Dean Cain was born Dean George Tanaka on July 31, 1966, at Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan. His mother, actress Sharon Thomas, later married director Christopher Cain, who adopted him. He attended Santa Monica High School and Princeton University, where he set an NCAA interception record as a college football player.
After Princeton, Cain signed with the Buffalo Bills in 1988, but a knee injury quickly ended his NFL career. He turned to acting, appearing on Beverly Hills, 90210 before landing his signature role in 1993. Cain starred as Clark Kent and Superman on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman for four seasons. He also hosted ABC’s prime-time special Off Camera with Dean Cain during the show’s run.
After Lois & Clark ended in 1997, Cain hosted the TBS revival of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! through 2004. He hosted the reality series 10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty in 2013 and competed on Stars Earn Stripes in 2012. Cain has hosted the annual Hollywood Christmas Parade on The CW multiple times in recent years, most recently in 2024. He has also hosted The CW’s revival of Masters of Illusion since 2014.
