James Van Der Beek began acting at age 13 when a concussion suffered playing football kept him off the team for a few months. The son of Jim (a former pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system) and Melinda (a former dancer), he was able to convince his parents to let him travel back and forth from Connecticut to New York City at age 15 to test his ambition on the professional stage. At age 16, he made his professional stage debut in the New York Premiere of three-time Pulitzer Prize Winner Edward Albee's FINDING THE SUN. His performance earned rave reviews, and quickly led to more New York stage work with such companies as the Signature Theater Company, the Vinyard Theater, and The Goodspeed Opera House. He made his feature film at age 17 in ANGUS, which starred George C. Scott and Kathy Bates, followed by I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU NOT with Claire Danes and Jeanne Moreau.

Despite his blossoming acting career, James managed to graduate Cheshire Academy (which he attended on a full academic scholarship) with enough honors to be awarded a scholarship to Drew University, where he studied English and sociology.

Toward the end of his sophomore year of college, James booked a job that would change his life. It was the title role of the TV show DAWSON'S CREEK, which ran for 6 seasons, launched a fledgling network and became an international cultural phenomenon, syndicated in several countries throughout the world. The show catapulted its young cast, which included Katie Holmes, Josh Jackson and Michelle Williams, into immediate stardom.

James quickly parlayed his television success into films, starring in VARSITY BLUES with Jon Voight. The film shattered the standing box office record for Martin Luther King day weekend, and opened #1 for two weeks, grossing over $60 million dollars worldwide becoming a must-own DVD for an entire generation of athletes and sports fans. Along the way, James was named one of People Magazine's "100 Most Beautiful People", hosted SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, and even picked up an MTV Movie Award.

James showed off his darker side in the cult classic THE RULES OF ATTRACTION, written and directed by Oscar winner Roger Avary, and continues to write, produce and act in numerous projects. In addition to FORMOSA BETRAYED, James recently completed THE BOY IN THE BOX, with Josh Lucas and MADMEN's Jon Hamm.