American actor James Van Der Beek, known for his role as Dawson Leery in the television series Dawson’s Creekdied at the age of 48, his wife confirmed on Instagram. In November 2024, he announced that he had colorectal cancer.
He faced his last days with courage, faith and dignity
wrote his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek on Instagram. There is so much to tell about his wishes, his love for humanity and the sacredness of time. These days will come.
On November 3, 2024, more than a year after receiving his diagnosis, James Van Der Beek announced that he had cancer on Instagram.
I have dealt with this privately until now, undergoing treatment and taking care of my general health more rigorously than ever, he wrote. I am in good condition and I feel in great shape. It’s been quite an initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.
Over the past year and a half, he had regularly chronicled his battle with cancer on Instagram, where he often paid tribute to his wife and children for their support.
Teen idol
The actor was best known for his role as Dawson Leery, the young aspiring filmmaker at the center of the series Dawson’s Creekalongside Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams. James Van Der Beek was then 20 years old.
The main cast of the series “Dawson’s Creek” in 2001, with James Van Der Beek standing behind the bench.
Photo : Getty Images
Broadcast from 1998 to 2003 on The WB network, as well as from 1999 on Canal Famille and its successor VrakTV, the series has become a classic of teen soap operas. The six seasons have had a second life on Netflix from 2021.
Dawson’s Creek made James Van Der Beek a true teen idol who regularly appeared on magazine covers. This popularity allowed him to appear in several films of the late 1990s and early 2000s, such as College pros (Varsity Blues) in 1998, The Texas Vigilantes (Texas Rangers) in 2001 and The laws of attraction (The Rules of Attraction) in 2002.
He also made brief appearances in films like the first Scary movie (Scary Movie) in 2000 or Jay and Bob strike back (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) in 2001.
Several one-off appearances in series
As his popularity waned in the 2000s, he occasionally appeared in series like Criminal minds (Criminal Minds), Dear Betty (Ugly Betty), How I met her (How I Met Your Mother), The Scott Brothers (One Tree Hill) et Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
In the early 2010s, Van Der Beek earned a notable role playing a fictionalized version of himself on the short-lived ABC sitcom Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23. He played James Van Der Beek, an actor struggling with a faltering career that he is trying to revive.
L’actor James Van Der Beek en 1999
Photo : Reuters / Fred Prouser
More recently, he has been seen playing small roles in films Small format (Downsizing) in 2017, Jay et Silent Bob strikes back…again (Jay and Silent Bob Reboot) in 2019 and Bad Hair in 2020.
James Van Der Beek is survived by his wife Kimberly and their six children. He was previously married to actress Heather McComb.
With information from NBC
date: 2026-02-11 22:51:00
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