Ron Dean

Ronald Charles Dean (August 15, 1938 – October 5, 2025) was an American film and television actor. He appeared in films including Risky Business, The Breakfast Club, Cocktail, The Babe, The Fugitive, Rudy, The Client, and The Dark Knight. He is known for having often played detectives and other law-enforcement characters, most notably as Det. Marion Zeke Crumb in the fantasy comedy-drama television series Early Edition.

Background

Dean was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 15, 1938. He attended DeKalb School of the Arts. He died at a hospital in Chicago on October 5, 2025, at the age of 87.

Career

Dean's early films included The Last Affair (1976) and Continental Divide (1981). He appeared in three films starring Tom Cruise: Risky Business (1983), The Color of Money (1986), and Cocktail (1988). Other films include Teachers (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Code of Silence (1985), Nothing in Common (1986), Above the Law (1988), The Babe (1992), The Fugitive (1993), Rudy (1993), The Client (1994), Eye for an Eye (1996), Chain Reaction (1996), The Guardian (2006), and The Dark Knight (2008).

His television roles included guest appearances in T. J. Hooker, Wiseguy, Perfect Strangers, NYPD Blue, Murder, She Wrote, ER, The West Wing, Chicago Hope, Without a Trace, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Cold Case, Still Standing, Numb3rs, Six Feet Under, Chicago P.D., as well as recurring roles playing Seattle cop Frank Collins in Frasier, Det.

Marion Zeke Crumb in Early Edition, and Commanding Chief Fire Marshal of the CFD's Office of Fire Investigations James Whoritsky in Chicago Fire.

Select filmography

Film

• 1976 — The Last Affair — David
• 1981 — Continental Divide — Plesko
• 1983 — Risky Business — Detective With Bullhorn
• 1983 — The Big Score — Kowalski
• 1984 — Teachers — Guard
• 1985 — The Breakfast Club — Mr. Clark, Andy's Father
• 1985 — Code of Silence — Detective Brennan
• 1986 — Nothing in Common — Ed Bedsole
• 1986 — The Color of Money — Guy In Crowd
• 1987 — Big Shots — Policeman #2
• 1987 — Light of Day — Mourner
• 1988 — Above the Law — Detective Lukich
• 1988 — Cocktail — Uncle Pat
• 1989 — The Package — Karl Richards
• 1992 — The Babe — Umpire Owens
• 1993 — The Fugitive — Detective Kelly
• 1993 — Rudy — Coach Yonto
• 1994 — The Client — Johnny "Uncle Johnny" Sulari
• 1994 — House of Angels – The Second Summer — Sven Pettersson
• 1995 — Steal Big Steal Little — Nick's Boy
• 1996 — Eye for an Eye — Detective At McCann House
• 1996 — Chain Reaction — Sergeant Nick Zingaro
• 1997 — Chicago Cab — Old Snack Trucker
• 2006 — The Guardian — Navy Captain
• 2008 — The Dark Knight — Detective Wuertz
• 2012 — One Small Hitch — Art Burke

Television

• 1985–1986 — Lady Blue — Sergeant Gino Gianelli — Main cast
• 1985 — T. J. Hooker — Detective #2 — Episode: "The Chicago Connection"
• 1986–1987 — Crime Story — Chief Kramer — Recurring role, 9 episodes
• 1988 — Wiseguy — Detective Mulcahy — Episode: "Phantom Pain"
• 1990 — DEA — Detective Tom Neally — Episode: "America's War on Drugs"
• 1991 — Perfect Strangers — Fire Chief Newton — Episode: "Great Balls of Fire"
• 1992 — Angel Street — Detective Branigan — Main cast, 4 episodes (4 unaired)
• 1993 — Flying Blind — John Doe — Episode: "The Spy Who Came in from the Old"
• 1994–1998 — Frasier — Frank — 3 episodes
• 1994–2004 — NYPD Blue — Joe Brockhurst / Vincent Mackie — 5 episodes
• 1995 — Pig Sty — Tony Falcone — Episode: "The Maltese Falcone"
• 1995 — Murder, She Wrote — Lieutenant Shawn Reilly — Episode: "Unwilling Witness"
• 1996 — Life's Work — Mr. Zafrani — 2 episodes
• 1996–2000 — Early Edition — Detective Marion "Zeke" Crumb — Recurring role, 17 episodes
• 1998 — ER — Uncle Joey — Episode: "The Good Fight"
• 1999 — Chicago Hope — Baseball Scout — Episode: "Vigilance and Care"
• 2001 — What About Joan? — Mr. Howard Evans — Episode: "Joan Meets the Parents"
• 2001 — Special Unit 2 — Police Captain — 2 episodes
• 2002 — Raising Dad — Mr. Zafrani — Episode: "The House of Stewart"
• 2004 — The West Wing — Tom Broderick — Episode: "Full Disclosure"
• 2004 — Wild Things 2 — Judge Ruben — Television film
• 2004 — Without a Trace — Willie — Episode: "Legacy"
• 2004 — CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — Woody — Episode: "Turn of the Screws"
• 2004–2006 — Still Standing — "Slim" Callahan — 2 episodes
• 2005 — Numb3rs — Peter Watson — Episode: "Dirty Bomb"
• 2005 — Six Feet Under — Karl Holzenchenko — Episode: "Eat a Peach"
• 2005 — Cold Case — Troy Cage In 2005 — Episode: "Colors"
• 2009 — The Beast — Petransky — 1 episode
• 2012–2013 — Chicago Fire — James Whoritsky — 3 episodes
• 2015 — Sense8 — "Duke" — Episode: "I Am Also a We"
• 2016 — Chicago P.D. — Ray Sharansky — Episode: "In a Duffel Bag"