James Van Der Beek, the actor who starred in the teen drama series “Dawson’s Creek” and the sports drama “Varsity Blues,” has died. He was 48.
Known for wooing audiences as aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery in the WB series, Van Der Beek died peacefully Wednesday morning. His family confirmed his death, writing in a statement on the actor’s Instagram account. The actor battled colorectal cancer, a condition he revealed in November 2024.
“He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time,” the statement said. “Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
Van Der Beek, since his days as a heartthrob in the 1990s, collected more than 70 film and television credits, notably including a meta-version of himself (a smarmy has-been nicknamed “The Beek From the Creek”) in ABC’s “Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23” and a brainy, yet rebellious high school quarterback in the 1999 coming-of-age film “Varsity Blues.”
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