Dean Cain — The Superman Who Became a Super Dad
Having a loving father plays a huge role in how secure and confident a child grows up to be. For actor Dean Cain, that lesson came from absence — his own father walked out when he was just two years old. So when Dean became a dad himself, he made a promise: he would do everything differently.
Known to millions as Superman in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Dean Cain was one of the most recognizable faces on television. But behind the fame was a man determined to build a very different life from the one he grew up in.
Born Dean George Tanaka in Michigan in 1966, Dean’s childhood wasn’t easy. His biological father, Roger Tanaka, left the family early, and Dean was raised by his mother, Sharon, who later married filmmaker Christopher Cain. Christopher adopted Dean and his brother, giving them not just a new name but also a new start.
Dean never met his biological father. “My biological father is Japanese. I never knew him, never met him,” he once said. Instead, he honored his stepfather by taking his last name — a name he would later pass down to his own son.
Before acting, Dean had dreams of becoming a professional football player, but a serious knee injury ended that path. Turning to acting, he quickly rose to fame, but true success for him came years later — not on screen, but at home.