James Van Der Beek

James David Van Der Beek (; March 8, 1977 – February 11, 2026) was an American actor. Known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery on The WB's Dawson's Creek (1998–2003), he also played a fictionalized version of himself on the cult ABC sitcom Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (2012–2013), starred as FBI agent Elijah Mundo on CSI: Cyber (2015–2016), and appeared as Matt Bromley during the first season of the FX drama Pose (2018).

Van Der Beek's film credits included Varsity Blues (1999), Texas Rangers (2001), The Rules of Attraction (2002), Formosa Betrayed (2009), Labor Day (2013), and Bad Hair (2020).

Early life

James David Van Der Beek was born on March 8, 1977, in Cheshire, Connecticut, the eldest of three children of Melinda (née Weber; 1950–2020), a dancer and gymnastics teacher, and James William Van Der Beek, a cell phone company executive.

Career

Theatre

Van Der Beek played the role of Reuben in his middle school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. At 15, he asked his mother to take him into New York City to find an agent and pursue professional acting. He made his professional debut off-Broadway at age 16 in 1993 in the New York premiere of Edward Albee's play Finding the Sun with the Signature Theatre Company, playing the role of "Fergus". Both he and the production, which was also directed by Albee, received positive reviews. A decade later, in 2003, he returned off-Broadway in the play Rain Dance.

At 17, while still a student at Cheshire Academy, he performed in the musical Shenandoah at the Goodspeed Opera House, made his feature film debut as a sadistic bully in Angus (1995), and filmed a small role in the independent movie I Love You, I Love You Not (1996). He attended Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, on an academic scholarship from 1995 to 1997, where he studied English and sociology and sang in an all‑male a cappella group, but he left the university when Dawson's Creek began production. In 2024, Van Der Beek returned to be a commencement speaker at Drew where he was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Arts degree. He performed at the Vineyard Theater in downtown Manhattan, New York in Nicky Silver's play My Marriage to Ernest Borgnine, and he played a supporting role in the independent film Cash Crop, which was shot in spring of 1997 and originally titled Harvest before its 2001 release.

Television and film

In early 1997, Van Der Beek auditioned for three television pilots, including one for the WB series Dawson's Creek. He won the title role of Dawson Leery, and the show's 1998 debut became a breakout success that helped establish the network and its cast. The series ran for six seasons and was syndicated worldwide. In 1999, he starred in the teen football drama Varsity Blues, which held the number-one spot at the U.S. box office for its first two weeks, earning him an MTV Movie Award.

Around this time, he was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World", and he appeared in several films, including Texas Rangers, Scary Movie, and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, in which he played himself playing Jay opposite Jason Biggs as Silent Bob. In 2002, he portrayed Sean Bateman (younger brother of American Psycho protagonist Patrick Bateman) in Roger Avary's film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's The Rules of Attraction. The film was a box‑office disappointment but later developed a cult following on DVD.

In 2006, Van Der Beek appeared in the Direct-to-DVD thriller The Plague, produced by Clive Barker, which was panned by critics. After Dawson's Creek ended in 2003, he returned to off-Broadway in Lanford Wilson's Rain Dance. He completed an unproduced screenplay titled Winning and made several television appearances, including a role on Ugly Betty. In 2007, he guest-starred in a two-part episode of Criminal Minds, playing serial killer Tobias Hankel, who kidnaps and drugs Spencer Reid. In 2008, he appeared on How I Met Your Mother as Simon Tremblay, one of Robin Scherbatsky's former boyfriends, returning for two more episodes in 2013.

In 2008, he began a recurring role on One Tree Hill as a filmmaker who served as a satirical opposite of Dawson Leery. He appeared in an episode of the fifth season of Medium. In 2009, he portrayed real‑life kidnapper Anthony Steven "Tony Zappa" Wright in the Lifetime film Taken In Broad Daylight. Also in 2009, he won Best Actor at the 8th Annual San Diego Film Festival for his performance as FBI agent Jake Kelly in the political thriller Formosa Betrayed, which also won Best Picture. The film received a U.S. theatrical release beginning February 26, 2010. On January 5, 2010, TVGuide.com reported that Van Der Beek had been cast in a major recurring role on the NBC medical drama Mercy, playing Dr. Joe Briggs, the new womanizing ICU chief with a dark secret. He also appeared in the thriller Stolen, starring Rhona Mitra, Josh Lucas, and Jon Hamm. In 2011, Van Der Beek played Kesha's nemesis in her music video for "Blow". He then portrayed a fictionalized version of himself on the ABC sitcom Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. The show debuted to critical praise, with Van Der Beek earning strong notices for his comic timing and self‑parody.

On March 4, 2015, Van Der Beek began his role as Senior Field Agent Elijah Mundo on CSI: Cyber. In 2017, he appeared in the British comedy series Carters Get Rich. He made a cameo in the film Downsizing (2017), starring Matt Damon, and voiced Boris Hauntley in the Disney Junior series Vampirina. Van Der Beek co‑created, wrote, produced, and starred in What Would Diplo Do?, portraying producer and DJ Diplo. It marked his first project as a showrunner. The show debuted on Viceland to positive reviews both for the writing and his performance, was described, "The Veep of DJ Culture" by the L.A. Times and earned a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2019, Van Der Beek was cast as Matt Bromley on the FX drama Pose, a role he played for one season.

He joined the cast of the 28th season of Dancing with the Stars, partnered with professional dancer Emma Slater. A strong performer, he consistently placed near the top of the leaderboard and was widely considered a frontrunner until his elimination in the semifinals, finishing in fifth place. That night, he revealed that his wife, Kimberly, had suffered a miscarriage forty‑eight hours earlier. His elimination, following the judges' lowest score of the night, was controversial among fans.

In 2025, Van Der Beek competed on season thirteen of The Masked Singer as "Griffin", whose costume featured wings that opened during performances. Clues referenced his past illness. He was eliminated in the "Group B Finals: Grand Ole Opry Night," and host Nick Cannon surprised him by bringing his wife, Kimberly, and their children onstage. In 2026, he will posthumously appear in John Burr feature film The Gates by Lionsgate Premiere, and the Legally Blonde prequel television series Elle.

Personal life

Van Der Beek was married to actress Heather McComb from 2003 until their separation in April 2009. He filed for divorce later that year, and the divorce was finalized in 2010.

Van Der Beek married business consultant Kimberly Brook on August 1, 2010, in a small ceremony at the Kabbalah Center near Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, Israel. The couple had six children. He spoke several times about a miscarriage Brook suffered in November 2019, just a month after announcing she was pregnant. On November 22, 2021, following the birth of their sixth child, he disclosed that she had actually suffered two miscarriages at 17 weeks or later. In September 2020, Van Der Beek announced that they were leaving Los Angeles and moving to Texas.

Illness and death

On August 31, 2023, Van Der Beek was diagnosed with colorectal cancer; he did not make his diagnosis public until November 2024. He stated that he had "been privately dealing with this diagnosis and has been taking steps to resolve it" with the support of his family. In November 2025, he announced that he would be auctioning items from Dawson's Creek and Varsity Blues to help cover costs associated with his cancer treatment.

In early February 2026, Van Der Beek and his wife renewed their wedding vows. He died on February 11, at age 48. Following his death, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to support his family following the financial impact of his medical expenses; to date, it has raised more than $2.6 million. On February 13, Fox announced that it would re-air the 2024 television special The Real Full Monty in his honor on February 18. During the broadcast, a QR code was displayed to encourage viewers to donate to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.