Why Dean Cain Gave Up His Career To Raise His Son Alone
Emily Baldwin We may know Dean Cain as “Superman” from the 1993 hit series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.” However, many of us are unaware that in real life, Cain was a Super Dad.
The actor made numerous sacrifices throughout his son’s childhood, including turning down many lead roles so that he could put all of his focus into raising him and being there for him in every way he could.
Dean Cain’s biological father abandoned him when he was young.
The 56-year-old’s dedication to being the best father stemmed all the way back to his childhood after his own father disappeared from the picture.
The actor was born Dean George Tanaka on July 31, 1966, in Mount Clemens, Michigan to actress Sharon Tanaka and Roger Tanaka.
That same year, Roger abandoned his family just two years after marrying Sharon. When Cain was three years old, his mother re-married director Christopher Cain who adopted him and his brother, Roger.
Cain had never met his biological father and later changed the surname on his birth certificate to match that of his adoptive father.
"My biological father is Japanese. I never knew him, never met him,” he told ABC News. “My original given name was Tanaka, but when my mom remarried when I was 4, I took his name, which is Cain.”
He eventually learned that his father remarried a woman named Grace Southard in 1982 and together they started a family. He never made an effort to contact his first biological sons.
Cain’s father’s actions inspired him to never go down the path that he went and when he had his own children, to always remain by their side.
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Cain became a father in June 2000.
In June 2000, he welcomed his first child with his girlfriend at the time, Playboy Playmate and Spanish model Samantha Torres.
The two had a son, whom Cain named after his adoptive father. Unfortunately, Cain’s relationship with Torres was nowhere near as strong as the bond he had with his son and the two split up in 2003, resulting in a grueling custody battle of their son, Christopher. The father assumed sole custody in 2011.
Cain committed himself entirely to raising Christopher and being the most present dad he could.
Calling his son his “favorite human being on the planet,” he says that he is proud to be his father.
"I think he's pretty proud of Dad, but to be honest, I'm pretty proud of him,” the doting father shares. “My best day would be just to wake up, and I and my son have a great day at home ... having no plans and hanging out with my son is my favorite day."
Cain regularly cooks for Christopher, joking that he will not eat unless his meal is prepared by Dad. "We'll go to a steak restaurant and sit down and have a steak, and my son will go, 'Dad, your steaks are better!'" the actor says.
Cain has prided himself on putting fatherhood before his career 100% of the time. Being a father meant that Cain started turning down many lead roles between going from work to PTA meetings and field trips.
He also wanted to be cheering his son on from the sidelines at his Jujitsu events and coach his football, baseball, and basketball teams.
“Stability-wise this is what’s best for him,” Cain said of his son. "I'm there. I'm a very present father, and I would never do it otherwise,” he told Closer Weekly. "I'm blessed to be able to have the ability to do so many different things and yet still be a father first."
Related Stories From YourTango:Cain only resumed picking up more demanding roles after Christopher graduated high school and did not depend on his father as much. When the time was approaching for Christopher to head off to college at High Point University in North Carolina, Cain admitted that he was going to be “a wreck” to the hosts of “The Talk.”
In addition to pushing his career aside to raise Christoper, Cain also says that he is close with his half-siblings, Torres’ twins, Elijah and Isabelle, who often drop by Cain’s house to see him and their brother.
"I'd do anything for those two,” he admits. “It can be defined as a broken home, but if you hang out at our house, that's the last thing you'll think."
Although the well-known actor has a stellar record of breakout roles and popular shows and movies, his greatest pride and favorite title will always be Father.
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Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.
