James David Van Der Beek, best known for his role as Dawson Leery on Dawson’s Creek, died on February 11, 2026, at the age of 48 after a journey with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
For many, he will always be Dawson – the earnest, film-obsessed teenager growing up in Capeside. The series ran from 1998 to 2003 and became one of the defining teen dramas of its era, helping establish The WB and launching the careers of its young cast. Van Der Beek appeared in every episode of the six-season run.
Born March 8, 1977, in Cheshire, Connecticut, Van Der Beek began acting in middle school productions before pursuing professional work as a teenager. At 16, he made his professional debut off-Broadway in Edward Albee’s Finding the Sun. By his late teens, he had appeared in films including Angus and I Love You, I Love You Not before landing the role that would change his life.
During hiatuses from Dawson’s Creek, he expanded into film, starring as quarterback Jonathan “Mox” Moxon in Varsity Blues, which opened at number one at the U.S. box office and earned him an MTV Movie Award. He later took on darker material in The Rules of Attraction, which developed a cult following.
Over the next two decades, Van Der Beek built a diverse career across television and film. He appeared in Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, playing a fictionalized version of himself to critical praise. He held recurring and main roles on series including CSI: Cyber and Pose, and co-created and starred in What Would Diplo Do?. He also competed on Dancing with the Stars and The Masked Singer, continuing to embrace reinvention and humor about his public image.
In August 2023, after a routine colonoscopy, Van Der Beek was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. He publicly shared the diagnosis in November 2024, saying he had been privately dealing with it while focusing on his health and family. He described the experience as life-altering, requiring patience and strength he did not know he possessed.
In December 2024, he participated in The Real Full Monty, raising awareness for prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer testing and research. In 2025, he auctioned memorabilia from Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues to help with treatment-related costs.
Van Der Beek married business consultant Kimberly Brook in 2010. The couple had six children: daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia and Gwendolyn, and sons Joshua and Jeremiah. In 2020, the family moved from Los Angeles to Texas. In interviews, he frequently spoke about fatherhood as the most meaningful role of his life.
He is survived by his wife, their six children, his father, his brother Jared and his sister Juliana.
James Van Der Beek’s career spanned more than three decades, from off-Broadway stages to network television, studio films and streaming series. His legacy includes an iconic teen drama, a willingness to evolve, and a public openness about illness that brought awareness to colorectal cancer.
He was 48.