James Van Der Beek, best known for playing aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery in the hit show “Dawson’s Creek,” died on Wednesday, February 11, at his home. He was 48.
A post on Van Der Beek’s Instagram shared that James David Van Der Beek passed away peacefully that morning, approaching his final days with resilience, faith, and grace. The family requested privacy as they mourn their cherished husband, father, son, brother, and friend.
Van Der Beek was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer in August 2023 after a colonoscopy. He kept the news quiet for more than a year before going public with it in November 2024.
Born March 8, 1977, in Cheshire, Connecticut, Van Der Beek discovered acting in middle school. At 16, he made his TV debut on “Clarissa Explains It All” in December 1993 and later performed in an off-Broadway production of Edward Albee’s “Finding the Sun,” beginning a three‑decade career in TV, film, and voice acting.
His career took off in 1998 when he auditioned for and won the lead role on The WB’s teen drama “Dawson’s Creek.” He left Drew University in New Jersey to join the series, which ran six seasons and 128 episodes. The show teamed him with co-stars Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson, all of whom later became major stars.
Van Der Beek once said he “got stupidly lucky” at age 20 when he landed in a “zeitgeist, cultural phenomenon” that propelled him to fame overnight. He admitted that his instinct back then was to “run away from it,” although he now wishes he could tell his younger self to “relax, be grateful, enjoy it.”
While starring on “Dawson’s Creek,” he also headlined the 1999 sports drama “Varsity Blues” as backup quarterback Jonathan “Mox” Moxon. The film became his most iconic movie role and earned him the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Male Performance in 1999.
His additional film credits include roles in “Scary Movie” (2000), “The Rules of Attraction” (2002), “Formosa Betrayed” (2009), and “Labor Day” (2013), along with an appearance in “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” in 2019.
After “Dawson’s Creek” concluded in May 2003, he continued working steadily. He portrayed an amplified version of himself on ABC’s “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23,” starred in “CSI: Cyber,” and voiced Boris Hauntley in the Disney Junior animated series “Vampirina.”
In 2019, Van Der Beek competed in Season 28 of “Dancing with the Stars” with professional dancer Emma Slater. They reached the semifinals and placed fifth.
The cast of “Dawson’s Creek” reunited on September 22, 2025, at New York’s Richard Rodgers Theatre for a live read of the pilot episode, partly in support of Van Der Beek during cancer treatment. He had to withdraw at the last moment due to two stomach viruses, with Lin-Manuel Miranda stepping in as Dawson. Van Der Beek shared a recorded message with fans, saying, “You’re the best fans in the world.”
In December 2024, Van Der Beek appeared on “Good Morning America” to discuss the challenges of managing his cancer diagnosis. He said it quickly became a full-time job—handling multiple medical portals, insurance issues, and scheduling—and admitted he hadn’t expected how overwhelming it would feel.
Even so, he said he tried to stay optimistic, believing he would eventually find meaning in the changes he was forced to make. He estimated that he held onto hope about 90 percent of the time, while the remaining 10 percent, he was a “sobbing, terrified mess,” which he felt was understandable.
In December 2025, Van Der Beek sold cherished items from “Dawson’s Creek,” “Varsity Blues,” and other projects through Propstore to help pay medical bills, raising over $47,000.
Van Der Beek is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their six children: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah. Shortly before his death, he posted a touching birthday message for his father and his eldest daughter, Olivia, who shares the same birthday, expressing how grateful he was for them.
