James Van Der Beek, ‘Dawson’s Creek’ Star, Dead at 48 After Cancer Battle

2 weeks ago 13

Published Feb 11, 2026, 2:45 PM EST

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

James Van Der Beek, best known as the titular star of The WB's flagship teen drama Dawson's Creek, has died at the age of 48 following a lengthy battle with colorectal cancer. He was originally diagnosed back in 2023, publicly revealing his illness and treatment in November 2024. The news of his death was confirmed by TMZ, and no official cause was announced.

Originally attending Drew University on an academic scholarship and cutting his teeth in theater, Van Der Beek's life would change forever after being cast in the lead role of Dawson Leery in the pilot for Dawson's Creek in 1997. The Kevin Williamson-created series was an immediate coming-of-age hit, set in the small town of Capeside, Massachusetts, where the young Dawson and his group of friends navigate the roller coaster of teenage life as they grow up together. Not only did it help put The WB on the map as a destination for teen television across its six seasons, but it also transformed Van Der Beek into a hot commodity amid a cast full of breakout stars, including Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams. Notably, the cast, minus Van Der Beek, due to illness, had recently reunited for a reading of the pilot for charity in support of their leading man and the organization F Cancer.

Van Der Beek would further cement himself as a teen heartthrob on the big screen after starring in the 1999 sports drama Varsity Blues as the academically brilliant, yet rebellious, backup quarterback Jonathan "Mox" Moxon. Also featuring a pre-Fast & Furious Paul Walker and Jon Voight as a tyrannical head coach, the film has become a cult classic, following Mox as he's thrust into starting duties when his school's star quarterback is injured, and is forced to carry the hopes of a football-obsessed town despite his own ambitions. It helped pave the way for an impressive film career, from Texas Rangers to Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, and the feature adaptation of The Rules of Attraction.

Van Der Beek Brought Far More to Television Than Just Dawson Leery

For all his efforts in theaters, though, the actor would remain most prominent on the small screen. Following Dawson's Creek's end in 2005, he'd bounce around in smaller roles on Ugly Betty and Criminal Minds before landing a recurring part on One Tree Hill and a key role in NBC's short-lived medical drama Mercy. His most prominent television appearance after his time in Capeside, however, would come in 2012, when he boarded ABC's Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 as a fictionalized version of himself who was close friends with Krysten Ritter's titular party girl Chloe. Van Der Beek consistently proved that his range as an actor was wide, from womanizing bosses to washed-up actors, serial killers, and beyond.

Van Der Beek's last role before his death came in Prime Video's breakout hit Overcompensating from Benito Skinner, though he also filmed for a prominent role in the Legally Blonde prequel series Elle, due out in 2026. While primarily known for his on-screen work, he proved a capable writer too, penning the comedy series What Would Diplo Do? in which he starred as DJ Wesley "Diplo" Pentz as he bumbled through the music industry. In the end, his status as a teen icon proved to be just one small, if memorable chapter in a storied entertainment career.

Our condolences go out to Van Der Beek's loved ones at this time.