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James David Van Der Beek was an American actor. Known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery on The WB's Dawson's Creek (1998–2003), he also played a fictionalized version of himself on the cult ABC sitcom Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (2012–2013), starred as FBI agent Elijah Mundo on CSI: Cyber (2015–2016) and appeared as Matt Bromley during the first season of the FX drama Pose (2018).
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entertainment · American actor (1977–2026) · actor · stage actor · television actor · film actor · screenwriter · also James Van Der Beek, Beek
Born 8 March 1977 · Died 11 February 2026 · Q313392
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Twenty-five years ago today, my life changed. Not gradually, not day-by-day … instantly. It was the culmination of five years of auditioning, hundreds of hours on stage, thousands of hours travelling, preparing, dreaming, hoping, hearing ‘no’ and making up reasons to keep going. But the shift was overnight.
“Twenty-five years ago today, my life changed. Not gradually, not day-by-day … instantly. It was the culmination of five years of auditioning, hundreds of hours on stage, thousands of hours travelling, preparing, dreaming, hoping, hearing ‘no’ and making up reasons to keep going. But the shift was overnight.”
Vanity Fair: James Van Der Beek’s Widow Posts Tribute to the Actor on What Would Have Been Their 16th Anniversary
Page Six: James Van Der Beek’s wife pays tribute to late actor on first Father’s Day since his passing
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Died 2026-02-11.
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Will posthumously appear in John Burr's feature film The Gates by Lionsgate Premiere, and the Legally Blonde prequel television series Elle
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Van Der Beek competed on season thirteen of The Masked Singer as "Griffin", whose costume featured wings that opened during performances
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Van Der Beek returned to be a commencement speaker at Drew where he was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Arts degree
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Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage III colorectal cancer; he did not make his diagnosis public until November 2024
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Following the birth of their sixth child, he disclosed that she had actually suffered two miscarriages at 17 weeks or later
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Van Der Beek was cast as Matt Bromley on the FX drama Pose, a role he played for one season
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Appeared in the British comedy series Carters Get Rich
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Van Der Beek began his role as Senior Field Agent Elijah Mundo on CSI: Cyber
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Van Der Beek played Kesha's nemesis in her music video for "Blow"
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In a small ceremony at the Kabbalah Center near Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, Israel
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TV Guide reported that Van Der Beek had been cast in a major recurring role on the NBC medical drama Mercy, playing Dr
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Won Best Actor at the 8th Annual San Diego Film Festival for his performance as FBI agent Jake Kelly in the political thriller Formosa Betrayed, which also won Best Picture
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Portrayed real‑life kidnapper Anthony Steven "Tony Zappa" Wright in the Lifetime film Taken in Broad Daylight
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Van Der Beek began a recurring role on One Tree Hill as Adam Reese, a filmmaker who served as a satirical opposite of Dawson Leery
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Appeared on How I Met Your Mother as Simon Tremblay, one of Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders)'s former boyfriends, returning for two more episodes in 2013
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Guest-starred in a two-part episode of Criminal Minds, playing serial killer Tobias Hankel, who kidnaps and drugs Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler)
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Van Der Beek appeared in the direct-to-DVD thriller The Plague, produced by Clive Barker, which was panned by critics
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Returned to Off-Broadway in Lanford Wilson's Rain Dance
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Portrayed Sean Bateman, younger brother of American Psycho protagonist Patrick Bateman (Casper Van Dien), in Roger Avary's film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' The Rules of Attraction
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Starred in the teen football drama Varsity Blues, which held the number-one spot at the U
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In the New York premiere of Edward Albee's play Finding the Sun with the Signature Theatre Company, playing the role of Fergus
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Born 1977-03-08.
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In Cheshire, Connecticut, the eldest of three children of Melinda (née Weber; 1950–2020), a dancer and gymnastics teacher, and James William Van Der Beek, a cell phone company executive
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