James Van Der Beek
American actor (1977-2026) · United States · On the map · Actors · Died at 48
He was Dawson Leery, the earnest teen who turned a creek in fictional Capeside into appointment television for a generation - then spent two decades playing against type, including a sharp self-parody that became a cult second act.
James Van Der Beek is read about 5,075 times a day, in 49 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 8 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 406 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?A life in dates
1 in 2Film, 20262024
The Real Full MontyFilm2022
The Jennifer Hudson ShowSeries2021
Bad HairFilm, Grant Madison2019
The Masked SingerSeries
Jay and Silent Bob RebootFilm, 20192017
DownsizingFilm, Anesthesiologist2014
Late Night with Seth MeyersSeries2012
BackwardsFilm, Geoff2010
ConanSeries
Formosa BetrayedFilm, 2010Jake Kelly2009
Mrs. MiracleFilm, Seth Webster2006
Ugly BettySeries, Luke CarnesDanny Roane: First Time DirectorFilm2005
Criminal MindsSeries, Tobias Hankel2004
Oh, What a Lovely Tea PartyFilm2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!Series2002
The Rules of AttractionFilm, Sean Bateman2000
Scary MovieFilm, Dawson Leary (uncredited)1999
Law & Order: Special Victims UnitSeries, Sean Albert
HarvestFilm, 1999James Peterson1997
The ViewSeries1995
AngusFilm, Rick Sandford1977Born8 March 1977People around James
Jon Abrahams Also in Scary Movie and Texas Rangers
Roger Avary Directed The Rules of Attraction (2003)
Harvey Weinstein Produced Texas Rangers (2001)
Bob Weinstein Produced Texas Rangers (2001)
Matt Damon Also in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2002)
Usher Also in Texas Rangers and Bad Hair
Katie Holmes Also in Dawson's Creek and True Love
Ali Larter Also in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2002)
Kevin Smith Produced Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2002)
Clive Barker Produced The Plague (2006)
Josh Lucas Produced Stolen (2009)
Jason Reitman Directed Labor Day (2014)
Kevin Williamson Produced Dawson's Creek
Holt McCallany Also in Medium and Stolen
John Wesley Shipp Also in Dawson's Creek and True Love
Al Corley Produced Stolen (2009)
Pamela Fryman Directed Sandcastles in the Sand (2008)
Bradley Walsh Directed Salem Falls (2011)
Kate Flannery Also in Danny Roane: First Time Director (2006)
Mary-Margaret Humes Also in Dawson's Creek and True Love
Ryan Michelle Bathe Also in Medium and Sandcastles in the Sand
Our Lady J Produced Pose
Patrick Read Johnson Directed Angus (1996)
Alexandra Castillo Also in Eye of the Beast (2007)
James Van Der BeekPartners
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Correct this familyKnown for
View all 40 titles
The Gates 2026
Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2007
Sidelined 2: Intercepted 2025
Labor Day 2013
Angus 1995
Also in Deutsch
Filmography 40
97 credits on file
Television 24
Media & music
About this person
Van Der Beek was born March 8, 1977, and broke through at 21 playing the title role on Dawson's Creek, which ran on The WB from 1998 to 2003 and made him the face of late-90s teen angst. He followed with Varsity Blues in 1999 and a string of films including The Rules of Attraction in 2002, but the defining pivot came a decade later: on Don't Trust the B - in Apartment 23 he played a fictionalized, gloriously vain version of himself, a performance that revealed a dry comic timing the early work had buried. He kept working steadily - CSI: Cyber from 2015 to 2016, a season of Pose in 2018, the horror film Bad Hair in 2020 - and the career became a study in range quietly earned. He died February 11, 2026.
