television, film, and stage actor
, known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery
in The WB
series Dawson's Creek
. He is also famous for his website, which includes Van Der Beek himself acting out famous internet memes
.
Van Der Beek was born in Cheshire, Connecticut
, the son of Melinda (née Weber), a former dancer and gymnastics studio manager, and James William Van Der Beek, Sr., a cellular phone company executive and former professional baseball
pitcher.
I love New York City. Everyone is busy with their own lives - and no one is interested in some Hollywood celebrity walking past in downtown Manhattan.Thats why it's my favorite city. You can do what you want without attracting a crowd of curious onlookers.
I'm not about to talk about what's romantic in my life - I figure if you talk about it once - then that's an open invitation for everyone to dig into your personal life even further. So, I just keep my private life to myself. If people want to write anything about me, then can go ahead and do whatever they want. But they won't get a comment out of me, that's for sure. It's a free country and I can keep my mouth shut whenever I want!
Sometimes it can be really stressful. But that's where it's important to have a close cast working together. On our show - Michelle, Katie, Josh and I get along really well. We all started together - and we back each other whenever we have any problems with the writers. So if there's unity amongst the cast then that reduces the level of stress and tension that can work its way into a long running show.