I agree with you 100%, nikkiten1917! Dean Cain is not to be recognized as neither East Asian nor White, but as a mixed
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MissMellieY — 15 years ago(October 13, 2010 04:40 PM)
Why in heaven's name should the Clooneys be "forthcoming" about their Hispanic roots? They don't HAVE Hispanic roots for the most part. The only Clooneys with Hispanic roots are the actual children of Rosemary Clooney, who was married to Jose Ferrer. HER children have Hispanic roots and they don't deny that. As for the Sheens, Martin changed his name when he started acting (at a time when that was not an unusual thing to do.) Charlie followed in his footsteps and uses Sheen but Emilio uses Estevez. No hiding there. Sheesh.
"A man's kiss is his signature" Mae West -
MariMcCabe — 17 years ago(October 14, 2008 10:24 PM)
^Evidence? Right, I didn't think so. I can't believe you read all that information and you say he's white washed
(well, assuming that you DID read it
).
Dean is in the 'Rock the APIA Vote' PSA ad (The Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote).
juicy-flawless.org -
Batwoman_the_Crimson_Avenger — 17 years ago(October 16, 2008 09:28 PM)
Dean was adopted by his step dad before he was in kindergarten. His parents changed his name, not him.
If you read interviews he's done, you'd know why he doesn't change it back to Tanaka. He biological dad left his mom before he was born. He step dad was and IS his dad. He's not keeping the Cain name out of shame for his Asian heritage, it's out of respect for the man that raised him. -
MariMcCabe — 17 years ago(October 18, 2008 03:40 PM)
Exactly.
Barack Obama's father never raised him, but he still kept his name. Barack isn't afraid of his roots, too bad Dean Cain is denying is.
Good lord. That's because Barack's Indonesia stepfather didn't adopted him for him to have been given
his
last name! My goodness, use some common sense.
juicy-flawless.org -
MariMcCabe — 17 years ago(October 31, 2008 10:59 PM)
He looks Asian to me. Darker skin, his eyes, just everything about his face. Not as obvious as fellow Superman character Kristin Kruek who plays Lana Lang on Smallville for example, but I think its obvious he isn't completely white either. More so when he was younger (look at his toddler pictures!) though his older brother looks much more Asian than he does.
juicy-flawless.org -
MariMcCabe — 17 years ago(November 28, 2008 09:22 PM)
For the still detractors/nay sayers, here in this interview he refers to himself as an Asian American
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/5552/texts/angrydragon.txt
The films he and his partner, Mike Carr a former Princeton football player like
himself want to make, look set to take him straight into the heart of this region.
"Well, I am Asian," explains the quarter-Japanese, "so I am inclined to those kind of
things in terms of locale and content."
He has never been to Japan or Asia but hopes that the work will eventually get him
there. Funding a couple of Hongkong action flicks is on the cards as well.
juicy-flawless.org -
popsicle820 — 17 years ago(November 29, 2008 09:11 PM)
The reason Dean is not that explicit about his Asian roots is because he has never been in contact with that part of his family. I don't think he ignores it or is ashamed of it. He does acknowleges that it is a big factor in the way he looks. So please don't say he's a238shamed because that is such a terrible thing to say!
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MariMcCabe — 17 years ago(December 26, 2008 12:58 AM)
^He only recently met his grandfather. I think his grandmother passed away. Even though his father was a terrible person (committed adultery, fathered several other children with two other women afterward) his heritage from that side of his family is impossible to ignore (look at him and his brother, who looks more Asian than he does, despite not being as dark as he is). Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten his birth name 'Tanaka' as a tattoo on his ankle.
This has probably already been said, but he plays a Japanese father in 'Crossroads' (in fact the main picture you see when you search for Dean Cain on IMDb) which was based on a true story.
He auditioned for the role of Chris Harrison in 'Out of Time' with Denzel Washington and Sanaa Lathan. This was the casting call
www.aarising.com/ - 17k - 25 May 2002
AArisings: Da Asian Pacific American Entertainment Resource
CASTING SEARCH!!! For the MGM feature "Out of Time" from director Carl Franklin and starring Denzel Washington.
Seeking: Funny, Asian or Latin character actor, 35 or older.
Film shoots 13 days from mid-June through August in Miami. Seeking recommendations from Theatre companies. Please OVERNIGHT a picture/resume or, if possible, request scenes and actors can put themselves on tape. Contact us at 323/782-8744 or by email at malifinncasting@hotmail.com. Mark the envelope "OUT OF TIME" casting and forward ASAP to: Mali Finn Casting, 303 N. Sweetzer Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90048.
So obviously he felt he was Asian enough to try out LOL.
juicy-flawless.org -
BubbaFish — 17 years ago(January 31, 2009 05:59 PM)
All I have to say to the people out there who can't possibly live their lives without analyzing others and trying desperately to find flaws, all I have to say to you is that whenever you get the feeling of starting a new pathetic whiny thread like this one take a look at Dean Cain's happy face pictures. The guy is rich and famous, and he's got more to live for then any of you sorry-a$$e$. If you don't like your life, don't take it on others. It will only backfire even more.
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sagatorel — 17 years ago(March 04, 2009 04:59 PM)
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72187673.html?dids=72187673:72187673&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=SEP+23%2C+1993&author=Tom+Shales&pub=The+Washingt5b4on+Post&desc=It's+a+Bird!+It's+a+Plane!+It's+a+Hunk!%3B+`Lois+%26+Clark's'+Dean+Cain%2C+Flying+the+Friendly+Skies&pqatl=google
Interview from above 1993
"I'm mostly Welsh, and then one-quarter Japanese, Irish and French Canadian," Cain says
He said his mother, Sharon Thomas is Welsh. -
resilient_little_sprout — 16 years ago(August 15, 2009 01:26 PM)
I have noticed in the American media they refer to Dean Cain as though he is just a white man
When has the American media ever refered to him as "just a white man?"
Your phrase "just a white man" sounds racist.
but he's not he is an Asian American.
Says who? Who decides who is Asian, who is white, who is black, etc? He's multiracial and multiethnic. H2000e's French-Canadian American, Irish American, Welsh-American and Japanese American. You're trying to box him into one neat little category despite his diverse background. Why, I don't know.
Perhaps a Hollywood agent told him to just say he is a white man?
When has he ever refered to himself as "just a white man?" Provide a quote.
Even if he did "ignore his Asian roots" I wouldn't blame him for doing so. His 1/2 Japanese father abandoned his mother while he was in the womb, so it isn't as though we should expect him to have a strong connection to Asian culture. There's also the sad fact that in Hollywood, Asian men aren't considered leading man material. It is stupid, but true. I'm not saying he denies his Asian roots, but he obviously doesn't go around proclaiming his Asianness from the rooftops. When people have to constantly announce their affiliation with a particular race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc it makes them seem totally insecure about who they are. -
AnnaFuji — 16 years ago(August 27, 2009 07:33 AM)
I don't think he's denying his roots.
First, he has a tatoo on his ankle in KANJI of TANAKA, his father's name.
Here you go :
http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoo/celeb-cain.htm
Second, when Dean Cain started his own production company, he named it "Angry Dragon Entertainment", an obvious allusion to his Asian heritage.
Do you really still think he is ashamed?
If I had to pick one an asian celebritie ashamed of his heritage it would be Kristin Kreuk . She has NEVER talked about it whereas her mother is FULL chinese. -
Frumious_Bandersnatch_46 — 15 years ago(July 08, 2010 06:24 PM)
First and foremost:
How do you really
know
that he ignores his Asian roots?
It's been said that the tattoo on his ankle (in Katakana characters) is his original last name, Tanaka.
Just how much feeling to you think
you
could muster for a father who abandoned your family before you were born?
Secondly:
As he was officially adopted by his stepfather, his official last name is
Cain
every bit as much as his official first name is
Dean
.
Thirdly:
I've never heard him say anything about his ethnicity, one way or the other. However, that may be me; I don't go about looking into someone's ethnic background.
Again: Where did you find his denial of his Asian heritage?
Last, but not least:
I didn't realize that being able to tell that someone is part Asian is such a rare talent. Is this something innate or can one develop this rare insight?
"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things,"
Of atoms, stars and nebul, of entropy and genes. -
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Monarch_311 — 15 years ago(March 12, 2011 01:07 AM)
I have noticed in the American media they refer to Dean Cain as though he is just a white man but he's not he is an Asian American. Dean's biological father is a Japanese man and his real last name isn't Cain it's Tanaka. Perhaps a Hollywood agent told him to just say he is a white man? Because by looking at Dean I can clearly tell he is part Asian.
You're wrong on both accounts. The American media does not refer to Dean Cain as just a white man, and if you insist on saying they do, prove it. I have never heard anyone in the American (or foreign, for that matter) media refer to him as solely a European American. The problem you have is that they don't apparently go out of the way to stress his Asian heritage. Well, that's your problem.
You also don't have any idea what you are talking about when you refer to his "real last name." His real last name is the name he chose to take and legally go by. Period. Does it also upset you Henry Rollins no longer goes by Henry Garfield? Get over yourself.
Epic Fail: The highest form of fail known to man
http://headexplode.net/topic/386/