James Van Der Beek

James Van Der Beek started acting at the age of 13, after suffering a concussion playing football. His first role was as Danny Zuko in his school production of Grease. When he was 16 years old, he and his mother went to New York to find an agent. A year after, he got a role in an off-Broadway play called Finding the Sun.

In 1994 he got a role in the play called Shenandoah. That year, he received a scholarship to Drew University. In 1995, he won a role in the movie Angus and in 1996 landed a supporting role in I Love you, I Love you Not.

In 1998, he took some time off from university, and auditioned for the part of Dawson Leary on Dawson's Creek, a role he is most famous for. After the show ended in 2003, James continued to appear in several movies. He also made guest appearances in TV shows such as Criminal Minds, Ugly Betty, and How I Met Your Mother.