Remembering James Van Der Beek

It’s only February 12, and 2026 has already been a considerable bummer. That became all too painfully clear on Wednesday with the news that James Van Der Beek had passed away, at the age of 48, from colorectal cancer.

For a generation of viewers, there were few actors more recognizable, more a part of their expanding consciousness about the trials and tribulations of being young, than James Van Der Beek. As one of the stars of Dawson’s Creek, a show in which the creek in question was his (he played Dawson Leery), Van Der Beek became a household name after he was cast in the series in 1997. He’d been acting for a while before then—he performed in Off-Broadway plays while still a high school student, and had appeared in a few more theater productions and indie films, but it was Dawson’s Creek that would define him.

Show creator Kevin Williamson (the same Kevin Williamson of the Scream franchise, no less) based Dawson’s character on his experiences growing up. Van Der Beek became a star among stars—the cast included Michelle Williams as Jen Lindley, Katie Holmes as Dawson’s girlfriend (for a time), Joey Porter, and Joshua Jackson as Pacey Witter. Set in the coastal town of Capeside, Massachusetts, the series followed the gang as they made the exciting but treacherous transition from adolescence to adulthood, centered on Van Der Beek’s aspiring filmmaker and his lifelong best friend, Joey. They were the ultimate “will they/won’t they” of the late 90s and early aughts, made all the more complicated by their friendship with Pacey and the newcomer, Jen.

As viewers of the series understood, as good of a guy as Dawson was, the chemistry between Joey and Pacey was undeniable, and the end-result, for both the fictional Dawson and for Van Der Beek himself, was one of the earliest and most enduring memes, of Dawson enduring the tragic final nail in the coffin for his hopes of being together with Joey.

Yet Van Der Beek was too good a sport, and too naturally talented, to let the fact that his character’s earnest, explosive tears, and the fact that the entire series seemed to tilt toward insuring his suffering, get to him. In fact, Van Der Beek’s willingness to play Dawson as the earnest, yearning artist and eventual brokenheart led him to another massive role, playing Jonathan “Mox” Moxon in 1999’s Varsity Blues. Mox was a clever second-string quarterback for the West Caan Coyotes in a Texas town that was, wait for it, deeply obsessed with football. Yet unlike his cohort, Mox wasn’t just a football player—he was a reader, an academic, and headed to the prestigious Brown University, a universe away from his Texas roots. The issue for Mox is that when the star QB, Lance Harbor (the late Paul Walker), is injured, Mox has no choice but to step into the limelight and deal with the immense pressure of not only his town, but his Ahab-like monomaniacal coach, Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight), who will put any of his players in harm’s way to win. This catches Mox’s ire, and Van Der Beek is the perfect fit for the young man who leads a righteous revolt against the team tyrant.

1999 was also the year that Van Der Beek hosted SNL (he did great, by the way), yet what became clearer as the years passed on, however, was that James Van Der Beek really was a decent human being, and a talented performer, things he proved throughout his too-short life and career. He never hid from the iconic Dawson Crying Face meme, for starters, appearing as Dawson Leery for a very brief cameo in Scary Movie and then playing a version of himself in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. He also never sought the same roles over and over (he could have played Mox-like characters well into middle age), instead, he happily rolled along, appearing in odder titles, and allowing all his fans, and all the people who had rooted against him as Dawson, to appreciate him afresh. He then played Sean Bateman in The Rules of Attraction, and then pulled off a twisted turn as serial killer Tobias Hankel in a memorable season two arc in Criminal Minds.

In ABC’s Don’t Trust The B—- in Apartment 23, Van Der Beek took straight aim at himself, playing a meta-version of “The Beek,” a spoiled, narcissistic bestie of the titular B in Apartment 23, Chloe (Krysten Ritter). The series has gained some new fans as it’s played on Logo, and Van Der Beek gets to have a blast fictionalizing a version of himself who is desperate to burn the last vestiges of his Dawson’s Creek fame to the ground by reinventing himself. At one point, he launches Beek Jeans, with the immortal catchphrase: “Put your cheeks in a Beek!”

Van Der Beek co-created, starred in, and wrote the series What Would Diplo Do? for Vice Comedy, playing the eponymous DJ/producer in a weird, wild, and short-lived series that, like his past work, has found an audience after it ended. He had roles in HBO’s ensemble series Room 104 and in the first season of Pose. 

Van Der Beek was as comfortable mocking himself, as he did on Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23, as he was playing himself—he did on Dancing With the Stars, The Masked Singer, and The Real Full Monty, which raised money for cancer charities.

Van Der Beek had an even richer life off-screen than on, and is survived by his wife, Kimberly Brook, and their six children. He will be missed.

Featured image: BURBANK, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 4: James Van Der Beek appears on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” airing December 9, 2024 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty Images). Check your local listings for times