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Born to a cell phone salesman father and a mother who ran a gymnastics studio, Van Der Beek was raised in his hometown of Cheshire, Connecticut. The oldest of three children
and an honors student, he excelled at football until an injury at 13 sidelined his sporting career for a year. Looking to fill that void, Van Der Beek decided to take up acting. He started doing
community theater for kids, practicing his craft. He managed to land the lead in a local production of "Grease" which hooked him, so Van Der Beek and his mom traveled to New York to find him an
agent.
Van Der Beek made his film debut as a bully in 1995's "Angus", which flopped at the box office. Work in the little-seen independent film "I Love You, I Love You Not"
(1997) came next, with Van Der Beek playing another unsavory character in this drama starring Jude Law and Claire Danes. No one noticed.
Stuck in a career lull, Van Der Beek enrolled at Drew
University in Madison, New Jersey. It was while attending school here that he auditioned for the part of Dawson Leery, a sensitive, earnest and exceptionally well spoken high school sophomore in Kevin
Williamson's "Dawson's Creek". He was extremely nervous during the first reading but Williamson calmed him down and he knocked their socks off in the second reading and won the role. The
immense success of the show changed his life forever and made him an instant teen heartthrob.
Next Gyllenhaal took the lead role in 1999's surprise hit "Varsity Blues". As Jonathan 'Mox'
Moxon, a Texas high school football hero with things on his mind besides the game (much to his coach's dismay), Van Der Beek took on a more physically challenging role than that of Dawson, and with a
different look and accent, tried to develop a new personna. The film spent two weeks at number one, undoubtedly fueled by his overwhelming popularity. 1999 also saw the release of "Harvest", an
independent drama featuring the young actor in a supporting role, filmed before his television success.
In 2002, Van Der Beek portrayed Sean, a drug pushing, thrill seeking loner who falls for a
woman who is involved with bad boy Victor, played by Kip Pardue, in the thriller "Rules Of Attraction".
Van Der Beek's healthy outlook on his celebrity status, his honest appreciation
for the opportunities afforded him, and his dedication and love of acting would move the young actor beyond his heartthrob image and to emerge as a compelling performer and strong box office draw.
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