WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Actor James Van Der Beek, best known for his role as Dawson Leery on the hit 1990s television show Dawson’s Creek, has died. He was 48.
Van Der Beek had been battling stage 3 colon cancer since 2024, though an official cause of death has not been released. The Travis County Medical Examiner’s office said Van Der Beek’s death was reported to them early this morning.
The show was filmed in Wilmington and helped raise the port city’s filming profile. Hell’s Kitchen, a downtown Wilmington restaurant that opened its doors over 20 years ago, started on the set of Dawson’s Creek and remains open today…