James Van Der Beek, who played the titular Dawson Leery on Kevin Williamson’s WB hit Dawson’s Creek and also starred in Varsity Blues, The Rules of Attraction and other films and TV shows, died Wednesday after a long battle with colorectal cancer. He was 48. His family confirmed the news on social media.
Van Der Beek had revealed his cancer diagnosis in November 2024.
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“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” the family wrote on Instagram. “He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
Van Der Beek said in November that he was auctioning memorabilia from Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues to offset costs while going through cancer treatment. Two months earlier, he had dropped out of a one-night Dawson’s Creek reunion to benefit F Cancer and Van der Beek. Lin-Manuel Miranda took his place for the live stage reading of the show’s pilot episode.
The actor also had been set for a recurring role as a mayoral candidate in Prime Video’s upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series Elle.
Born on March 8, 1977 in Cheshire, CT, Van Der Beek made his professional debut at age 16. He played Fergus off Broadway in Edward Albee’s Finding the Sun with Albee himself directing. Years later, after toplining hit movies and TV shows, Van Der Beek said he was always “a theater kid” at heart.
But TV beckoned, and in 1997, he landed Dawson’s Creek.
The series launched the careers of Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams. Jackson, who tried out for the role of Dawson as well as the part he eventually landed (Pacey), later likened the auditioning process to The Hunger Games.
Dawson’s Creek became a phenomenon, debuting in January 1998 to the WB’s highest-ever ratings. It quickly became the top-rated show on television among teenage girls, and the most popular program on The WB. It ran from 1998-2003 and was syndicated worldwide. Netflix picked it up in 2020, introducing it to a whole new generation of fans.
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Van Der Beek said recently that part of his inspiration for Dawson came from The Phantom of the Opera.
“Now, nobody in their right mind would ever draw a parallel between the two,” he joked, “but one very big similarity between Dawson and the Phantom of the Opera is that both of them were faced with the reality that the woman they loved truly loved somebody else and said: ‘Go to him. Go to him now before I change my mind.'”
He was referring, of course, to the show’s angsty love triangle in which Van Der Beek’s Dawson and Joshua Jackson’s Pacey famously vied for Joey (Holmes) before Dawson stepped out of the way.
In 1999, as his TV career blossomed, Van Der Beek toplined the film Varsity Blues, a high school football drama that also featured Jon Voight, Amy Smart, Ali Larter, Scott Caan and Paul Walker. Three years later, at the height of his Dawson’s fame, the actor starred in The Rules of Attraction, a black comedy based on Brett Easton Ellis’ book. Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, Kate Bosworth and Kip Pardue were among the cast. Although neither was a breakout hit at the time, both films have become cult classics of a sort that capture a specific era.
Van Der Beek’s dozen of credits also include a starring role opposite Patricia Arquette on the CBS spinoff CSI: Cyber, which aired two seasons in 2015-16, and playing a fictionalized version of himself in ABC’s Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, which starred Krysten Ritter and ran from 2012-14.
He also voiced Boris Hauntley, a B&B owner and father of the titular character on Disney Channel’s Vampirina, appearing in most of that animated children’s series’ episodes over three seasons from 2017-21. Van Der Beek recurred as the chief ICU doctor on NBC’s 2009-10 drama Mercy and starred briefly as the titular DJ on the one-season Viceland comedy What Would Diplo Do? in 2017.
Van Der Beek’s other television credits include hosting Saturday Night Live in 1999, an arc as a film director during Season 6 of One Tree Hill and several TV movies. He also guested on such series as Modern Family, Walker, How I Met Your Mother, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Medium, Ugly Betty, Criminal Minds, Robot Chicken and soap All the World Turns.
Among his big-screen credits are Harvest, Bad Hair, Downsizing, Labor Day, Final Draft and playing himself in Kevin James’ Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back and Jay & Silent Bob Reboot.
Survivors include his wife of more than 25 years, Kimberly, and their four daughters and two sons. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with his family’s living expenses.
“I don’t want to wait for our lives to be over”
This song is more poignant than ever
So sad. Rest in peace.
He was a kind man.
I was fortunate to meet him twice. One was in LA in 2006 and another time in Utah in 2019 or 2020. He was so friendly. I told him how much I LOVED “What Would Diplo Do?” and he said that was a fun role.
He’ll be sorely missed.
Heartbreaking news and such a tremendous loss to his wife and kids, family and friends at such a young age. I will always remember that opening Paula Cole song at the top of Dawson’s Creek. Love!! Versatile actor and classic 90’s/2000’s icon. Much love to all who had the privilege of knowing him.
James came to Kansas City many times to support a fundraiser for our local children’s hospital cancer center. He was always kind, patient and present. It’s a sad, sad loss for his family and friends.