Dean Cain

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Dean Cain

Cain in Iraq, May 13, 2005
Born Dean George Tanaka
July 31, 1966 (1966-07-31) (age 42)
Mount Clemens, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation Actor, presenter, producer, writer, voice-over, director
Years active 1976–present

Dean Cain (born July 31, 1966 ) is an American actor, known for his role as Clark Kent/Superman in the American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Cain was born Dean George Tanaka in Mount Clemens, Michigan, the son of actress Sharon Thomas and U.S. Army serviceman Roger Tanaka, who divorced before he was born. Cain is of Japanese (from his paternal grandfather), French Canadian, Irish and Welsh descent.[1] His last name, Tanaka, is a Japanese family name. In 1969,[2] Cain's mother married film director Christopher Cain, who adopted Dean and his brother (musician Roger Cain), and the family moved to Malibu, California. The couple later had a daughter, Dean's half-sister, actress Krisinda Cain who also attended Santa Monica High.

At Santa Monica High School, Cain excelled in sports. He played on the baseball team, and Chad and Rob Lowe and Charlie Sheen—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 University, where he went on to be captain of the volleyball team and play free safety (Defensive Back) on the football team, where he had 12 interceptions in a single season, in addition to joining the Zeta Psi fraternity and the Cap & Gown eating club. He also dated actress Brooke Shields, 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 Sciences."

[edit] Career

Immediately after graduating, Cain signed on as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills, an NFL 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 World and Beverly Hills 90210. In 1993, Cain took on the role of Superman in the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, 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!. 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 Peterson in the fact-based made for television movie The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story. He has also appeared in a recurring role as Casey Manning in the television series Las Vegas. Recently, Cain guest-starred in a seventh season episode of Smallville as the immortal Dr. Curtis Knox. He's #33 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the '90s.

Protect & Serve (Universal Media Studios): 2007 CBS drama 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 Balfour, Monica Potter, Tamala Jones, Thad Luckinbill, and Steve Harris. It was directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. It was created by Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin.

Cain has also made an appearance in the new comical Internet Explorer 8 commercials.

[edit] Personal life

Cain and Teri Hatcher at the 1993 Emmy Awards.
Cain rehearsing with his Lois & Clark co-star Teri Hatcher at the 45th Emmy Awards, September 19, 1993
Dean Cain, 1993

Dean has a son named Christopher Dean Cain (b. June 11, 2000) with former girlfriend and Playboy model Samantha Torres. His son is named after his stepfather, film director Christopher Cain. He was previously engaged to country singer Mindy McCready in the late 1990s.

While promoting the television show, Ripley's Believe It or Not, 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 War. 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 CNN's Larry King Live and said that he supports John McCain in the 2008 United States Presidential Election. He said that he originally supported Barack Obama's candidacy but changed his mind once he read about the issues.

[edit] 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 Guy in Bar
1992 Grapevine Joey TV
1992 Miracle Beach Volleyball Player #1
1992 Beverly Hills, 90210 Rick TV
1993 The 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Presenter TV
1993 -1997 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman 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 Tony Moran TV / Also produced
1997 Eating Las Vegas Frank
1997 Best Men Sergeant Buzz Thomas
1998 Dogboys Julian Taylor TV
1998 Futuresport Tremaine 'Tre' Ramzey TV
1999 Ripley's Believe It or Not! 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 Ethan Carter
2000 For the Cause 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 Shawn Kent
2001 A Christmas Adventure From a Book Called Wisely's Tales Donner Voice
2002 Grandia Xtreme Evann Voice
2002 Boa (dvd) Dr. Robert Trenton
2002 Gentle Ben 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 Frasier Rick TV
2003 Dragon Fighter 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 Jeremy Stanton
2004 The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story Scott Peterson TV
2005 Bailey's Billion$ Theodore Maxwell
2005 Mayday Cmdr. James Slan TV
2005 Firedog Tom Voice
2005 10.5: Apocalypse Brad TV
2005 Wrinkles
2005 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dr. Mike Jergens TV
2005 Las Vegas Casey Manning TV
2006 Dead & Deader Lt. Bobby Quinn TV
2006 September Dawn Joseph Smith
2006 A Christmas Wedding Tucker TV
2007 Urban Decay Stan
2008 Five Dollars a Day Filming
2007 Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness Bruce Murakami TV
2007 Final Approach Jack Bender TV
2007 Smallville Dr. Curtis Knox TV
2007 CSI: Miami Roger Partney TV
2008 Making Mr. Right Eddie TV
2008 Ace of Hearts Daniel Harding
2008 Five Dollars a Day TBA
2009 The Gambler, the Girl, & the Gunslinger Shea McCall TV

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Gerard Christopher
Played Superman/Clark Kent
1993-1997
Succeeded by
Timothy Daly
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