About James Van Der Beek
James David Van Der Beek (; March 8, 1977 – February 11, 2026) 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). Van Der Beek's film credits included Varsity Blues (1999), Texas Rangers (2001), The Rules of Attraction (2002), The Plague (2006) Formosa Betrayed (2009), Labor Day (2013) and Bad Hair (2020). In 2024, Van Der Beek returned to be a commencement speaker at Drew where he was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Arts degree. Van Der Beek co‑created, wrote, produced, and starred in What Would Diplo Do?, portraying producer and DJ Diplo. He won the title role of Dawson Leery, and the show's 1998 debut became a breakout success that helped establish the network and its cast. In 1999, he 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, earning him an MTV Movie Award.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.