Dawson Creek Cast Remembers Late Star James Van Der Beek At Benefit Gala

The cast and creator of the television series Dawson's Creek gathered at the Barbara Berlanti Heroes Gala on Saturday night to honor late actor James Van Der Beek. Deadline, Variety, IMDb, and Yahoo all reported that the annual cancer benefit hosted by producer Greg Berlanti featured a tribute to Van Der Beek, who recently died of cancer. [1][2][3][4]

Variety reported that Dawson's Creek creator Kevin Williamson remembered the late star while receiving a Hero Award at the event. Williamson stated that Van Der Beek was the soul of the series and noted that he handled his cancer diagnosis with grace and courage. Deadline added that actress Katherine LaNasa was also honored during the evening. [1][2]

The Barbara Berlanti Heroes Gala was launched eight years ago by television producer Greg Berlanti in memory of his mother, who died of cancer, according to Deadline. Berlanti worked as a writer and executive producer on Dawson's Creek early in his television career before founding Berlanti Productions. [1][7]

Van Der Beek gained widespread recognition starring as Dawson Leery on the teen drama television series Dawson's Creek, which ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2003 on The WB. His later credits included roles on ABC's Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23, CBS's CSI: Cyber, and FX's drama series Pose. [5][6]