One of the 1990’s Most Popular Television Actors, James Van Der Beek, Dies at Age 48

James Van Der Beek Passes Away at Age 48

James Van Der Beek, a former television show idol, has passed away due to stage 3 colorectal cancer at age 48 and he leaves behind his wife and six children.

A few years back, I reported for FilmBook that James Van Der Beek was going to be starring in a movie called Rock the Boat which would pay homage to the actor’s old-school idol days. Sadly, that project (which was set to co-star Rebel Wilson) was never made. Instead, I am genuinely saddened to be reporting the news of the actor’s passing. While a GoFundMe page has been set up to help Van Der Beek’s family financially cope with the actor’s loss, it is impossible not to wonder if Van Der Beek’s career could have reached greater heights had he not had gotten sick.

Rock the Boat would have been a great project for the actor to potentially experience a terrific second act in his career as Van Der Beek had not too long ago made a monster comeback with his participation in Dancing with the Stars back in 2019. That was just several years before Rock the Boat was announced as a potential project for the actor. Van Der Beek was a finalist in the competition he participated in on DWTS.

Dawson’s Creek was James Van Der Beek’s biggest claim to fame. In that television show, the actor starred with Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson. This TV show appealed to a young audience in the 1990’s where it was well-regarded and launched at least four great film/television careers. It aired on the WB network. It ran until 2003.

In the film, Varsity Blues, Van Der Beek had a box-office hit in which he starred with the now deceased legendary The Fast and the Furious actor, Paul Walker. Van Der Beek and Walker played best friends in that film and the movie was very highly regarded as well as profitable for its studio, Paramount Pictures. It made $52 million domestically and was well-liked by movie-goers as it earned a “B+” CinemaScore grade back in 1999 when it came out.

Van Der Beek was also featured in a Bret Easton Ellis book film adaptation. It was a controversial movie, to say the least, and was called The Rules of Attraction. It was released in 2002 and was a movie where Van Der Beek played with Jessica Biel, Faye Dunaway, Kip Pardue and Kate Bosworth, among others.

Dancing with the Stars shed significant light on the family aspects of Van Der Beek’s life in its behind-the-scenes takes before the actor danced with his partner on the program. He danced with Emma Slater on the show, but spoke of his kids and his wife who he loved so very dearly in clips that were interspersed in-between dances.

In the Dawson’s Creek theme song, the lyrics played: “I don’t want to wait for our lives to be over…” Because Van Der Beek loved his family with his whole heart, he was an exemplary human being and his passing teaches us to appreciate every day with our loved ones and to cherish the moments in life that make it worth living. Don’t wait for your life to be over to make every day count. Support his family with a donation on their GoFundMe page which you can seek out if you are so inclined.

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