Dean Cain

Early life

Dean George Tanaka was born on July 31, 1966, at Selfridge Air Force Base in Harrison Township, Michigan. His mother, Sharon Thomas, was an actress. Cain is mixed-race; his father, Roger Tanaka, was an American serviceman of Japanese descent, the son of John Megumi Tanaka and Miyoko Tanaka. Cain said that several members of his family were interned at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho as part of the Internment of Japanese Americans. The rest of Cain's ancestry is Welsh, Irish, and French Canadian.

Cain said of his father, whom he never met, "He's not the kind of man I want to be. He was an unfaithful husband and not much of a father." Soon after Dean's birth, his mother, pursuing an acting career, moved him and his older brother Roger to Los Angeles. In 1969, Sharon married the film director Christopher Cain, who adopted her two sons, and Dean and Roger took their stepfather's surname. The couple moved to Malibu, California, and had a daughter, Krisinda.

Cain attended Santa Monica High School, where he excelled in sports. Among his schoolmates were Charlie Sheen, who played on the same baseball team as Cain when they were children, as well as Rob Lowe and his brother Chad. Cain graduated from high school in 1984 and attended Princeton University, where he majored in American history. He dated actress Brooke Shields, whom he met in a religion class at the university. Cain graduated in 1988 with a bachelor of arts in history. His senior thesis was "The History and Development of the Functions of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences".

Football

At Princeton, Cain starred as a free safety on the football team. He began his career as a cornerback, making his first start during his sophomore year in 1985. In the season opener, he contributed to Princeton's 10–3 victory over Dartmouth by diving for an underthrown pass that would have resulted in a Dartmouth touchdown to record his first interception. Against Cornell in the final game of 1985, he intercepted Marty Stallone thrice to help the Tigers win 33–27. At the end of the season, he was an honorable mention on the All-Ivy League team. Cain switched to safety for 1986, a position he preferred since it had "a lot of action", and led the Tigers in tackles.

As a senior in 1987, he set the NCAA Division I-AA record for most interceptions in a season with 12, surpassing the 11 by Bill McGovern in 1984. His record stood until Rashean Mathis had 14 in 2002. Cain began the year with a two-interception performance against Dartmouth, then had his school-best 13th career pick the following week versus Davidson. In the season finale, Cain picked off Cornell three times in a seven-interception performance for the Princeton defense. The Associated Press named him a first team I-AA All-American, and he also received the John P. Poe–Richard W. Kazmaier Jr. Football Trophy for the year. He finished his collegiate career with a school-record 22 interceptions in 30 games.

After his graduation in 1988, he signed on as a free agent with the National Football League's Buffalo Bills. He hurt his right knee during training camp, which prevented him from playing in the preseason and he underwent an arthroscopy in late July. Cain was placed on the Bills' injured reserve list for the season. The injury ended his football career prematurely.

Career

With little hope of returning to sports, Cain turned to screenwriting and then acting, shooting dozens of commercials, including a volleyball-themed spot for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and appearing on such popular television shows as Grapevine, A Different World, and Beverly Hills, 90210. In 1993, Cain took his biggest role to date, that of Superman in the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. At the height of its popularity, the program drew an average of at least 15 million viewers per episode. The series ran for four seasons, ending in 1997. Cain later made his first return to the Superman franchise with a special guest role in a season seven episode of Smallville, as the immortal Dr. Curtis Knox, a character based upon the DC Comics villain Vandal Savage; Cain returned to the Superman universe again between 2015 and 2017, in a recurring role on Supergirl, as the title character's foster father, Jeremiah Danvers.

In 1998, Cain started the Angry Dragon Entertainment production company, which produced the TBS Superstation television series Ripley's Believe It or Not! He has also starred in several films, including The Broken Hearts Club (2000), Out of Time (2003), and Bailey's Billion$ (2004). In 2004, he played Scott Peterson in the made-for-television movie The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story. He appeared in a recurring role as Casey Manning in the television series Las Vegas. He also had a lead role in the VH1 hit series Hit the Floor, that of Pete Davenport, who becomes the new head coach of a fictional professional basketball team and has an illegitimate daughter who is a cheerleader for his Los Angeles Devils team.

In 2009, Cain was ranked No. 33 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the '90s. Cain was a contestant in an NBC celebrity reality competition series called Stars Earn Stripes. He won four out of six missions on the show, though he came in third in the finals. In 2012, he participated in Fox's dating game show The Choice.

In 2013, Cain hosted a reality show about Bigfoot titled 10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty, where he offered contestants $10 million to prove the existence of Bigfoot. Cain later appeared in the mid-season premiere of Comic Book Men, appearing at Kevin Smith's Secret Stash where the crew was celebrating 75 years of Superman, where it was claimed that his portrayal of the character helped people care about Superman again. Cain appeared in the film God's Not Dead, in which he plays an arrogant businessman. In 2016, Cain played a guest role on the Netflix original series Lady Dynamite as Graham, the ex-fiancé of Maria Bamford.

Cain is also known for having appeared in 16 Christmas films and several faith-based films.

In 2018, Cain hosted a television infomercial for The National Real Estate Network, an entity which seeks to persuade individuals to attend meetings where they can learn about flipping real estate. In October of that year, it was discovered that Ronnie Mund (Ronnie the Limo Driver), the personal driver and bodyguard of radio DJ Howard Stern, had been using a photoshopped picture of Cain as his own publicity photo. Specifically, Mund's head had been transposed onto the body of Cain. Mund initially denied the photo was altered but eventually acknowledged he had been using the fraudulent photo for over five years. Mund claimed he was unaware the photo was not genuine. Cain co-starred in the 2018 film Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer about the investigation and trial of Kermit Gosnell. He also starred in the 2018 film Andy the Talking Hedgehog.

In 2019, Cain starred alongside Kristy Swanson in the play FBI Lovebirds, which mocked Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, two FBI agents who were briefly on the team investigating Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

In June 2021, it was announced that he would make his directorial debut with Little Angels and star in it.

As of 2021, Cain was the Actor in Residence at High Point University.

Personal life

For two years in the 1980s, Cain dated Brooke Shields, an actress, while they were attending Princeton University. In 1992, he dated Gabrielle Reece, a professional beach-volleyball player and model. In 1997, Cain became engaged to Mindy McCready, a singer; they broke up in 1998.

He has a son, Christopher Cain, born June 11, 2000, with one of his ex-girlfriends, Samantha Torres, a Playboy Playmate and model. Cain named his son after his adoptive father, Christopher Cain, a film director.

On June 19, 2018, Cain was sworn in as a reserve police officer for the St. Anthony Police Department in Idaho. In 2020, he joined the Pocatello Police Department in Idaho as a reserve police officer. He also subsequently joined the Frederick County, Virginia Sheriff's Office as a reserve deputy sheriff.

Political views

Cain says that he voted for Bill Clinton in both the 1992 and 1996, as well as for Al Gore in 2000, the latter of which he later said he "regretted". He supported John McCain in 2008 and supported Rick Perry at the Republican primaries in 2012. In 2016, 2020, and 2024, he endorsed and voted for Donald Trump.

Cain is a strong advocate for recognition of the Armenian genocide. He participated in the Armenian-American march on the 90th anniversary of the genocide. He is also an executive producer of Architects of Denial, a 2017 historical documentary on the effects of the genocide. In 2018, he was awarded Armenia’s Order of Honor by President Sargsyan for his contributions on spreading awareness.

In 2018, Cain was elected to the board of directors of the National Rifle Association of America. That same year, Cain said that he was once a registered Republican, but later became a registered independent, feeling that the Republican Party did not "fully represent his views".

In 2025, Cain released a video indicating that he had joined Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and encouraging others to "join the agency as well".

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

References

1. Rossen, Jake. (2008). "Superman Vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon". Chicago Review Press.
2. "CNN Almanac – Wednesday, July 31, 1996".
3. (2021-10-12). "Dean Cain, Actor & Producer". Side by Side with Nido Qubein.
4. Scivally, Bruce. (2008). "Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway". New York.
5. Nakayama, William. "Dean Cain: Humanizing Superman". [[Goldsea]].
6. Siegel, Tatiana. (2025-07-29). "Dean Cain Is Still Flying High: 'Lois & Clark' Heartthrob Tells All on Supporting Trump, Opposing 'Woke' Superman and Overcoming Sexual Harassment".
7. Shales, Tom. (September 23, 1993). "It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a Hunk!; 'Lois & Clark's' Dean Cain, Flying the Friendly Skies". [[The Washington Post]].
8. Denman, Elliott. (October 17, 1989). "Tigers never lose their stripes". [[Asbury Park Press]].
9. Yavener, Harvey. (October 2, 1987). "Brooke's beau still raising Cain in Ivy". [[The Times (Trenton).
10. (April 4, 2023). "'Lost virginity to Superman' Brooke Shields reveals shocking secret in new documentary". Hindustan Times.
11. "Dean Cain".
12. Thorne, Chris. (November 8, 1986). "W&M challenge raises Cain's intensity". [[The Star-Ledger]].
13. Kenyon, Jim. (September 23, 1985). "Green Comeback Intercepted At The Pass". [[Valley News]].
14. Freeman, Rick. (November 24, 1985). "Butler hurls Princeton past Cornell". [[The Times (Trenton).
15. Yavener, Harvey. (December 10, 1985). "They're almost in the swim at Trenton St. College". [[The Times (Trenton).
16. Thorne, Chris. (October 2, 1987). "Cain acts up in Princeton secondary". [[The Star-Ledger]].
17. Knobelman, Bob. (November 22, 1987). "Princeton rips Cornell to finish season 6-4". [[The Home News]].
18. (December 4, 2020). "LOCAL COLLEGES: B-CU contributes memorable athletic moments to celebrate MEAC's top 50". [[The Daytona Beach News-Journal]].
19. Knobelman, Bob. (September 20, 1987). "Tigers swamp Green". [[The Home News]].
20. (December 19, 1987). "Herd's Barber, Doctor All-America". [[The Herald (Rock Hill).
21. (September 23, 2015). "Tigers Football".
22. (May 25, 2022). "Princeton Football All-Time Individual Records". [[Princeton Tigers]].
23. (May 5, 1988). "Transactions". [[Herald & Review]].
24. Knobelman, Bob. (September 30, 1988). "Princeton adds incentive to lineup". [[The Home News]].
25. Northrop, Milt. (August 4, 1988). "20 Regular Bills To Start Tonight". [[The Buffalo News]].
26. Carucci, Vic. (October 23, 1988). "Bills' Walking Wounded Wait for Their Big Chance". [[The Buffalo News]].
27. O'Connor, John J.. (April 9, 1995). "TELEVISION VIEW; That Man In a Cape Is Still Flying". [[The New York Times]].
28. "Cure".
29. Carabott, Chris. (May 14, 2012). "Smallville: 'Cure' Review". [[IGN]].
30. Holbrook, Damian. "Coming Attractions". TV Guide Comic-Con Special 2015.
31. (June 21, 2009). "VH1's ''40 Hottest Hotties of the '90s''". [[LiveJournal]].
32. Hibberd, James. (May 8, 2012). "Fox's 'The Choice' cast revealed! Joe Jonas, Dean Cain, The Situation, many more – EXCLUSIVE".
33. Howard, Kirsten. (December 1, 2015). "Dean Cain's Christmas movies: an (almost) definitive guide". [[Den of Geek]].
34. Howard, Kirsten. (June 7, 2017). "Dean Cain has made 3 more Christmas movies". Den of Geek.
35. (October 22, 2018). "Ronnie Mund's Face Was Photoshopped Onto Dean Cain's Body for a Promotional Photo, but Did He Know?".
36. Ervin, Jeremy. (November 8, 2018). "Film featuring Marysville girl to show at Sperry's". The Times Herald.
37. Polus, Sarah. (June 24, 2019). "Former Superman and 'FBI Lovebirds' star Dean Cain explains where he falls politically". The Washington Post.
38. (February 9, 2021). "HPU Broadens List of Global Leaders in Residence with Famed Actor Dean Cain".
39. (October 13, 2003). "Cain, Able".
40. (July 27, 1994). "Pro Beach Volleyball The Televised Finale of Women's Professional Circuit Has A Super - And Superman - Following". [[The Virginian-Pilot]].
41. (June 15, 2012). "Dean Cain Dishes On His Date From The Choice".
42. (September 10, 1997). "Superman Gets Engaged".
43. Finan, Eileen. (April 29, 2008). "Mindy McCready Admits to Relationship with Roger Clemens".
44. (June 21, 2018). "Dean Cain joins Idaho police department".
45. [https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/back-the-blue-former-superman-ufc-hall-of-famer-join-ppd-as-reserve-officers/article_29a0cf6a-a5bb-581f-a27e-7a90245a08f3.html BACK THE BLUE: Former Superman, UFC Hall of Famer join PPD as reserve officers]
46. [https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/former-superman-helping-fight-crime-in-frederick-county/article_1427ed70-47e4-51eb-b890-748f0fef3445.html Former Superman helping fight crime in Frederick County]
47. Tanabe, Karin. (September 22, 2011). "Superman Dean Cain endorses Rick Perry".
48. Merry, Stephanie. (July 18, 2016). "Clinton vs. Trump: Whose celebrities are better? A scrupulously fair analysis". [[The Washington Post]].
49. (November 8, 2020). "Superman voted Trump - but for his policies, not his personality". The Irish Independent.
50. Kaloi, Stephanie. (April 6, 2024). "Superman Dean Cain, Star of 'Lois & Clark,' Endorses Trump '100%': 'No Question About It'".
51. (2005-04-25). "Dean Cain Marches in Armenian Protest".
52. (2017-10-05). "Armenian National Institute -- Former ‘Superman’ Dean Cain focuses on the Armenian Genocide in the documentary ‘Architects of Denial’".
53. (2018-03-06). "Dean Cain, Montel Williams awarded Armenia’s Order of Honor".
54. Cain, Dean. (May 28, 2018). "I'm on the board of the NRA. I'm definitely #2A!".
55. Hickman, Matt. (May 3, 2019). "Man of Steel: Former Superman, new NRA board member headlines second Arctic Comic-Con this weekend". [[Anchorage Press]].
56. (September 22, 2018). "Dean Cain on Being a Trump Supporter in Hollywood". [[Washington Journal]].
57. Davies, Alys. (2025-08-07). "Ex-Superman actor Dean Cain says he's becoming ICE agent".
58. (7 August 2025). "Former Superman Dean Cain Says He's Joining ICE 'ASAP': America Was 'Built on Patriots Stepping Up'". Variety.
59. (October 27, 2014). "Holiday Miracle".
60. "Film - Madness in the Method".
61. Haynes, Carly. (October 6, 2020). "Local police officer turns personal experiences into upcoming movie". [[WCAV]] News.
62. "Watch Trafficked: A Parent's Worst Nightmare {{!}} Prime Video".
63. Christiansen, Kathleen. (September 17, 2021). "Leesburg takes the spotlight in new film". [[Orlando Sentinel]].
64. Grobar, Matt. (July 1, 2021). "Dean Cain To Direct And Star in Family Comedy 'Little Angels' Opposite Helena Mattsson, Carla Jimenez & More".
65. "Dean Cain (visual voices guide)".