in the Play Supple in Combat” that ran in Chicago, Illinois at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Although he didn’t win the award, it was a big deal to receive a nomination out of all of the other supporting stage actors. This is yet more proof of his significant contributions in film, television, and on stage throughout his decades of convincing character performances. Andrew Davis, notable director, and Ron Dean have a long history together as the two worked on dozens of the same film projects throughout the years.
His personal life
Ron was married to the love of his life Marilyn Sue Brannes. He only married once and he remained with Marilyn until the time of her death on August 30, 2006. When asked why he went into acting he joked that it was to chase the pretty young actresses on the set, but he has been the husband of only one wife for his entire life.
His humble beginnings to the present
Ron started out with little formal training as an actor. He attended Dekalb and later attended Wright, but he took few acting classes while he was at the institutions. He started out earning his living as a young adult first as a doorman and he even drove a penny cab, which is much like a rickshaw that is powered by a bicycle. He was a hard worker who put his muscle into the job. Although Ron Dean was a devout Chicagoan who liked living in the city, he did spend some time living in Los Angeles for certain roles throughout his career, but he would return. Ron is authentic and he’s literally from the area which is what made him so popular for film and television projects that included roles for Chicago based law enforcement officers.
Final thoughts
Ron Dean is still alive and well, although he hasn’t been involved in any major film or television projects since 2016. He has just entered his 80s and the veteran actor has had a very successful run through the years. Dean has made no indications one way or the other if he plans to continue acting. With most projects currently on hold due to social distancing orders, there has been a lull in activity when it comes to preparation for visual entertainment. For those of you who are wondering whatever happened to Ron Dean, he’s been busy up until 2016 with his career as an actor and now he’s doing like the rest of us are and staying at home.
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