For many people, having an involved father can be one of the most important parts of growing up. A parent who shows up, listens, encourages, and remains present through the difficult moments can leave a lasting impression on a child.
For actor Dean Cain, that idea carried a particularly personal meaning.
Cain knew what it was like to grow up without a relationship with his biological father. So when he eventually became a father himself, he made a decision that would shape much of his life: he would be there for his own son in a way his biological father had never been there for him.
For Cain, that commitment became more important than career opportunities, fame or the demands of Hollywood.
At times, it meant turning down work.
It meant rearranging his professional life.
And ultimately, it meant putting fatherhood first.
From Football Dreams to Superman
Dean Cain became a familiar face to television audiences, particularly after landing the role of Superman in the hit 1993 series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.”But acting was not originally the career he had imagined for himself.
Cain had wanted to become a professional football player.
His athletic ambitions were eventually cut short by a knee injury, forcing him to reconsider his future. It was during this period that he turned his attention toward acting.
The decision changed the course of his life.
After his breakthrough on “Lois & Clark,” Cain went on to take on numerous leading roles and became a recognizable presence on television and in film. He also worked as a host, writer, producer, director and political analyst.
But behind the career was a personal story that would strongly influence the kind of father he wanted to become.
A Father He Never Knew
Cain was born Dean George Tanaka on July 31, 1966, in Michigan.His biological parents were Sharon Tanaka and Roger Tanaka.
But his relationship with his biological father was essentially nonexistent.
Cain’s biological father left the family after only two years of marriage to his mother.
When Dean was three years old, his mother remarried.
She married director Christopher Cain, who legally adopted Dean and his brother.
Dean eventually took the surname Cain.
When asked about his biological father, Cain was direct about the absence of that relationship.
“My biological father is Japanese. I never knew him, never met him,” he said.
According to the account, Roger Tanaka later remarried in 1982 but apparently never attempted to rebuild a relationship with his two sons.
For Cain, that absence became an important part of his own understanding of fatherhood.
He knew what it felt like not to have his biological father involved in his life.
And when he eventually had a child of his own, he was determined not to repeat that experience.
