Ron Dean, the veteran actor whose rugged, everyman presence made him a staple of Chicago-based cinema in the 1980s and beyond, has died. He was 89.

Dean passed away Sunday at a hospital in Chicago, his longtime partner Maggie Neff confirmed to TMZ. The cause of death has not yet been determined, but Neff said Dean had been battling a long illness.

“He passed at exactly 4 PM, after his beloved sisters had said their goodbyes,” Neff shared. “He hung on like a warrior to say goodbye to his little sisters. Then we were alone, and in my arms, I held his hand, and he trusted me when I told him that it was alright to let go. What an honor!”

Dean, born in Chicago on August 15, 1938, was a longtime character actor known for portraying gritty, authentic figures—often cops, blue-collar men, or authority types—throughout a career that spanned more than four decades. Dean’s breakthrough came in the early 1980s with his role as a detective in Risky Business, opposite Tom Cruise.

Just two years later, he appeared in The Breakfast Club, where he played Mr. Clark, the stern and demanding father of Emilio Estevez’s character. His knack for delivering grounded, realistic performances made him a familiar face in major Hollywood productions. Over the years, he reunited with Tom Cruise in The Color of Money and Cocktail, and became a regular collaborator with director Andrew Davis, appearing in films such as The Fugitive, Code of Silence, and Above the Law.

A proud Chicago native, Dean often worked on projects set in his hometown, becoming part of the city’s filmmaking identity. His filmography also includes appearances in Rudy, The Babe, The Client, and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. On television, he appeared in dozens of shows, including Frasier, The West Wing, Six Feet Under, CSI, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D. He also had a recurring role as Detective Zeke Crumb on the late-1990s series Early Edition, further cementing his connection to Chicago-based productions.

Dean’s stage career was just as active; he worked frequently in the Chicago theater scene and received a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination in 1996 for his performance in Supple in Combat at Steppenwolf Theatre. Colleagues remembered him as a reliable, down-to-earth professional whose authenticity elevated every project he joined.

Dean’s final screen role came in 2016 on Chicago P.D., a fitting close to a career built around his hometown. To both audiences and peers, he embodied the working-class toughness and quiet dignity that defined many of his characters, leaving behind a body of work that celebrated the heart and grit of Chicago itself.

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