{"id":293582,"date":"2026-02-12T04:44:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T04:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/293582\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T04:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T04:44:09","slug":"james-van-der-beeks-most-memorable-roles-from-teen-heartthrob-to-self-parody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/293582\/","title":{"rendered":"James Van Der Beek’s most memorable roles, from teen heartthrob to self-parody"},"content":{"rendered":"

James Van Der Beek \u2014 who died<\/a> Feb. 11 from colorectal cancer<\/a> at the age of 48 \u2014 first gained fame as the title character on the teen drama Dawson\u2019s Creek. His portrayal of aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery in the late-’90s soap opera, alongside Capeside friends Joey (Katie Holmes), Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and Jen (Michelle Williams), remains his most recognized role.<\/p>\n

Although Dawson\u2019s Creek defined his career for many viewers \u2014 and certainly cemented his place in entertainment history \u2014 he took on many other memorable roles. He will also be remembere<\/a>d as backup football QB Jonathan “Mox” Moxon from his role in the coming-of-age film Varsity Blues and for showcasing his comedic side as a fictionalized version of himself on Don\u2019t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23.<\/p>\n

While we wait to see his role in Prime Video’s highly anticipated Legally Blonde prequel Elle<\/a>, Yahoo editors are looking back on these past favorites. Please share your own picks in the comments.<\/p>\n

‘Dawson’s Creek’ (1998-2003)<\/p>\n

The theme song alone<\/a> transports me back to a time when the Dawson-Joey-Pacey love triangle felt like one of the world\u2019s biggest dilemmas \u2014 or at least it did to my younger self. Dawson\u2019s friendship-turned-crush on his childhood best friend, Joey, defined the series and mirrored so much of my own life and friendships at the time: first love drama, shifting loyalties, family conflict and growing pains as you make the jump from adolescence to adulthood. The show also introduced a generation of standout actors, including Busy Philipps. Their recent cast reunion<\/a> \u2014 to raise money for cancer in honor of Van Der Beek, though he ended up missing the emotional event \u2014 underscored the bond they formed as performers from that era. The reunion also offered a glimpse of the father of six’s family, including a moment when his daughter sang the theme song<\/a>, a full-circle tribute to a series that left a lasting mark. \u2014 Suzy Byrne<\/p>\n

‘Varsity Blues’ (1999)<\/p>\n

I owned the Varsity Blues DVD before I was allowed to. My parents forbade it \u2014 I was 13, it was rated R, end of discussion \u2014 which of course only made it more essential viewing. I was deep in my Dawson\u2019s Creek era and would watch anything with the stars, so this became required research. But beyond my teenage rebellion, Varsity Blues is iconic for a reason. It\u2019s not just the underdog story or that perfectly delivered \u201cI don\u2019t want your life\u201d<\/a> moment \u2014 it\u2019s a time capsule of late-\u201990s teen angst wrapped in Texas football mythology. And yes, the whipped cream bikini scene became instant pop-culture lore,<\/a> less about shock value now and more about how one frame can define an era of teen movies. Even now, it\u2019s the kind of messy sports dramedy that reminds you why we all fell a little in love with Friday night lights stories in the first place, largely thanks to Van Der Beek. \u2014 Taryn Ryder<\/p>\n

‘One Tree Hill’ (2008-2009)<\/p>\n

Dawson’s Creek walked so One Tree Hill could run \u2014 and Van Der Beek honored the teen drama that followed his own with a four-episode arc. Billed as a “special guest star,” he played movie director Adam Reese \u2014 of course, a nod to movie-obsessed Dawson\u2014 hired to direct a film adaptation of Lucas’s (Chad Michael Murray) novel. \u2014 Suzy Byrne<\/p>\n

‘Don’t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23’\u00a0(2012-2014)<\/p>\n

One of the most overlooked sitcoms of all time \u2014 genuinely \u2014 is the delightful Don’t Trust the B**** In Apartment 23, which has an astronomical laugh-per-minute quotient. It follows a happy-go-lucky Midwestern girl who moves in with an irresponsible party girl named Chloe (Ritter) who, despite her laziness, loves a good scam. Her best friend is James Van Der Beek \u2014 yes, a fictionalized version of the actor played by himself. He does it with an astounding amount of self-awareness, parodying the impact of his early fame on his confidence, vanity and career trajectory. The predicaments that they got into together defied predictability, and it’s a shame we only got to see two seasons of it. \u2014 Kelsey Weekman<\/p>\n

‘The Rules of Attraction’ (2002)<\/p>\n

This Bret Easton Ellis adaptation follows Van Der Beek\u2019s college drug dealer Sean Bateman (brother of American Psycho\u2019s Patrick Bateman) as he parties his way through Camden College while yearning for Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon), the girl he mistakenly believes is leaving him love notes. As Sean tries and fails to make any meaningful connections, a series of misunderstandings, both hilarious and tragic, ensues. \u2014 Kaitlin Reilly<\/p>\n

Kesha’s ‘Blow’ music video (2011)<\/p>\n

Van Der Beek mastered the brooding teen persona early in his career, but he proved equally adept at comedy, particularly when he leaned into and poked fun of his Dawson\u2019s Creek persona and former teen idol image. Another time he stepped into that was in Kesha’s video for “Blow,” directed by Chris Marrs Piliero, in which he played the singer’s nemesis. Whether it was their exaggerated rivalry, his embrace of the self-mocking \u201cJames Van Der Douche\u201d persona or the unicorn-filled showdown, the performance showed how fully he was in on the joke \u2014 again. \u2014 Suzy Byrne<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"James Van Der Beek \u2014 who died Feb. 11 from colorectal cancer at the age of 48 \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":293583,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[321,43400,29241,93,33483,140149,61,60,29242,29244,29243,15915,140150,134731,41827,140148],"class_list":{"0":"post-293582","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-dawson-leery","10":"tag-dawsons-creek","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-everett-collection","13":"tag-friends-joey","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-james-van-der-beek","17":"tag-joshua-jackson","18":"tag-katie-holmes","19":"tag-michelle-williams","20":"tag-suzy-byrne","21":"tag-teen-drama","22":"tag-van-der-beek","23":"tag-varsity-blues"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293582"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293582\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}