Hollywood star Dean Cain, 57, is a well-respected and talented actor in the entertainment industry, most notably known for playing the iconic character of Superman in the 90s hit series “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.” His incredible range as a performer has also seen him star opposite Hollywood icon Denzel Washington in the thriller “Out of Time.”

Though this character saw him play a distinctively different persona from the affable ways of Superman/Clark Kent, in many ways, some of the traits of his “Out of Time” character aligned with who he was in real life: a golden boy football player who fell from grace to some degree. Dean was raised in Malibu by a mom who is an actress, Sharon Thomas, and a famous film director, Christopher Cain, who adopted him at the age of 3.

Before becoming an acting star, Dean was a student and star quarterback at Santa Monica High School, who then attended Princeton University. While there, he set NCAA football records and dated Hollywood star Brooke Shields for some time before graduating with a degree in history in 1988.

The “Vendetta” star found his way into acting following a knee injury he sustained in training camp after signing with the Buffalo Bills. Of his original life plan before his injury, Dean divulged:

“My original plan was to play football for 10 years and be a screenwriter. Then, when it was over so quickly, I was sitting at the computer, going, ‘Now, I’ve got to be a screenwriter?’ “

By the time an agent encouraged him to pursue acting full-time, Dean had already been in a film, “Stone Boy,” directed by his father. From there, he garnered guest roles until he scored a big break in one of his most noteworthy shows, “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.”

Though the series was incredibly popular and ultimately catapulted him to stardom, it was canceled after four seasons in 1997. Surprisingly, far from being gutted about the cancelation, Dean thought of it as an opportunity for him to star in big-time movies.

However, his career took him in a different direction when he was cast as the host of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” Backed and supported by his own production company, the series ended up being a lucrative business opportunity.

Just as the show’s success increased, Dean’s romantic life started to heat up. At the time, he had been dating Playboy model Samantha Torres. However, the couple had already broken up by the time Torres discovered she was pregnant with their son.

Dean Cain Fought to Win Sole Custody of His Son and Put His Career Aside to Raise Him

After Torres and Dean’s son, Christopher Cain was born, Dean initially filed for joint custody in December 2001. However, Torres contested the filing, and a nasty legal battle between her and her ex ensued.

Now, the blue-eyed boy is 23 years old and stands taller than his dad, who deems himself the fun parent.

Amid the court battle, allegations centering around claims that Dean abused substances surfaced, though he managed to refute such claims by providing proof of his sobriety. Of the battle he endured with his ex, Dean disclosed:

“I think we fundamentally disagreed on how to do this with a child out of wedlock. And then lawyers got involved…”

Luckily, the two were able to come to some sort of understanding, and both were granted joint custody in May 2003 after a year and a half of back and forth in court. Under this arrangement, Christopher’s time was split equally between his two parents (half a week each).

For “The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy” star, fatherhood means everything and more to him. It’s the one thing in his life he does not doubt that he gives his all to, saying:

“I’m better at being a father than I have been at anything else in my entire life.”

The actor prizes being a devoted father so much so that after he was awarded sole custody of Christopher in 2011, he made many sacrifices to ensure he focused on raising his son to the best of his ability. Last year, Dean opened up about how he turned down significant career opportunities, which included a lucrative job, to be a father to his son:

“It affected my career like I can’t even explain. I turned down being one of, if not the highest-paid actor on television, for a show that ended up going for six years…”

He went on to highlight how incredible and tempting the job contract was but turned it down because he was in the middle of a court dispute over his child with Torres. Thus, it came down to advancing his career and financial pursuits or being a dad.

Given his unrelenting adoration and love for his son, the decision was a no-brainer for Dean, who turned the role down and focused on being a doting dad to Christopher, named after his grandfather. He won sole custody, also partly based on the fact that he and Torress agreed it would be best for their son to be raised in one household.

Dean also expressed how his own childhood experience of being an adoptee influenced his decision to put his career aside and be a dad. Of how his experience shaped his choice, Dean said:

“Nothing in my life has been as big a factor as having my father there to raise me. Fathers in the home is such a huge, important issue here in America and all throughout the world…I would never change what I’ve done in terms of being a father vs. a career.”

Dean Cain Shares His Experience Being a Working and Doting Single Dad

Since prioritizing his life as a father over the advancement of his career, Dean has shared how Christopher has even shaped the jobs he takes as an actor. What stands out is that even though he still had to work (to provide for his son), he selected jobs that wouldn’t take him away from Christopher.

In order to have Christopher with him on set, Dean only pursued faith-based and family movies for a while. One particular film, “God’s Not Dead,” had a powerful impact on his son and his classmates. According to the actor:

“The whole school went and watched it, and it had an effect on all the kids. It really did. This is powerful.”

Although the single-father lifestyle comes with its fair share of challenges, with Dean citing the sometimes complex nature of rushing between working on set, attending PTA meetings, and arranging field trips, he wouldn’t trade it for the world. The doting dad has learned how to balance and make decisions that always place Christopher, whom he calls his favorite person on the entire planet, first.

Now, the blue-eyed boy is 23 years old and stands taller than his dad, who deems himself the fun parent. Christopher also has half-siblings, Isabelle and Elijah, whom he often sees when they visit him, and Dean.