Ron Dean, the veteran character actor known for roles in 'The Fugitive', 'The Breakfast Club', and three Tom Cruise films, has died at the age of 87. His friend, director Andrew Davis, confirmed that Dean died on October 5, but did not provide a cause or location of death.
Born in Chicago on August 15, 1938, Dean often portrayed tough-guy types and police officers. He began his screen career in the mid-1970s and gained momentum in 1983 with a small role in Cruise's breakout film 'Risky Business'. He later appeared in 'The Color of Money' (1986) and 'Cocktail' (1988), playing Cruise's uncle in the latter.
Dean's notable film credits include John Hughes' 'The Breakfast Club' (1985), where he played Emilio Estevez's father, and Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight' (2008) as Detective Wuertz. He also appeared in 'Nothing in Common' (1986), 'Teachers' (1984), and 'Rudy' (1993).
On television, Dean recurred on 'Frasier' as Frank Collins, a police officer and poker buddy of Martin Crane, and on 'Early Edition'. He also guest-starred on 'ER', 'NYPD Blue', 'The West Wing', and 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'. His final screen credit was a 2016 episode of 'Chicago P.D.'
Andrew Davis, who cast Dean in seven of his films, said: 'Ron Dean was my dear friend and a tremendous actor. He was the essence of what Chicago talent represented.' Dean's longtime partner, Maggie Neff, remembered him as an extraordinary human being who would rather share a hot dog than a fancy dinner.
