Dean Cain became a household name for his role as Superman in the 1993 TV series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

However, the famous actor was even a bigger hero in his real, and put his career aside, dedicating his life to raising his son, Christopher.

The sportsman turned actor had a good reason for his decision, and it all goes back to his childhood.

Dean Cain Grew Up Without A Father

The son of actress Sharon Tanaka and Roger Tanaka was born on July 31, 1966, in Mount Clemens, Michigan.

His father married his mother for two years before leaving her with a newborn Dean. When Sharon remarried, Dean was around 4, and the stepfather, director Christopher Cain, adopted him and his brother Roger.

The biological father never contacted Dean or Roger.

He swore he would not put his future children through fatherless life.

After an injury, Dean replaced sport with acting and had many gorgeous ladies around him. All that changed, but the actor is happy and content with his life.

In June 2000, Cain became a dad, as his girlfriend at the time, Samantha Torres. The couple did not last and were separated by 2003.

Their bitter custody battle did not end until 2011 when Dean Cain was granted full custody over Christopher.

Becoming A Single Parent

The actor named his son in honor of his stepfather. He was determined to raise Christopher and fought tooth and nail with his ex, Playboy Playmate, and Spanish model Samantha Torres.

Dean Cain became the father he always wanted to be and shared with ABC:

"I cook every meal for my child. If I don't cook, he doesn't eat. I cook a very mean steak. I'm also very good at taking the nine leftovers I have and turning them into something."

As he explained, in the past decade and a half, he was a father first and actor second.

The Superman star is more proud of being known as Superdad. He is present in Christopher's life and never misses his Jujitsu events. Cain was even his football, basketball, and baseball coach.

The Unbreakable Bond

Not many Hollywood celebrities would willingly put parenting first, which is especially true for male actors. But, Dean has no regrets, as he said:

"I'm there. I'm a very present father, and I would never do it otherwise. People are, like, 'Haven't you been aspiring for anything?' Yeah, I've aspired for a life!"

The hands-on dad still managed to become a movie star, but his son always comes first:

"I think he's pretty proud of Dad, but to be honest, I'm pretty proud of him. I think he's my favorite human being on the planet."

Superhero, With Or Without The Cape

Cain calls his son his favorite human. The two have lunch dates and often travel together. He made sure that his son did not go through the pain he went through by not knowing his father.

Though Christopher is all grown up, their bond only grows stronger. While being a single parent is challenging, Cain found a balance and kept working as a writer for shows like Believe It or Not and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. He appeared in movies The Broken Hearts Club, Out of Time, etc.

Cain was also in the series Supergirl and The Platform.

Christopher and his half-siblings, Torres's twins Elijah and Isabelle, also have a fantastic relationship, and Dean adores the twins:

"I'd do anything for those two … It can be defined as a broken home, but if you hang out at our house, that's the last thing you'll think."

The exes overcame their issues and are giving the new generations a healthy start in life. Cain, who has a bachelor's degree in history from Princeton University, is someone all parents should look up to.