This page uses content from the James Van Der Beek biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

James William Van Der Beek, Jr. (born March 8, 1977 in Cheshire, Connecticut) is an American film actor.

Biography

Early life

James was born in Cheshire, Connecticut. He has a brother, Jared (born 1979) and a sister, Juliana (born 1981). James attended Cheshire Academy (a private school), where he played football, although he suffered a concussion which prevented him from continuing his interest in the game. He was identified as being dyslexic during his childhood, but became an honors student in his school, through hard work and dedication.

He began acting at age 13, playing Danny Zuko in his school's performance of Grease. James began auditioning in New York City at age 16 and appeared in the off-Broadway play Finding the Sun, as well as in the play Shenandoah in 1994. Later, he was given a scholarship to attend Drew University, where he was an English major and participated in an all-male a cappella group, 36 Madison Avenue [1].

Career

James started his film career with a supporting role in the teen-oriented movie Angus in 1995. However, he did not gain wide renown until 1998, when he was cast in the lead role of Dawson Leery on the television series Dawson's Creek. He stopped attending college in order to film the series, but plans to return in order to complete his degree.

The series was a big success among its intended teenage audience, and James became a well known teen idol. His on and off air chemistry with Katie Holmes was one of the main reasons for the success of the show. There were rumors that James and Katie were dating, however these rumours were never substantiated and both actors have always stated that they were simply close friends

In 1999, James took a break from Dawson's Creek and starred in the lead role in the film Varsity Blues, as a player on a Texas high school football team. The film was successful, grossing $52 million and James won an MTV award for his lead performance. He subsequently appeared in "Texas Rangers" and The Rules of Attraction, and also appeared in Standing Still.

In 1998, Van Der Beek was chosen as one of People Magazine's "50 most beautiful people in the world".

Presently, James is working on 2 projects, Eye of the Beast and Zoe (2006) with Eliza Dushku.

Personal life

James married actress Heather McComb in July 2003; he lives primarily in New York City.

He enjoys playing the guitar and participating in sports; his favorite football team is the Green Bay Packers.

James is very close friends with Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams - his co-stars from Dawson's Creek.

Selected filmography

Awards

• 1999 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Male Performance (for Varsity Blues)
• 2001 MTV Movie Award for Best Cameo in a Movie (for Scary Movie)

He was also nominated for the 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Newcomer (for Varsity Blues)

Interviews

• Collection of interviews at :James Van Der Beek Online

External links

• All Movie Guide entry for James Van Der Beek

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