"Elle" Pays Tribute to Late James Van Der Beek in His Final Onscreen Role

Prime Video’s "Elle" took a moment for a special dedication to the late actor, James Van Der Beek.

The actor passed away in February after his battle with colorectal cancer, months before season one of the "Legally Blonde" prequel series’ premiere in July. He was 48.

In the show, Van Der Beek played Dean Wilson, the school district superintendent who was also running for mayor. (Spoiler Alert!) After befriending Elle’s mother, Eva Woods (June Diane Raphael), who helps him with his campaign, Elle Woods (Lexi Minetree) ultimately exposes his extortion scheme with Principal Anderson (Matt Oberg), leading to his arrest towards the end of season one.

After his first appearance in the third episode, titled “You’re Not the Girl I Thought You Were,” the series paid tribute to the "Dawson's Creek" alum with a title card ahead of the episode’s end credits. It read, “In loving memory of James Van Der Beek.”

Born on March 8, 1977, in Connecticut, Van Der Beek got his start acting Off-Broadway while still in high school. He had appeared in several theater productions and a few independent films before his big break came when he was cast in the popular series “Dawson’s Creek” in 1997.

During his time on the show, he took on other roles such as starring in the football drama “Varsity Blues,” for which he won an MTV Movie Award.

He played Jay in Kevin Smith’s “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back,” and starred in “The Rules of Attraction.”

After “Dawson’s Creek” ended, Van Der Beek returned to the stage in “Rain Dance,” and guest starred on shows including “Criminal Minds” and “How I Met Your Mother.”

On “One Tree Hill,” he had a recurring role as a filmmaker, then had roles in series including “Mercy,” “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23” and “Friends With Better Lives.” On the Vice scripted series “What Would Diplo Do,” Van Der Beek earned positive reviews for playing the flashy dj.

In addition to "Elle," Van Der Beek’s final film roles were in "The Gates," which released in March, and "Sidelined 2: Intercepted," which came out in November 2025.

Van Der Beek is survived by his wife, Kimberly Brook, and six children.