James Van Der Beek, ‘Dawson’s Creek’ star, dies at 48 after cancer battle

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: James Van Der Beek, the actor who rose to fame as Dawson Leery on the hit teen drama 'Dawson’s Creek', died on Wednesday, February 11, at 48.

“He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, wrote on Instagram. “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,” she added.

In November 2024, Van Der Beek revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. He said at the time that he had been undergoing treatment privately while focusing on his health and family.

“I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before,” he wrote in a November 3 Instagram post. “Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support.”

He later chronicled parts of his cancer journey on social media, often expressing gratitude for his wife and their six children.

James Van Der Beek became the face of the teen drama era

Van Der Beek became a household name in 1998 when 'Dawson’s Creek' premiered on The WB.

The coming-of-age series, set in a fictional Massachusetts seaside town, followed the emotional entanglements of Dawson and his close-knit group of friends, played by Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson.

The show ran for six seasons and 128 episodes, cementing its place as a defining teen drama of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“The little pilot we shot in that small town for that fledgling network aired, changed our lives and launched our careers,” Van Der Beek wrote in 2018, marking the show’s 20th anniversary.

His portrayal of the earnest, introspective aspiring filmmaker turned him into a teen heartthrob and a fixture on magazine covers at the height of pre-social media fame.

“When it first started happening, the people who were coming up to me were teenage girls who were screaming,” he told People magazine in 2024. Reflecting on that period, he joked, “I have what I call the lamest form of PTSD ever, which is when I hear teenage girls go, ‘Oooh!’”

From ‘Varsity Blues’ to self-parody

While starring on 'Dawson’s Creek', Van Der Beek expanded into film, most notably as a high school quarterback in the 1999 box-office hit 'Varsity Blues'. He also made memorable appearances in 'Scary Movie' (2000) and 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' (2001).

After 'Dawson’s Creek' ended in 2003, he continued working steadily in television, appearing in famous shows like 'Criminal Minds', 'Ugly Betty', 'How I Met Your Mother', 'One Tree Hill', 'Medium', and 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent'.

In the early 2010s, he won praise for poking fun at his own image in the ABC sitcom 'Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23', playing a heightened, fictionalized version of himself.

“It was a really fun character to play because he was completely without shame,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014. “It’s fun to mock the business, and it’s fun to keep your own ego in check, too.”

In later years, he appeared in CBS’s 'CSI: Cyber' and the FX drama 'Pose'.

Early life and legacy of James Van Der Beek

Born in March 8, 1977, in Cheshire, Connecticut, James David Van Der Beek discovered his passion for acting as a child, performing in school plays before making his professional debut in an off-Broadway production of Edward Albee’s 'Finding the Sun'.

He made his film debut in the 1995 drama 'Angus' and appeared in the 1996 independent film 'I Love You, I Love You Not' before landing the role that would define his early career.

Van Der Beek is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their six children. He was previously married to actor Heather McComb.