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BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that James Van Der Beek, best known for his celebrated role as Dawson Leery on the series Dawson’s Creek, has passed away at the age of 48.
The cause was colorectal cancer, the diagnosis of which he publicly revealed in 2024. His family announced the news on Instagram, noting that he “passed peacefully” on the morning of February 11.
Though the actor garnered recognition for his onscreen appearances, some of his earliest roles were in the theater. He made his off-Broadway debut in 1993 in Signature Theatre Company’s production of Edward Albee’s Finding the Sun, playing the character of Fergus.
19 years later, he made his Los Angeles stage debut at The Geffen Playhouse in the American premiere of The Gift, written by Joanna Murray-Smith. He starred alongside Kathy Baker and Chris Mulkey in the production, which was directed by Maria Aitken.
Other stage credits included My Marriage to Ernest Borgnine at the Vineyard Theater, Shenandoah at the Goodspeed Opera House and Lanford Wilson’s Rain Dance, also at the Signature.
From 1998 to 2003, he played the title character on the hit TV series, Dawson’s Creek. Created by Kevin Williamson, the series followed the fictional lives of a close-knit group of friends beginning in high school and continuing in college. It ran for 128 episodes over six seasons.
Van Der Beek’s film credits included Varsity Blues (MTV Movie Award), The Rules of Attraction, Formosa Betrayed (Best Actor – San Diego Film Festival), Labor Day, and Downsizing. On television, he was part of the main cast of the comedy Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt 23 and made appearances in shows like How I Met Your Mother, Ugly Betty, and Modern Family. He also lent his voice to the popular Disney animated series Vampirina and competed in Season 28 of Dancing with the Stars and Season 13 of The Masked Singer.
He will make a posthumous appearance in Season One of Elle, the Legally Blonde prequel series debuting on Prime Video this summer.
