Dean's first film was 1988's
Plain Clothes. He made his big break a year later, cast as a bad ex-boyfriend in
Say Anything... starring
John Cusack. His third film, the 1991 crime drama
Billy Bathgate, cast him in a leading role alongside
Nicole Kidman,
Dustin Hoffman and
Bruce Willis. Dean was lauded for his role as a
cocaine-addicted, has-been movie star who is accidentally re-launched on the road to fame and fortune by a fan in
Starstruck.
Variety noted that Dean "nails his role with precision". He was lauded for his performance as a mysterious small-town psychologist in
Mumford (1999). Much of his acting career has been in supporting roles. His films include
Apollo 13 (1995),
How to Make an American Quilt (1995),
Gattaca (1997),
Enemy of the State (1998), and
Space Cowboys (2000). Dean has appeared in
independent films including
The War Bride and
The Poker Club, and several well-received television
miniseries including
The Bronx Is Burning). He played Russ, the brother of
Temperance "Bones" Brennan on the TV series
Bones. He had a recurring role on the 2010 crime drama
Terriers. In 2011, Dean starred in the made-for-television movie
Who Is Simon Miller? The film, which aired on
NBC, was financed by
Procter & Gamble and
Walmart as one of their quarterly "Family Movie Night" films. Each film is designed to present wholesome values with almost no violence, sex, or drug use. Dean has supported filmmakers behind the scenes as well. In 1999, he was a juror for the third annual Shorts International Film Festival. ==Impersonated by conman==