LOS ANGELES, CA — James Van Der Beek, who rose to fame as the aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery on the WB teen drama Dawson’s Creek, has died. He was 48.
His wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, confirmed his death on Wednesday in a statement posted to Instagram.
“He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” she wrote. “For now, we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
In November 2024, Van Der Beek publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. At the time, he said he had been receiving treatment privately.
“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 Nov. 3, 2024, Instagram post. “Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support.”
Van Der Beek starred as Dawson Leery on Dawson’s Creek, which premiered in 1998 and ran for six seasons. The coming-of-age series, set in a fictional Massachusetts seaside town, became a defining teen drama of its era and helped launch the careers of co-stars Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson.
Born March 8, 1977, in Cheshire, Connecticut, James David Van Der Beek began acting in school productions 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 later appeared in the 1996 independent romance, I Love You, I Love You Not.
During his Dawson’s Creek years, he starred in the 1999 football drama, Varsity Blues, and had cameo roles in Scary Movie and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
After Dawson’s Creek ended in 2003, Van Der Beek continued working steadily in television, appearing on series including Criminal Minds, Ugly Betty, How I Met Your Mother, One Tree Hill, Medium and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
In the early 2010s, he portrayed a satirical version of himself on the ABC comedy Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. He later starred in CSI: Cyber and appeared in the FX drama, Pose.
Van Der Beek is survived by his wife and their six children. He was previously married to actor Heather McComb.
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