He played Superman on TV, but in real life Dean Cain became a true hero in his son’s eyes by showing up rather than flying.

From abandoned child to present father

Before he was a household name, Dean Cain knew what it meant to feel unwanted. Born Dean George Tanaka in 1966, his biological father left the family when Dean was still an infant. The pain of that absence shaped him and eventually inspired him to be nothing like the man who left.

When Cain was three, his mother remarried director Christopher Cain, who adopted both Dean and his older brother, Roger. “My biological father is Japanese. I never knew him, never met him,” Cain once told ABC News. He later took the surname Cain from his adoptive father, whose name he proudly carries today.

And when Dean became a father himself in June 2000, he knew exactly the kind of dad he wanted to be — present, devoted, and all in.

“I’m a very present father. I would never do it otherwise.”

After a brief relationship with Samantha Torres, a model and former Playboy Playmate, Cain became a dad to son Christopher, named after the man who raised him.

The couple split in 2003, and after a long custody battle, Cain was awarded sole custody in 2011. Though his romantic relationship with Torres didn’t last, his commitment to fatherhood never wavered.

“My best day would be just to wake up, and I and my son have a great day at home,” Cain shared. “Having no plans and hanging out with my son is my favorite day.”

That devotion came with real sacrifice. At the peak of his fame, Cain turned down lead roles to be there for school pickups, PTA meetings, and coaching his son’s sports teams.

“Stability-wise, this is what’s best for him,” he told Closer Weekly. “I’m blessed to be able to do so many different things and yet still be a father first.”

From TV star to Team Dad

For Cain, the kitchen became a new kind of set. He cooked regularly for Christopher, who insists “Dad’s steaks are better” than any restaurant. Whether cheering from the stands at a Jiu Jitsu tournament or walking his son onto a baseball field, Cain wasn’t just a spectator, he was his son’s biggest fan.

And while others may have seen a “broken home,” Cain sees something else entirely. He’s also close to Torres’ twin children, Elijah and Isabelle, and calls their blended bond beautiful.

“I’d do anything for those two,” he said. “If you hang out at our house, that’s the last thing you’ll think — broken.”

A father first, forever

Now 56, Cain has slowly returned to more demanding roles, only after Christopher graduated high school and headed to High Point University in North Carolina. But make no mistake: acting may have made him famous, but fatherhood gave him purpose.

“He’s my favorite human being on the planet,” Cain said proudly. “And I think he’s pretty proud of Dad, too.”

In a town where fame often comes first, Dean Cain chose family and never looked back.