Dean Cain (born July 31, 1966) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, known for his role as
Clark KentClark Joseph Kent is a fictional character created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. He serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
/
SupermanSuperman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc...
in the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of SupermanLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
.
Early life
Cain was born
Dean George Tanaka in
Mount Clemens, MichiganMount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,312. It is the county seat of Macomb County.-Early History:...
, the son of actress Sharon Thomas and U.S. Army serviceman Roger Tanaka, who divorced before he was born. Cain is of
JapaneseThe are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries are referred to as...
(from his paternal grandfather),
French CanadianFrench Canadian refers to a nation or ethnic group of French descent that originated in Canada during the period of French colonization beginning in the 17th century. They constitute the main French-speaking population of Canada...
,
IrishThe Irish people are a Western European ethnic group who originate in Ireland, in north western Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolgs, Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians The Irish...
and
WelshThe Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
descent. His last name, Tanaka, is a Japanese family name. In 1969, Cain's mother married
film directorA film director, or filmmaker is a person who directs the making or production of a film. Some also consider a film producer to be a filmmaker....
Christopher CainChristopher Cain is an American screenwriter, actor, director, and singer. He married Sharon Thomas in 1969 and adopted her two children, Dean Cain and Roger Cain...
, who adopted Dean and his brother (musician Roger Cain), and the family moved to
Malibu, CaliforniaMalibu is an incorporated city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population is 12,575....
. The couple later had a daughter, Dean's half-sister, actress Krisinda Cain who also attended Santa Monica High.
At
Santa Monica High SchoolSanta Monica High School , informally known as Samohi or just Samo, is a public school located in Santa Monica, California which was founded in 1884 . It is one of the oldest High Schools in California...
, Cain excelled in sports. He played on the baseball team, and
ChadCharles “Chad” Lowe is an American television actor. He is the younger brother of actor Rob Lowe. He won an Emmy Award for his starring role in Life Goes On as a man suffering with HIV. He has also had recurring roles on ER, Melrose Place, and Now and Again...
and
Rob LoweRobert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. He became known after appearing in 1980s movies such as The Outsiders and St. Elmo's Fire, which included other members of the Brat Pack...
and
Charlie SheenCarlos Irwin Estévez , better known as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. His character roles in films have included Chris Taylor in the 1986 Vietnam War Drama Platoon and Bud Fox in 1987 film Wall Street. His career also made room for more comedic roles, including Major League, the Hot Shots!...
—who played on the baseball team—were among his classmates. When Cain graduated high school in 1984, he turned down 17 athletic scholarships to attend
Princeton UniversityPrinceton University a private university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League and is considered one of the Colonial Colleges....
, where he went on to be captain of the
volleyball Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules...
team and play free safety (Defensive Back) on the
footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
team, where he had 12 interceptions in a single season, in addition to joining the
Zeta PsiThe Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America was founded June 1, 1847 as a social college fraternity. The organization now comprises about fifty active chapters and twenty-five inactive chapters, encompassing roughly twenty thousand brothers, and is a founding member of the North-American...
fraternityFraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In English, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in North America, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
and the Cap & Gown eating club. He also dated actress
Brooke ShieldsBrooke Christa Camille Shields is an American actress, author and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That 70's Show, and Lipstick Jungle.-Early life:Shields was born in New York City into a well-known American...
, who was one year ahead of him at the university. Cain graduated from Princeton in 1988 with a BA in History; his senior thesis was titled "The History and Development of the Functions of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures....
."
Career
Immediately after graduating, Cain signed on as a free agent with the
Buffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the metropolitan area of Buffalo, New York. They play their home games in the suburb of Orchard Park, and beginning in 2008, one home game is played in Toronto. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football...
, an
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
football team, but a knee injury during training camp ended his football career before it began. With little hope of returning to sports, he turned to screenwriting and then acting, shooting dozens of commercials and appearing on popular television shows like
Grapevine,
A Different WorldA Different World is an American television sitcom which aired for six seasons on NBC . It was a spin-off series from The Cosby Show originally centered on Denise Huxtable and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college in the state of Virginia...
and
Beverly Hills 90210. In 1993, Cain took on his biggest role to date as
SupermanSuperman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc...
in the television series
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of SupermanLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
, which ran until 1997.
In 1998, Cain started the Angry Dragon Entertainment production company, which produced the TBS Superstation television series
Ripley's Believe It or Not!Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert LeRoy Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
. He has also starred in several films, including
The Broken Hearts Club (2000),
Out of Time (2003) and
Bailey's Billions (2004). In 2004, he portrayed
Scott PetersonScott Lee Peterson is an American who was convicted of the murder of his wife, Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant. Peterson's case dominated the American media for many months....
in the fact-based made for television movie
The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson StoryThe Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story is a TV movie based on the life of Laci Peterson that stars Dean Cain, Sarah Brown and Tom O'Brien.Another competing TV movie was Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution....
. He has also appeared in a recurring role as Casey Manning in the television series
Las VegasLas Vegas is an American television series that aired on NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working in the fictional Montecito Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada—dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet...
. Recently, Cain guest-starred in a seventh season episode of
SmallvilleSmallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB, premiering on October 16, 2001...
as the immortal
Dr. Curtis KnoxVandal Savage is a fictional character, a supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 1 #10 , and was created by Alfred Bester and Martin Nodell....
. He's #33 on
VH1VH1 is an American cable television network based in New York City...
's
40 Hottest Hotties of the '90s.
Protect & Serve (
Universal Media StudiosUniversal Media Studios is the TV production arm of the NBC Universal Television Group. It was previously known as Revue Studios, NBC Studios, and Universal Network Television...
):
2007 CBS dramaA television pilot is a test episode of an intended television series. It is an early step in the development of a television series, much like pilot lights or pilot studies serve as precursors to the start of larger activity, or pilot holes prepare the way for larger holes. Networks use pilots to...
about cops living in the Los Angeles suburbs as they deal with the stress of police life on and off the job. It starred Dean Cain,
Eric BalfourEric Salter Balfour is an American singer and actor of film and television. He is the lead singer of the band Born As Ghosts, formerly known as Fredalba.-Personal life:...
,
Monica PotterMonica Potter is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Potter, one of four daughters, was born Monica Gregg Brokaw in Cleveland, Ohio, to an Irish American Roman Catholic family. Her father, Paul Brokaw, was the inventor of the first flame-resistant car wax, and her mother, Nancy,...
,
Tamala JonesTamala R. Jones is an American entertainer. She is most known for her roles in the movies Booty Call, The Wood, Kingdom Come, The Brothers, and Two Can Play That Game.-Biography:...
,
Thad LuckinbillThaddeus Rowe "Thad" Luckinbill is an American actor currently portraying J. T. Hellstrom on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, a role he began in November 1999.-Personal life:...
, and
Steve HarrisSteve Harris may refer to:* Steve Harris , founding member and bassist of the band Iron Maiden* Steve Harris , American film and TV actor* Steve Harris , American basketball player...
. It was directed by
Sergio Mimica-GezzanSergio Mimica-Gezzan is an American film and television director. He has received three Director's Guild of America awards for his work as an assistant director and is now a regular lead director in episodic television. He has often worked with Steven Spielberg as an assistant director. He is a...
. It was created by
Mark GibsonMark Gibson , is a racing car driver in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. A three-time winner, Mark drove the #59 Williams Brothers Lumber Company Chevy and is a former Rookie of the Year in ARCA...
and Philip Halprin.
Cain has also made an appearance in the new comical Internet Explorer 8 commercials.
Personal life
Dean has a son named Christopher Dean Cain (b. June 11, 2000) with former girlfriend and
PlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine, founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with a presence in nearly every medium. Playboy is one of the world's best...
modelthumb|200px|Alesya Nazarova modeling a dress by [[bebe stores|bebe]]A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed for the purpose of displaying and promoting fashion clothing or other products and for advertising or promotional purposes or who poses for works of art.Modeling...
Samantha TorresSamantha Torres is a Spanish model and actress who was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for December 1995...
. His son is named after his stepfather, film director Christopher Cain. He was previously engaged to country singer
Mindy McCreadyMalinda Gayle McCready is an American country music singer. Active since 1996, she has recorded a total of four studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's Ten Thousand Angels, was released on BNA Records and was certified 2× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA, while 1997's If I Don't Stay the Night was...
in the late 1990s.
While promoting the television show,
Ripley's Believe It or NotRipley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert LeRoy Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
, on the
Howard Stern Show on January 10, 2001, Cain said that his biological father lied to the
National Enquirer by saying that Dean's mother left him while he was serving in the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
. Dean stated that the truth is his father never served in the war but instead cheated on his mother, with this being the real reason why they divorced.
On August 29, 2008, Cain made an appearance on
CNNCable News Network, almost always referred to by its initialism CNN, is an U.S. cable news network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first network to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television network in the United States...
's
Larry King LiveLarry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN. The show debuted in 1985, and is CNN's most watched program, with over one million viewers nightly.The show broadcasts from CNN's Los Angeles studios...
and said that he supports
John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
in the 2008 United States Presidential Election. He said that he originally supported
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
's
candidacyBarack Obama, then junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. On August 27, 2008 he was declared nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election...
but changed his mind once he read about the issues.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|
| 1976 |
Elmer |
Dean Russell |
|
| 1979 |
Charlie and the Talking Buzzard |
Joe |
|
| 1984 |
The Stone Boy |
Eugene Hillerman |
|
| 1989 |
Christine Cromwell: Things That Go Bump in the Night |
|
TV |
| 1990 |
Write to Kill |
Parking Valet |
|
| 1990 |
Going Under"Going Under" is the second single from Fallen, the debut album by American alternative metal band Evanescence. Originally planned to be the first single, the success of "Bring Me to Life" eclipsed the initial decision....
|
Guy in Bar |
|
| 1992 |
Grapevine |
Joey |
TV |
| 1992 |
Miracle Beach |
Volleyball Player #1 |
|
| 1992 |
Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210 is a prime time television drama series that aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
|
Rick |
TV |
| 1993 |
The 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards |
Presenter |
TV |
| 1993 -1997 |
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of SupermanLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
|
Clark Kent/Superman |
TV Series |
| 1993 |
Touchdown: Football Goes to the Movies |
Host |
|
| 1995 |
Off Camera with Dean Cain |
|
TV Series / Host / Also Produced and Directed |
| 1996 |
Cutty Whitman |
Clark Kent |
TV / Uncredited |
| 1997 |
Rag and Bone "Rag and Bone" is a song by the American garage rock band The White Stripes, and is the ninth track on their album Icky Thump. The track was released as a free red 7" vinyl with the June 6, 2007 issue of the NME magazine, with 120,000 copies made and an etching with drummer Meg White's face on...
|
Tony Moran |
TV / Also produced |
| 1997 |
Eating Las Vegas |
Frank |
|
| 1997 |
Best Men Best Men is a 1997 film directed by Tamra Davis and starring Fred Ward, Drew Barrymore, and Dean Cain.-Plot:Jesse Reilly was released from prison and he is to be married to Hope. Shortly before the wedding he is involved in a bank robbery with his friends Buzz Thomas, Teddy Pollack and Billy...
|
Sergeant Buzz Thomas |
|
| 1998 |
Dogboys |
Julian Taylor |
TV |
| 1998 |
Futuresport Futuresport is a made-for-TV movie directed by Ernest Dickerson, starring Dean Cain, Vanessa Williams, and Wesley Snipes. It originally aired on ABC in October 1998, and released on DVD in March 1999....
|
Tremaine 'Tre' Ramzey |
TV |
| 1999 |
Ripley's Believe It or Not!Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert LeRoy Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
|
|
TV Series / Host / Also produced |
| 2000 |
Final Encounter |
|
|
| 2000 |
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy |
Cole |
|
| 2000 |
No Alibi |
Bob Valenz |
|
| 2000 |
Flight of Fancy |
Clay Bennett |
|
| 2000 |
Militia Militia is a 2000 direct-to-video action movie most notably starring Dean Cain, Frederic Forrest and Jennifer Beals. The film was directed by Jim Wynorski.-Plot outline:...
|
Ethan Carter |
|
| 2000 |
For the Cause For the Cause is a 2000 science-fiction fantasy directed by David Douglas and Tim Douglas.-Synopsis:...
|
Gen. Murran |
|
| 2000 |
The Runaway |
Sheriff Frank Richards |
TV |
| 2001 |
Just Shoot Me! |
Chris Williams |
|
| 2001 |
Phase IV |
Simon Tate |
|
| 2001 |
Firetrap |
Jack/Max Hooper |
Also produced |
| 2001 |
Rat Race Rat Race is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Jerry Zucker, and stars an ensemble cast featuring Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jon Lovitz, Lanei Chapman, Seth Green, Kathy Najimy, Vince Vieluf, John Cleese, Breckin Meyer, Kathy Bates, Wayne Knight and Amy Smart...
|
Shawn Kent |
|
| 2001 |
A Christmas Adventure From a Book Called Wisely's Tales |
Donner |
Voice |
| 2002 |
Grandia Xtremeis a console role-playing game developed by Game Arts and published by Enix for the PlayStation 2 video game console. Released in both Japan and North America in 2002, the game is a side story in the Grandia series.-Gameplay:...
|
Evann |
Voice |
| 2002 |
Boa (film) |
Dr. Robert Trenton |
|
| 2002 |
Gentle Ben Gentle Ben is the name of a book of fiction for children by author Walt Morey, which was later made into a film and television series , as well as made-for-TV movies in 2002 and 2003...
|
Ben |
TV |
| 2002 |
New Alcatraz |
Dr. Robert Trenton |
|
| 2002 |
Dark Descent |
Will Murdack |
|
| 2002 |
The Glow |
Matt Lawrence |
TV |
| 2002 |
Christmas Rush |
Lt. Cornelius Morgan |
TV |
| 2002 |
FrasierFrasier is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Paramount Television.A spin-off from Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist...
|
Rick |
TV |
| 2003 |
Dragon Fighter Dragon Fighter is a Sci Fi Pictures original film that premiered on January 4, 2003 and was directed by Phillip J. Roth. It stars Dean Cain and Kristine Byers.-Plot:...
|
Capt. David Carver |
Also produced |
| 2003 |
Gentle Ben 2: Danger on the Mountain |
Jack Wedloe |
TV |
| 2003 |
Out of Time |
Chris Harrison |
|
| 2004 |
Grandpa's Place |
Special Appearance |
Short |
| 2004 |
P.I.: Post Impact |
Sargent/Captain Tom Parker |
|
| 2004 |
I Do (But I Don't) |
Nick Corina |
TV |
| 2004 |
Clubhouse |
Conrad Dean |
TV Series |
| 2004 |
Lost Lost is a 2004 American thriller film starring Dean Cain. It was written and directed by first time filmmaker, Darren Lemke.-Plot:Bank Vice President Jeremy Stanton gets lost driving in the desert, en route to a meeting with a deadline of eight hours...
|
Jeremy Stanton |
|
| 2004 |
The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story is a TV movie based on the life of Laci Peterson that stars Dean Cain, Sarah Brown and Tom O'Brien.Another competing TV movie was Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution....
|
Scott Peterson Scott Lee Peterson is an American who was convicted of the murder of his wife, Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant. Peterson's case dominated the American media for many months....
|
TV |
| 2005 |
Bailey's Billion$ |
Theodore Maxwell |
|
| 2005 |
Mayday |
Cmdr. James Slan |
TV |
| 2005 |
FiredogFiredog was the brand name through which Circuit City stores offered in-home & in-store services for computer repair, installation and support, and home theater product installation...
|
Tom |
Voice |
| 2005 |
10.5: Apocalypse 10.5: Apocalypse is a 2006 television miniseries written and directed by John Lafia. A sequel to 2004's 10.5, the film follows a series of catastrophic seismic disasters .-Plot:...
|
Brad |
TV |
| 2005 |
Wrinkles |
|
|
| 2005 |
Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural TV series about the Special Victims Unit in a fictional version of the 16th Precinct of the New York City Police Department...
|
Dr. Mike Jergens |
TV |
| 2005 |
Las Vegas Las Vegas is an American television series that aired on NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working in the fictional Montecito Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada—dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet...
|
Casey Manning |
TV |
| 2006 |
Dead & Deader |
Lt. Bobby Quinn |
TV |
| 2006 |
September Dawn September Dawn is a 2007 film by Christopher Cain, released on August 24, 2007. It sets a fictional love story against a controversial historical interpretation of the Mountain Meadows massacre, which happened on September 11, 1857 when a wagon train of emigrants was attacked by a group of Mormon...
|
Joseph Smith |
|
| 2006 |
A Christmas Wedding |
Tucker |
TV |
| 2007 |
Urban Decay -Plot:Cab driver Stan slams into a homeless man, who gets up and walks away, leaving behind a scarf covered with writhing maggots. Obsessed with the mystery, Stan hunts the ragtag figure through the city, discovering a trail of mangled, half-eaten victims, and an urban legend : Pusshead was a sewer...
|
Stan |
|
| 2007 |
Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness |
Bruce Murakami |
TV |
| 2007 |
Final Approachis a visual novel that has been adapted into an anime designed by Ibe Yukiko. The title uses the Greek letter Φ to represent to the in the Japanese transliteration of the English word 'final'...
|
Jack Bender |
TV |
| 2007 |
SmallvilleSmallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB, premiering on October 16, 2001...
|
Dr. Curtis Knox |
TV |
| 2007 |
CSI: MiamiCSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
|
Roger Partney |
TV |
| 2008 |
Making Mr. Right |
Eddie |
TV |
| 2008 |
Ace of Hearts |
Daniel Harding |
|
| 2008 |
Five Dollars a Day Five Dollars a Day is a comedy film directed by Nigel Cole and starring Christopher Walken, Alessandro Nivola, Amanda Peet, and Sharon Stone. The project dates back to 2003 when Nick Cassavetes had signed on to direct, but a year later was replaced by John Curran. Three years later Nigel Cole is...
|
|
TBA |
| 2009 |
The Gambler, the Girl, & the Gunslinger |
Shea McCall |
TV |
| 2009 |
EntourageEntourage is an American comedy-drama that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004. The series was created by Doug Ellin and chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Hollywood,...
|
Himself |
TV |
External links
- Dean Cain on Yahoo
Yahoo! Inc. is an American public corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, , that provides Internet services worldwide...
movies