ames Van Der Beek, known to audiences for his breakout role as the title character in the popular dramatic series “Dawson’s Creek,” and who has starred in such features as “Varsity Blues” and “The Rules of Attraction,” was most recently seen heading up an all-star cast in RHI Entertainment’s sci-fi action thriller mini-series, “The Storm.”
Born in Connecticut, Van Der Beek began pursuing his acting career in theater in New York City as a teenager. He landed roles in the features “I Love You, I Love You Not” and “Harvest,” before being cast as the central character in “Dawson’s Creek,” which served as a breakout role. The series itself broke new ground in presenting teens and young adults on television as complex characters dealing with topical issues in a mature, articulate and forthright manner.
Among the other features Van Der Beek starred in while continuing to work on “Dawson’s Creek” was the Western drama “Texas Rangers.” After the series ended its successful run, he also starred in “Standing Still,” “Plague” and “Final Draft.”
For television, Van Der Beek has guest starred with a two-episode appearance on “Criminal Minds” and a three-episode story arc on “One Tree Hill,” as well as single-episode guest star appearances on such series as “Medium,” “Ugly Betty” and “How I Met Your Mother.” His vocal talents can be heard in episodes of the cult favorite series “Robot Chicken.” Further displaying his comedic talent, Van Der Beek was a guest host for an episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
Van Der Beek’s many TV movie credits include “Eye of the Beast,” “Football Wives” and “Sex, Power, Love and Politics.” He also recently starred in the crime-drama TV movie “Taken In Broad Daylight.” On the feature film front, Van Der Beek has completed roles in the features “The Boy in the Box” and “Formosa Betrayed.”
Van Der Beek has several awards to his name, including two MTV Movie Awards for his performances in “Scary Movie” and “Varsity Blues.” He currently lives in Los Angeles.
