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 (; 1950–2020), a dancer and gymnastics teacher, and James William Van Der Beek, a cell phone company executive. 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.
At 17, while still a student at Cheshire Academy, Van Der Beek performed in the musical Shenandoah at the Goodspeed Opera House, made his feature film debut as Rick Sandford, 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.
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 for Best Male Breakthrough Performance.
Around this time, Van Ber Beek 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 (Casper Van Dien), in Roger Avary's film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' 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 (Matthew Gray Gubler). In 2008, he appeared on How I Met Your Mother as Simon Tremblay, one of Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders)'s former boyfriends, returning for two more episodes in 2013.
thumb|left|upright|Van Der Beek in 2023
In 2008, Van Der Beek began a recurring role on One Tree Hill as Adam Reese, 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. On January 5, 2010, TV Guide 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 Los Angeles 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.
thumb|Van Der Beek with [[Kerr Smith at GalaxyCon in Oklahoma City, 2025]]
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 Brook, 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 Brook and their children onstage. In 2026, he will posthumously appear in John Burr's 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. 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. At the time of his death, he and his family rented a 36-acre farm in Spicewood, Texas. After moving to Texas, Brook shared views on social media related to alternative medicine, including "a smattering of vaccine misinformation and debunked conspiracy theories".' Van Der Beek is stated to have attempted alternative, holistic options to treat the cancer before utilizing standard medicine.
In early February 2026, Van Der Beek and his wife renewed their wedding vows. He died on February 11, at the age of 48. 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.
Filmography
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1993
| Clarissa Explains It All
| Paulie
| Episode: "Alter Ego"
|-
| 1995
| As the World Turns
| Stephen Anderson
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1998–2003
| Dawson's Creek
| Dawson Leery
| Main cast; 122 episodes
|-
| 1999
| Saturday Night Live
| Himself (host)
| Episode: "James Van Der Beek/Everlast"
| rowspan="2" | 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2007
| Criminal Minds
| Tobias Hankel / Raphael
|-
| Ugly Betty
| Luke Carnes
| Episode: "Grin and Bear It"
|-
| Taken in Broad Daylight
| Anthony Steven "Tony Zappa" Wright
| rowspan="2" | Television film
|-
| Mrs. Miracle
| Seth Webster
|-
| 2010
| Mercy
| Dr. Joe Briggs
| 10 episodes
|-
| 2015–2016
| CSI: Cyber
| Elijah Mundo
| Main cast; 31 episodes
|-
| Drop the Mic
| Himself
| Episode: "James Van Der Beek vs. Randall Park / Gina Rodriguez vs. Rob Gronkowski"
|-
| 2017–2021
| Vampirina
| Boris Hauntley (voice)
| Main cast; 69 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2020
| 25 Words or Less
| 6 episodes
|-
| Home Movie: The Princess Bride
| Prince Humperdinck
| Episode: "Chapter Nine: Have Fun Storming the Castle!"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2024
| We Are Family
| rowspan="2"|Himself
| Season finale; with oldest daughter Olivia
|-
| The Real Full Monty
| Television special
|-
| Walker
| New Neighbor
| Episode: "See You Sometime"
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2025
| The Masked Singer
| Himself / Griffin
| Contestant (season 13)
|-
| 2026
| Elle
| Dean Wilson
| Post-production; posthumous release
|-
| 2003
| Castle in the Sky
| Pazu (voice)
| English dub produced in 1998 by Disney
|-
| 2005
| Standing Still
| Simon
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009
| Formosa Betrayed
| Jake Kelly
|
|-
| 2017
| Downsizing
| Anesthesiologist
|
|-
||1999
|| Varsity Blues
|Best Breakthrough Male Performance
|
|-
|2001
|Scary Movie
|Best Cameo in a Movie
|
|}
;Teen Choice Awards
|-
|2009
| Formosa Betrayed
|Best Actor
|
|}
;NewNowNext Awards
|-
|2011
| JamesVanDerMemes.com
|OMG Internet Award
|
|}