James Van Der Beek, the actor best known for his role as Dawson Leery in the hit 1990s television series Dawson’s Creek, has died at the age of 48, his family announced Thursday morning. “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” the family said in a statement. “He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace.” The family requested privacy as they grieve.
Van Der Beek revealed in 2024 that he was battling stage 3 colorectal cancer, a diagnosis he had kept largely private. He made a surprise appearance at a Dawson’s Creek charity reunion event in New York City in September, having previously withdrawn due to his illness, according to reports.
Dawson’s Creek, which premiered in 1998, captivated audiences with its portrayal of teenage life, love, and friendship. Van Der Beek, at the time around 20 years aged, starred as Dawson, a young aspiring filmmaker. The series also launched the careers of Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes, and Michelle Williams, becoming a cultural touchstone for a generation. The show’s theme song, Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait,” became instantly recognizable.
Prior to Dawson’s Creek, Van Der Beek gained attention for his role in the 1999 film Varsity Blues, playing a high school football player navigating the pressures of small-town expectations. A photograph from the premiere of Varsity Blues shows Van Der Beek alongside co-stars Ali Larter and Amy Smart.
A particular scene from the third season of Dawson’s Creek achieved lasting notoriety, becoming a widely circulated GIF. In the scene, Dawson reacts to his best friend and soulmate beginning a romantic relationship, breaking down in tears. Van Der Beek later recounted to Vanity Fair that the emotional display wasn’t scripted. “It wasn’t scripted that I was supposed to cry; it was just one of those things where it’s a magical moment and it just happens in the scene,” he said. He expressed some frustration to the Los Angeles Times that the moment had come to define much of the public’s perception of his work, stating, “All of a sudden, six years of work was boiled down to one seven-second clip on loop.” He later playfully recreated the GIF in a 2011 video for Funny or Die.
James Van Der Beek is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their six children: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah.
