Dean Cain: Ex-Superman actor to join ICE – marriage status, Japanese ancestry and net worth revealed
Former Superman actor Dean Cain has revealed he is planning to become a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, pledging to be sworn in “asap” after backing the agency’s recruitment drive.
Cain, who played the iconic superhero in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman between 1993 and 1997, told Fox News: “I put out a recruitment video yesterday – I’m actually a sworn deputy sheriff and a reserve police officer – I wasn’t part of ICE, but once I put that out there and you put a little blurb on your show, it went crazy.”
“So now I’ve spoken with some officials over at ICE, and I will be sworn in as an ICE agent asap. People have to step up. I’m stepping up. Hopefully a whole bunch of other former officers, former ICE agents will step up, and we’ll meet those recruitment goals immediately and we’ll help protect this country.”
His announcement comes as ICE ramps up its recruitment efforts, following the Trump administration’s push to double the agency’s personnel to 40,000. The agency, which enforces immigration laws and deportations, says it has already received more than 80,000 applications after offering recruitment bonuses of up to $50,000 and student loan assistance.
Who is Dean Cain?
Cain, now 58, is a former professional football player, a Princeton University graduate with a degree in history, and a single father. Born Dean George Tanaka, he is of mixed race – his biological father was Japanese. After his mother remarried, he took on the surname Cain.
“My biological father is Japanese. I never knew him, never met him,” Cain once shared. “My original given name was Tanaka, but when my mom remarried when I was 4, I took his name, which is Cain.”
Before becoming an actor, Cain briefly signed with the Buffalo Bills in the late 1980s, but a knee injury ended his football career.
He has never been married and is a devoted father to his son, Christopher. “I’ve never been married, never ever,” Cain told ABC News. “I think he’s my favourite human being on the planet.”
Off-screen, Cain is also a self-taught cook and often speaks about his love of making meals for his son. “I cook every meal for my child. If I don’t cook, he doesn’t eat,” he joked.
Cain has long supported conservative causes and law enforcement. He is known for his appearances on right-leaning media and has previously expressed support for stronger immigration enforcement.
What is Dean Cain’s net worth?
As of 2025, Dean Cain has an estimated net worth of $10 million. His earnings stem from decades in the entertainment industry as an actor, director, and producer, best known for Lois & Clark but also appearing in Las Vegas, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and a range of TV films.