Dean Cain Came From A ‘Broken Home’ But ‘Learned’ To Be Loving Single Father For His Son

Jun 12, 2022

Dean Cain is an incredibly accomplished man with a long list of talents. He is best known for being an actor, producer, television presenter and he was even a professional football player. However, what catapulted Cain into stardom was when he portrayed the role of Clark Kent and Superman on the TV series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” back in the 1990s.

Cain was born on July 31, 1966, in Mount Clemens, Michigan. His early childhood was not as happy as some may think as his father walked out on his family when he was very young. He is the biological son of Roger Tanaka, a United States serviceman. Cain’s mother Sharon Thomas moved him and his older brother Roger to Los Angeles shortly after Cain was born. In 1969, Thomas married film director Christopher Cain, who went on to adopt Cain and his brother. The couple later welcomed one child together named Krisinda.

Cain went on to participate in sports at Santa Monica High School, which is also where fellow actors Charlie Sheen and Rob and Chad Lowe attended school. It seemed like Cain had a lot of promise as he went on to attend Princeton University in 1984 and joined the prestigious school’s football team.

However, with a turn of the decade came a new career and Cain found himself excelling in the world of acting. It wasn’t long before he became a father and welcomed his first and only child in 2000. Since then, Cain has made sure to prioritize his son, proving that he never wanted to be like his biological father.

While Cain was clearly a very talented football player during his high school and college years, nothing really came of it professionally. He was a free agent with the Buffalo Bills team, but ended up having to end his career prematurely due to an injury, according to ABC News.

Fortunately, Cain had more talents up his sleeve and turned to writing and acting. He started out appearing in some commercials before making small appearances on shows such as “Grapevine,” “A Different World” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

Finally, in 1993, Cain was cast as the leading character in the TV series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.” The series aired a total of four seasons with Cain showing off his impeccable acting skills as Clark Kent and Superman before the show ended in 1997.

Still being known as Superman is something that means a lot to Cain. “That’s a badge of honor for me, I’m very proud of that,” he told ABC News.

The following year, he began producing the series “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” and also worked as the host of the show. The actor was also the host of “10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty.” Cain continued to appear in many films and even made a return to the Superman franchise in a guest role on “Smallville” and “Supergirl.” Rather than sticking to just one character, though, Cain portrayed different characters. He also went on to appear in several holiday films.

It’s evident that Cain has led a very successful career and has taken advantage of plenty of opportunities thrown his way. Although he continued to work, Cain’s focus shifted when he landed his most important role yet: being a father.

Cain has been involved with a few famous women over the years, but has never tied the knot. He dated actress Brooke Shields during the 1980s and professional beach volleyball player and model Gabrielle Reece in 1992. He was engaged to singer Mindy McCready in 1997, but the two split.

According to PEOPLE, Cain endured a difficult custody battle with his ex-girlfriend Samantha Torres in 2003, just a few years after the couple welcomed their son Christopher. However, Cain later assumed sole custody of their son in 2011.

Cain has also kept his arms and his home open to Torres’ two other children, Elijah and Isabelle. “I’d do anything for those two,” he said. “It can be defined as a broken home, but if you hang out at our house that’s the last thing you’ll think.”

Christopher was born on June 11, 2000, and was named after Cain’s adoptive father. It’s clear that their bond is incredibly strong. Wanting to show that he was not like his biological father, Cain has made sure to play a very active role in Christopher’s life. “I’ve learned to make the decisions that put him first,” he explained.

Speaking with ABC News, Cain talked about how proud he is of his son. He said:

“I think he’s pretty proud of dad, but to be honest, I’m pretty proud of him. I think he’s my favorite human being on the planet. My best day would be just to wake up, and me and my son have a great day at home… having no plans and hanging out with my son is my favorite day.”

What do you think about Dean Cain’s approach to being a single father? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends, too.