James Van Der Beek, best known for his role as Dawson Leery on the hit series Dawson’s Creek, has died at the age of 48. Van Der Beek passed away following a battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer. He was first diagnosed in August 2023 after undergoing a routine colonoscopy. He later went public with his diagnosis in November 2024.
His wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, shared the news on Instagram, writing: “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. 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 was born James David Van Der Beek on March 8, 1977, in Cheshire, Connecticut, to Melinda Weber Van Der Beek, a dancer and gymnastics teacher, and James William Van Der Beek, a cellular phone executive and former minor league baseball pitcher. Of Dutch, German, English, Scots-Irish and French descent, his surname translates to “from the creek” in Dutch, an almost poetic coincidence given the role that would define his early career.
His passion for performance began young. He appeared in a middle school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and, at 15, convinced his mother to take him to New York City to pursue acting professionally. At 16, he made his off-Broadway debut in Edward Albee’s Finding the Sun with the Signature Theatre Company, earning strong reviews. He later returned to the stage in productions including Rain Dance and My Marriage to Ernest Borgnine.
After attending Drew University on an academic scholarship, Van Der Beek left school when he landed the lead role in Dawson’s Creek in 1997. The show premiered in 1998 and became a cultural touchstone, running for six seasons and helping establish The WB network.
His film career surged alongside the series. In 1999, he starred in the teen football drama Varsity Blues, which topped the U.S. box office for two consecutive weeks and earned him an MTV Movie Award. He went on to appear in films including The Rules of Attraction, Texas Rangers, Scary Movie, and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, often demonstrating a willingness to subvert his teen idol image.
On television, Van Der Beek built a diverse résumé that included roles on Criminal Minds, How I Met Your Mother, One Tree Hill, Ugly Betty, CSI: Cyber, Pose and the cult favorite comedy Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, where he memorably played a heightened, self-aware version of himself. As a writer and producer, he co-created and starred in What Would Diplo Do?, earning praise for its sharp satire.
He also competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2019, emerging as a frontrunner before a surprising semifinal elimination. That same night, he revealed his wife had suffered a miscarriage just days earlier, a deeply personal moment that resonated with viewers. In 2025, he appeared on The Masked Singer as “Griffin,” with subtle references to his health battle woven into the show’s clues.
At the time he revealed his diagnosis, Van Der Beek told People, “I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family.”
Despite the seriousness of his condition, he remained hopeful. “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good,” he said.
He explained that he initially sought medical attention after noticing a change in bowel habits. “It was just a change in bowel habits,” he shared. “I thought I probably need to change my diet a little bit. Maybe I need to stop drinking coffee. Maybe I need to not put cream in the coffee. And then I finally took that out of the diet, and it didn’t improve, and I thought, all right, I’d better go get this checked out.”
“I felt really, really good as I was coming out of anesthesia that I had finally done it and looked into it. And as I was coming out of the haze, the gastroenterologist said, in his most pleasant bedside manner, it is cancer.”
Van Der Beek married Kimberly in 2010. He was previously married to actress Heather McComb. He is survived by his wife and their six children: Olivia, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, Joshua and Jeremiah.
Rest in Power, James.
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