James Van Der Beek has died on the age of 48 following an extended battle with colorectal most cancers. His spouse, Kimberly, confirmed the tragic information in a heartfelt Instagram post. Van Der Beek publicly introduced his most cancers analysis in 2024 and shared well being updates over the previous 12 months. Van Der Beek was the daddy of six kids.
Van Der Beek started his appearing profession within the early Nineties, with small appearances in Clarissa Explains It All, Because the World Turns, and Angus. In 1998, Van Der Beek acquired his large break as Dawson Leery on the teenager drama Dawson’s Creek, which is now streaming on Netflix. The function reworked Van Der Beek right into a heartthrob and teenage icon, because the present turned one of many defining exhibits of the last decade.
What’s Dawson’s Creek about?
Within the city of Capeside, Massachusetts, teenager Dawson Leery (Van Der Beek) desires of following within the footsteps of his filmmaking idol, Steven Spielberg. The bold Dawson enlists his mates, Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson) and Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), to assist make his beginner motion pictures. Within the pilot episode, Dawson meets Jen (Michelle Williams), the woman subsequent door who strikes in together with her grandmother, and shortly falls in love. The six-season present adopted this quartet as they navigated the trials and tribulations of teenage life.
Created by Scream’s Kevin Williamson, Dawson’s Creek shortly turned a breakout hit on The WB. The present hit all of the hallmarks of a profitable teen drama—love triangles, peer strain, and the transition to maturity. Like many teen dramas, Dawson’s Creek had its justifiable share of melodramatic moments, some higher than others. Nonetheless, the present resonated with younger viewers as a result of it addressed relatable issues of id disaster, sexuality, alcohol, and household battle. When you preferred the teenager dramas of the 2000s, together with The O.C. and One Tree Hill, then you definately’ll love the present that impressed all of them, Dawson’s Creek.
Dawson’s Creek is offered to stream on a number of streaming providers, together with Netflix and Hulu.
- Launch Date
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1998-00-00 – 2003-00-00
- Community
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The WB
- Administrators
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Greg Berlanti
James Van Der Beek’s different notable roles
The 4 leads all went on to have profitable careers after the present. Nonetheless, Van Der Beek turned a generational image for ’90s tradition. Whereas on Dawson’s Creek, Van Der Beek starred in Varsity Blues, a coming-of-age drama a couple of highschool soccer group in Texas. Van Der Beek performs Mox, the backup quarterback thrust into the highlight after the starter suffers a devastating harm. Van Der Beek’s “Let’s be heroes” speech nonetheless provides me the chills.
Van Der Beek would go on to make memorable appearances within the ABC sitcom Do not Belief the B—- in Condominium 23, the police procedural CSI: Cyber, and season 1 of Ryan Murphy’s Pose. In 2025, Van Der Beek starred in Prime Video’s comedy present Overcompensating and Tubi’s unique film Sidelined: The QB and Me.
Van Der Beek’s remaining function might be as a recurring visitor star in Elle, Prime Video’s prequel sequence to Legally Blonde. Elle arrives on July 1, 2026.
If you would like extra suggestions, do not miss out on these movies leaving Netflix, together with Zodiac and The Wolf of Wall Road. Plus, there are a number of nice documentaries on the streamer, together with one about the 1980 Winter Olympics.
