James David Van Der Beek was an American actor born on March 8, 1977, in Cheshire, Connecticut, and died on February 11, 2026, at the age of 48. He was best known for portraying Dawson Leery in the television series Dawson’s Creek (1998-2003) and for his role in the film Varsity Blues (1999). Van Der Beek also gained recognition for playing a fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 (2012-2013).
James Vanderbeek Early Life
James David Van Der Beek was born in Cheshire, Connecticut, the eldest of three children. His mother, Melinda Weber (1950-2020), was a dancer and gymnastics teacher, while his father, James William Van Der Beek, worked as a cellular phone company executive. He had a younger brother named Jared, born in 1979, and a sister named Juliana, born in 1981.
Van Der Beek was of Dutch, German, English, Scots-Irish, and French descent. His surname translates to “from the creek” in Dutch. At age 15, he asked his mother to take him to New York City to find an agent and pursue professional acting.
James Vanderbeek Education
Van Der Beek attended Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. He attended Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, on an academic scholarship, where he sang in an all-male a cappella group. However, he left the university when Dawson’s Creek began production in 1997.
James Vanderbeek Career
Theater
Van Der Beek made his professional debut off-Broadway at age 16 in 1993, playing Fergus in Edward Albee’s play Finding the Sun with the Signature Theatre Company. The production, directed by Albee himself, received positive reviews. At 17, while still a student, he performed in the musical Shenandoah at the Goodspeed Opera House.
He made his feature film debut in 1995 as a sadistic bully in Angus and appeared in the independent film I Love You, I Love You Not (1996). In 2003, he returned to off-Broadway theater in Lanford Wilson’s Rain Dance.
Television Breakthrough
In early 1997, Van Der Beek auditioned for three television pilots, including one for Dawson’s Creek. He won the title role of Dawson Leery, and the show’s 1998 debut became a breakout success that helped establish The WB network. The series ran for six seasons and was syndicated worldwide, with Van Der Beek appearing in 122 episodes.
During and after Dawson’s Creek, Van Der Beek was named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World”. He guest-starred in several series including Criminal Minds (2007) as serial killer Tobias Hankel, How I Met Your Mother (2008-2013) as Simon Tremblay, and One Tree Hill (2008-2009) as a filmmaker who served as a satirical opposite of Dawson Leery.
Later Television Work
From 2012 to 2013, Van Der Beek portrayed a fictionalized version of himself on the ABC sitcom Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, earning strong notices for his comic timing and self-parody. The show debuted to critical praise and was later streamed on Netflix.
From 2015 to 2016, he played Senior Field Agent Elijah Mundo on CSI: Cyber. In 2017, he co-created, wrote, produced, and starred in What Would Diplo Do?, portraying DJ Diplo in his first project as a showrunner. The show debuted on Viceland to positive reviews and earned a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In 2018, Van Der Beek played Matt Bromley during the first season of the FX drama Pose. In 2019, he competed on season 28 of Dancing with the Stars partnered with Emma Slater, finishing in fifth place after a controversial elimination in the semifinals. In 2025, he competed on season 13 of The Masked Singer as “Griffin” and was eliminated in the Group B Finals.
James Vanderbeek Film Career
In 1999, Van Der Beek starred in the teen football drama Varsity Blues, which held the number-one spot at the U.S. box office for its first two weeks and earned him an MTV Movie Award. He appeared in several films including Scary Movie (2000), Texas Rangers (2001), Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), and The Rules of Attraction (2002).
In 2002, he portrayed Sean Bateman in Roger Avary’s film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s The Rules of Attraction, which was a box office disappointment but later developed a cult following. His later film credits include Formosa Betrayed (2009), for which he won Best Actor at the San Diego Film Festival, Labor Day (2013), Downsizing (2017), and Bad Hair (2020).
In 2024, Van Der Beek appeared in Sidelined: The QB and Me, a Tubi Original film, followed by its sequel Sidelined 2: Intercepted in 2025. He will posthumously appear in the Legally Blonde prequel television series Elle in 2026.
James Vanderbeek Age
James Van Der Beek was 48 years old at the time of his death on February 11, 2026. He was born on March 8, 1977.
James Vanderbeek Wife
James Van Der Beek was married twice during his lifetime. His first marriage was to actress Heather McComb in 2003. The couple separated in April 2009, and Van Der Beek filed for divorce later that year. The divorce was finalized in 2010, and court filings revealed that Van Der Beek was earning approximately $50,000 per month at that time.
On August 1, 2010, Van Der Beek married business consultant Kimberly Brook in a small ceremony at the Kabbalah Center near Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, Israel. He met Kimberly during a trip to Israel. The couple remained married until his death in 2026, a period of 16 years.
James Vanderbeek Children
James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly Brook had six children together. Their children are Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, and Jeremiah. Van Der Beek was open about the joys and challenges of parenting a large family.
He spoke publicly about pregnancy losses his wife experienced, including a miscarriage in November 2019, just a month after announcing she was pregnant. In 2019, during his appearance on Dancing with the Stars, he revealed that his wife had suffered a miscarriage 48 hours before his semifinal elimination. On November 22, 2021, following the birth of their sixth child, he disclosed that she had actually suffered two miscarriages at 17 weeks or later.
In September 2020, Van Der Beek announced that the family was leaving Los Angeles and moving to Texas. The family settled on a five-bedroom Austin estate to give their children “a connection to nature”.
James Vanderbeek Net Worth
James Van Der Beek’s net worth was estimated at $3 million (approximately $4.2 million AUD) at the time of his death. During his divorce from Heather McComb in 2009, court filings revealed he was earning approximately $50,000 per month, or about $600,000 annually.
Following his death, his family disclosed that the prolonged battle with cancer had created significant financial strain. According to a GoFundMe organized on behalf of his wife Kimberly and their six children, the costs of medical care and related expenses had depleted the family’s savings. The fundraiser was launched with a $1 million goal to help cover essential living expenses, household bills, and the children’s education as the family works to remain in their Texas home. Within a few hours, the campaign raised over $700,000.
In November 2025, Van Der Beek announced that he would be auctioning items from Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues to help cover costs associated with his cancer treatment.
Cancer Diagnosis and Death
On August 31, 2023, James Van Der Beek was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer after noticing changes in his bowel movements in the summer of 2023. He did not make his diagnosis public until November 2024. In his statement to People magazine, he said: “I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately managing this diagnosis and taking steps to address it, with the help of my amazing family. There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good”.
In a November 2024 cover story with People, Van Der Beek explained: “This has been a crash course in the mastery of mind, body, and spirit. I thought, ‘This is either going to take me out of the body, or it’s going to teach me how to truly live in it'”. He declined to share details about his specific treatment plan.
During a December 2025 interview on Today, Van Der Beek opened up about the difficulties he encountered over the preceding two years. One notable challenge was missing an in-person reunion for Dawson’s Creek in September 2025 due to a severe stomach virus exacerbated by his cancer. Despite this, he expressed that he felt “a little bit better every month”.
In November 2025, Van Der Beek’s wife Kimberly stated that he was “bouncing back” amid his cancer battle. James Van Der Beek died on February 11, 2026, at the age of 48. The news of his passing was shared via an Instagram post from his official account, though it did not specify the location of his death. He is survived by his wife Kimberly and their six children.
Awards and Honors
Van Der Beek won two MTV Movie Awards: Best Breakthrough Male Performance for Varsity Blues (1999) and Best Cameo in a Movie for Scary Movie (2001). He also won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Star for Varsity Blues in 1999.
In 2009, Van Der Beek 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. In 2011, he won the NewNowNext Awards OMG Internet Award for JamesVanDerMemes.com.
He received several nominations throughout his career, including Teen Choice Award nominations for Choice TV Actor for Dawson’s Creek (1999) and Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer for Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 (2012).