James Van Der Beek

James William Van Der Beek (born March 8, 1977) is an American actor known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery on The WB's Dawson's Creek (1998–2003). He also played a fictionalized version of himself on the ABC sitcom Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23 (2012–2013), FBI Agent Elijah Mundo on CSI: Cyber (2015–2016), and Matt Bromley on the first season of FX's Pose (2018). Van Der Beek's film credits include Varsity Blues (1998), Texas Rangers (1999), The Rules of Attraction (2002), Formosa Betrayed (2009), Labor Day (2013), and Bad Hair (2020). He was born in Cheshire, Connecticut, and is of Dutch ancestry.