Veteran actor Ron Dean, known for “The Breakfast Club” and “Risky Business,” dies after long illness

Ron Dean, an actor famous for his roles in The Breakfast Club and Risky Business, has died. He was 87 years old at the time of his death. His longtime partner, Maggie Neff, announced that the actor passed away on October 5, 2025, via a statement.

She stated that the legendary actor passed away after hearing his sisters say their goodbyes:

“He passed at exactly 4 pm, after his beloved sisters had said their goodbyes. 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!“

Neff didn’t reveal the actor’s cause of death, but TMZ reported that Dean passed away suddenly in a hospital in Chicago. 

More details about Ron Dean, The Breakfast Club actor, who passed away at 87

The Chicago-born actor began his career by playing roles of cops and military officers. His most popular role in this stereotype was the character Detective Marion Zeke Crumb in the television series Early Edition.
 

The DeKalb School of the Arts alumnus played one of his earliest roles alongside Tom Cruise. Other notable movie roles he played included The Package with Tommy Lee Jones and Gene Hackman and Andy in John Hughes' The Breakfast Club. He also worked in T.J. Hooker alongside William Shatner.
 

He appeared frequently in movies by Andrew Davis, including: The Guardian, Chain Reaction, Steal Big Steal Little, Above the Law, Code of Silence and The Fugitive. Some of his television series credits include NYPD Blue, Murder, She Wrote, Frasier, Without a Trace, Still Standing, Cold Case, ER, Chicago Hope,  Numb3rs, The West Wing, and CSI.

Andrew Davis described the late actor as a “dear friend” and a “tremendous actor” in a statement:

"Ron Dean was my dear friend and a tremendous actor. He was the essence of what Chicago talent represented. Having a very troubled youth, Ron turned his life around to have a wonderful career as a loving, decent human being and respected talent.” 

His final acting appearance was in 2016 in the Chicago P.D. series.

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