Fate certainly played a hand in JAMES VAN DER BEEK's entrance into the acting world, but it was his dedication and talent that earned him a leading role in "Dawson's Creek," which quickly became one of the most popular shows on television. Van Der Beek also starred as the second-string high school quarterback who becomes a team hero in the box office hit Varsity Blues with Jon Voight and Paul Walker.
Van Der Beek's first on-screen performance came with a starring role in the 1995 film Angus, and he was featured in I Love You ... I Love You Not with Claire Danes. Currently, Van Der Beek is filming a starring role in Richard Avary's adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel TheRules of Attraction.
Van Der Beek was bitten by the acting bug at age 16, starting with his first stage role in the Off-Broadway play "Finding the Sun," written and directed by Edward Albee.