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About

JAMES VAN DER BEEK

Kirk Hafner

James Van Der Beek stars in NBC's new four-hour miniseries "The Storm" as scientist Kirk Hafner.

Van Der Beek was born in Cheshire, Connecticut. At the age of 13, he suffered a concussion while playing football, which prevented him from playing the rest of the season. Van Der Beek then turned to acting and eventually performed in community theater. He played Danny Zuko in his hometown's community theater production of "Grease." This led to more roles, and at age 15, he asked his mother to take him into New York City that summer to see if he could get an agent and try professional acting.

Toward the end of his sophomore year of college, Van Der Beek auditioned for three television pilots -- one of them was "Dawson's Creek." He won the title role of Dawson Leery, and the show's 1998 debut was a massive success that not only helped to establish the network, but made stars (and teen idols) of its cast, which also included Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson. The series ran for six seasons, was hugely popular among the coveted 18-34 year old demographic, and was syndicated all over the world.

After "Dawson's Creek" ended in 2003, Van Der Beek immediately returned to the New York Stage, in the New York Premiere of Lanford Wilson's "Rain Dance."

Since 2003, he has completed his first screenplay "Winning," and has optioned several properties to develop, including Charles Bowdon's non-fiction book "A Shadow in the City."

Among Van Der Beek notable appearances on television are roles on "Ugly Betty" and in "Criminal Minds," in which he played a young man with disassociate identity disorder. In 2008, he made a guest appearance on the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother." Since 2008, Van Der Beek has also had recurring role as a movie director on "One Tree Hill."

Van Der Beek married actress Heather McComb in July 2003, whom he met in 1998 during the filming of "Dawson's Creek." They live primarily in Los Angeles.