James Van Der Beek, widely known for playing aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery in the hit series “Dawson’s Creek,” passed away at his home on Wednesday, Feb. 11. He was 48.
A message posted to Van Der Beek’s Instagram announced that James David Van Der Beek died peacefully that morning, meeting his final days with courage, faith, and dignity. The statement also noted that the family is asking for quiet privacy as they grieve their beloved husband, father, son, brother, and friend.
He received a Stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis in August 2023 following a colonoscopy. He chose not to share the diagnosis publicly for more than a year, eventually disclosing it in November 2024.
Born on March 8, 1977, in Cheshire, Connecticut, Van Der Beek discovered his passion for acting in middle school. He first appeared on television at age 16 in an episode of “Clarissa Explains It All” in December 1993 and soon joined an off-Broadway production of Edward Albee’s “Finding the Sun,” beginning a career that would stretch across three decades in TV, film, and voice acting.
His major break arrived in 1998 when he auditioned for and secured the lead role in The WB’s new teen drama “Dawson’s Creek.” He left Drew University in New Jersey to take on the part, and the series went on to run for six seasons and 128 episodes. He starred alongside Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson, who all became prominent actors.
Van Der Beek said he “got stupidly lucky” at age 20 when he became part of a “zeitgeist, cultural phenomenon” that launched him into instant fame. He admitted his initial impulse was to “run away from it,” though he wished he could tell his younger self to “relax, be grateful, enjoy it.”
During his time on “Dawson’s Creek,” he also took on the starring role of backup quarterback Jonathan “Mox” Moxon in the 1999 sports film “Varsity Blues.” The movie became his standout big‑screen role and earned him the MTV Movie Award for best breakout male performance in 1999.
His movie work included parts in “Scary Movie” (2000), “The Rules of Attraction” (2002), “Formosa Betrayed” (2009), and “Labor Day” (2013), acting alongside Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. He later appeared in “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” in 2019.
After “Dawson’s Creek” concluded in May 2003, Van Der Beek continued to work consistently in television. He played a humorous self‑referential version of himself on ABC’s “Don’t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23” and starred in “CSI: Cyber.” He also voiced Boris Hauntley in the Disney Junior show “Vampirina.”
In 2019, Van Der Beek joined Season 28 of “Dancing with the Stars,” dancing with professional partner Emma Slater. They reached the semifinals and finished in fifth place.
The cast of “Dawson’s Creek” reunited on September 22, 2025, for a live reading of the pilot episode at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York, partially to show support during Van Der Beek’s cancer fight. He withdrew at the last moment after coming down with two stomach viruses, and Lin-Manuel Miranda filled in as Dawson. Van Der Beek shared a prerecorded message with fans: “You’re the best fans in the world.”
In December 2024, during an appearance on “Good Morning America,” Van Der Beek spoke about the overwhelming demands of navigating cancer care—managing patient portals, handling insurance issues, and coordinating appointments—saying he hadn’t realized how all‑consuming the process would become.
He said that despite the difficulties, he mostly stayed optimistic, believing he would eventually appreciate the life changes ahead. He noted he maintained this mindset about 90 percent of the time, while the other 10 percent he described himself as a “sobbing, terrified mess,” which he felt was an understandable balance.
In December 2025, Van Der Beek sold treasured props and memorabilia from “Dawson’s Creek,” “Varsity Blues,” and other past projects via Propstore to help pay for his cancer treatment, generating over $47,000.
Van Der Beek leaves behind his wife Kimberly, and their six children: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah. Not long before he died, he posted a touching birthday message to honor both his father and his oldest daughter Olivia, who share a birthday, expressing deep gratitude for them.