James Van Der Beek

James David Van Der Beek (born March 8, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in the WB series Dawson's Creek. He played a fictionalized version of himself on the short-lived ABC sitcom Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, and, most recently, starred in CSI: Cyber as FBI Special Agent Elijah Mundo. His film roles include Varsity Blues (1999) and The Rules of Attraction (2002). 2Early life and stage career Van Der Beek was born in Cheshire, Connecticut, the son of Melinda (née Weber), a former dancer and gymnastics teacher, and James William Van Der Beek, a cellular phone company executive and former professional baseball pitcher of Dutch ethnicity. At the age of 15, he asked his mother to take him into New York City to get an agent and try his hand in professional acting. He made his professional debut off-Broadway at age 16 in 1993 in the New York premiere of Edward Albee's play Finding the Sun with the Signature Theatre Company. He played the role of "Fergus". Both he and the production, which was also directed by Albee, received positive reviews. A decade later, in 2003, he appeared again off-Broadway, briefly, in the play Rain Danc