James Van Der Beek Rich Fury/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment James Van Der Beek, the charismatic actor who starred as the sensitive and insecure Dawson Leery on The WB teen melodrama Dawson's Creek, has lost his battle with colorectal cancer. He was 48.