what was james van der beek in
James Van Der Beek is an American actor best known for starring as Dawson Leery on the teen drama series Dawson’s Creek, along with a long list of film and TV roles across drama and comedy.
Quick Scoop: What was James Van Der Beek in?
Signature TV roles
- Dawson’s Creek (1998–2003) – Played Dawson Leery, the aspiring filmmaker and emotional core of the show, which became a late‑90s/early‑2000s teen TV phenomenon.
- Don’t Trust the … in Apartment 23 (2012–2013) – Played a heightened, comedic version of himself , leaning into his Dawson image and internet meme status.
- CSI: Cyber (2015–2016) – Starred as FBI Agent Elijah Mundo in this crime‑procedural spin‑off focused on cybercrime.
- Pose (2018) – Appeared as Matt Bromley in the first season of the acclaimed FX drama set around New York’s ball culture.
- Other TV appearances include How I Met Your Mother, One Tree Hill, Criminal Minds, Law & Order spinoffs, and voice work on Vampirina.
Notable movies
- Varsity Blues (1999) – Played quarterback Jonathon “Mox” Moxon, one of his biggest film roles coming right in the Dawson’s Creek era.
- The Rules of Attraction (2002) – Starred as Sean Bateman in this dark college dramedy based on Bret Easton Ellis’s novel.
- Texas Rangers (2001) – Played Lincoln Rogers Dunnison in this western action film.
- Cameos and genre roles in Scary Movie (as a Dawson parody), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the English dub of Castle in the Sky (voice of Pazu), Downsizing, and Bad Hair.
Recent and reality/guest projects
- Competed as himself on Dancing with the Stars (Season 28).
- Appeared on shows like Drop the Mic and game/competition formats such as 25 Words or Less, The Masked Singer and We Are Family as himself or a contestant.
- Has continued to take roles in TV movies and newer projects like Sidelined: The QB and Me and the series Elle (in progress as of mid‑2020s).
Mini table of some of his best‑known projects
| Type | Title | Year(s) | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV series | Dawson’s Creek | 1998–2003 | Dawson Leery (lead) |
| TV series | Don’t Trust the … in Apartment 23 | 2012–2013 | “James Van Der Beek” (fictionalized) |
| TV series | CSI: Cyber | 2015–2016 | Elijah Mundo |
| TV series | Pose | 2018 | Matt Bromley |
| Film | Varsity Blues | 1999 | Jonathon “Mox” Moxon |
| Film | The Rules of Attraction | 2002 | Sean Bateman |
Little extra context
- His breakout role was Dawson’s Creek , which type‑cast him for a while as the sensitive teen lead but also made him a pop‑culture icon.
- In the 2010s and 2020s, he’s leaned into self‑aware comedy (memes, meta‑roles, and satire like What Would Diplo Do?) while still taking more serious film and TV work.
TL;DR: If you recognize James Van Der Beek, it’s most likely from Dawson’s Creek or Varsity Blues, plus his later self‑aware, comedic turns sending up that early heartthrob image.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.