3 hours ago
1
James Van Der Beek, the histrion champion known for starring successful the teen TV play "Dawson's Creek" and films including "Varsity Blues," has died. He was 48.
"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his last days with courage, faith, and grace," reads a enactment posted connected Van Der Beek's Instagram page. "There is overmuch to stock regarding his wishes, emotion for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days volition come. For present we inquire for peaceful privateness arsenic we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."
Van Der Beek revealed successful a November 2024 Instagram station that he'd been diagnosed with cancer, stating that contempt the diagnosis helium was "in a bully spot and feeling strong."
FILE - James Van Der Beek attends FOX Winter Press Day connected Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, astatine the FOX Studio Lot successful Los Angeles.
Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
Later that month, the histrion further revealed to People that helium was battling Stage 3 colorectal cancer. Van Der Beek shared that helium received the diagnosis aft a colonoscopy.
In December 2024, Van Der Beek joined "Good Morning America" to sermon his mindset and affectional authorities during his ongoing conflict with the disease.
"And frankincense began the full-time occupation of having cancer, signing up for each the assorted aesculapian portals and getting connected the telephone with security and creating appointments ... I was not prepared for conscionable however overmuch of a full-time occupation that it truly is," Van Der Beek said.
"I'm going to marque changes that I ne'er would person made otherwise, that I'm going to look backmost connected successful 30 years and say, 'Thank deity this happened.' So, what tin I bash close present successful bid to marque that the case? And that's however it was, astir 90 percent of the time," helium went on. "But 10 percent of the time, I was a sobbing, terrified mess, which I consciousness similar is simply a beauteous bully percentage."
Born March 8, 1977, successful Cheshire, Connecticut, Van Der Beek began acting portion successful mediate schoolhouse and made his nonrecreational debut astatine property 16 successful a 1993 off-Broadway accumulation successful New York City. He continued to look successful assorted amateur and nonrecreational productions passim precocious schoolhouse and portion attending New Jersey's Drew University.
It was portion helium was a pupil astatine Drew that Van Der Beek successful 1998 auditioned for and won the rubric relation of Dawson Leery successful The WB network's caller show, "Dawson's Creek." Van Der Beek dropped retired of Drew University to prima successful the amusement for the full of its six-year run, other chap formed members and aboriginal stars Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson.
"That was erstwhile beingness was astatine its craziest," Van Der Beek reflected astir his clip connected the deed amusement successful a 2020 interrogation with "Good Morning America." "At 20 years aged I got stupidly fortunate and recovered myself successful a zeitgeist, taste improvement TV show, and I was abruptly famous."
Van Der Beek besides admitted his abrupt stardom was hard to handle: "My absorption to fame was to tally distant from it," helium said, though looking backmost helium said helium would archer his younger aforesaid to "relax, beryllium grateful, bask it."
Despite having already began a tiny movie vocation with roles successful films similar the 1996 romanticist play "I Love You, I Love You Not," which besides starred Claire Danes, Julia Stiles and Jude Law, Van Der Beek's "Dawson's Creek" fame earned him the headlining relation successful the 1999 coming-of-age sports play "Varsity Blues." Van Der Beek's quality of Jonathan "Mox" Moxon, the backup backmost connected a small-town Texas precocious schoolhouse shot team, remains the movie show for which he's champion remembered. It besides earned him the champion breakout antheral show grant astatine the 1999 MTV Movie Awards.
"It was a movie I truly really cared about, it was a relation I truly cared about," Van Der Beek told "Good Morning America." "It was a relation I truly had to combat for. I had to combat for that role, cipher wanted maine for that relation initially," helium said.
The occurrence of "Varsity Blues" led to roles successful different films, including 2000's fearfulness movie send-up "Scary Movie," successful which Van Der Beek made a cameo quality arsenic his "Dawson's Creek" character, the 2001 Western "Texas Rangers," and the 2002 acheronian drama "Rules of Attraction." Later movie roles included the 2009 thriller "Formosa Betrayed," 2013's "Labor Day," with Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin, and the 2019 drama "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot."
Yet Van Der Beek remained a larger small-screen presence, appearing connected dozens of deed TV shows implicit the years successful starring oregon impermanent roles, including "How I Met Your Mother," "Don't Trust the B---- successful Apartment 23," "One Tree Hill," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "CSI: Cyber," "Modern Family" and more, arsenic good arsenic providing the dependable of Boris Hauntley connected the Disney animated children's bid "Vampirina." Van Der Beek besides placed 5th connected Season 28 of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" successful 2019. In 2025, helium was announced arsenic a recurring quality connected the "Legally Blonde" prequel bid "Elle."
In September 2025, the formed of "Dawson's Creek" reunited for a one-night-only unrecorded speechmaking of the show's aviator occurrence to rise wealth for the nonprofit F Cancer and for Van Der Beek. A tummy microorganism prevented him from attending successful idiosyncratic Tony-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped into the relation of Dawson Leery successful Van Der Beek's spot but helium shared a video connection successful which helium thanked those who attended and shared his disappointment for not being incapable to "stand connected that signifier and convey each psyche successful the theatre for showing up for me, and against cancer, erstwhile I needed it most."
Van Der Beek was joined twice. He's survived by his wife, movie shaper Kimberly Van Der Beek, and their six children.
This is simply a processing story. Please cheque backmost for updates.
Copyright © 2026 ABC News Internet Ventures.
