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Actor Awards 2026: Why Ali Larter Is "Full of Gratitude" After Turning 50
James Van Der Beek’s peers are taking a moment to celebrate what he meant to them.
Two weeks after the Dawson’s Creek star, who made his stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis public in 2024, died at 48, his fellow members of SAG-AFTRA honored him at the 2026 Actors Awards on March 1, including his Varsity Blues costar Ali Larter.
“My heart goes out to Kimberly and his six beautiful children,” Larter told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet. “He just had such grace within him and that’s really what I think he gifted to the world. My heart is with his family.”
On Feb. 11, James’ wife Kimberly Van Der Beek shared her husband of 15 years had passed away following his yearslong cancer battle.
"He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” she wrote in a statement on social media. "There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time," the message continued. "Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend."
In the time since, loved ones of the Varsity Blues alum—dad to his and Kimberly’s kids Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4—detailed their final days with him.
“One of the greatest honors of my life, I got to be there last four to five days, every day, and hold his hand,” longtime friend Mehcad Brooks shared in a Feb. 11 video on Instagram, “and pray with him, and tell him jokes, and tell him how much I love him, and sing to him.”
John Salangsang/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Growing emotional, Desperate Housewives alum added, “And literally just watch this man handle death like a king. He handled the transition like a king.”
Among those also mourning the devastating loss was his Dawson’s Creek family, including his onscreen parents Mary-Margaret Humes and John Wesley Shipp as well as Katie Holmes.
"James, thank you," the Batman Begins star wrote in her handwritten note shared to Instagram Feb. 12. "To share a space with your imagination is sacred—breathing the same air in the land of make believe and trusting that each other's hearts are safe in their expression. These are some of the memories, along with laughter, conversations about life, James Taylor songs—adventures of a unique youth."
After detailing some of her favorite qualities her onscreen BFF possessed, Katie also reflected on how she sees his legacy.
"An appreciation for life with the integrity that life is art—creating a beautiful marriage, six loving children," she emphasized, "the journey of a hero. I mourn this loss with a heart holding the reality of his absence and deep gratitude for his imprint on it."
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for WarnerMedia and AT&T
For a look at the stars who were in the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall as James and the other fallen stars were honored on March 1, keep reading…
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Michael B. Jordan
in Tom Ford.
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Regina Hall
in custom Cong Tri.
Monica Schipper/WireImage
Lisa Ann Walter
in Alexia Maria.
John Salangsang/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Demi Moore
in Schiaparelli.
Frazer Harrison/WireImage
Allison Janney
in Raisa Vanessa and Sabyasachi jewelry.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Calista Flockhart & Harrison Ford
in Leviev jewelry (Flockhart).
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Timothée Chalamet
in Prada.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Mindy Kaling
in Yara Shoemaker and Bucherer Fine Jewellery.
David Fisher/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Jenna Ortega
in Christian Cowan and Jimmy Choo shoes.
Frazer Harrison/WireImage
Sterling K. Brown
in Brioni, Blancpain watch and Oliver Peoples glasses.
Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Tyler, The Creator
Michael Tran / AFP via Getty Images
Natasha Rothwell
in Naeem Kahn and Mindi Mond jewelry.
David Fisher/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Aimee Lou Wood
in custom Versace, Jimmy Choo shoes and Frank Darling jewelry.
David Fisher/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Emma Stone
in custom Louis Vuitton.
David Fisher/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Paul Mescal
in Saint Laurent and Cartier jewelry.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Sarah Paulson
in Saint Laurent.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Connor Storrie
in Saint Laurent and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Gwyneth Paltrow
in Givenchy and Belperron jewelry.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Teyana Taylor
in Thom Browne and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Kate Hudson
in Valentino and Desert diamonds from Emily P. Wheeler.
David Fisher/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Jessie Buckley
in Balenciaga and Jessica McCormack jewelry.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Leslie Bibb & Sam Rockwell
in Ashi Studio and Cartier jewelry (Bibb).
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Delroy Lindo & Nashormeh N.R. Lindo
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Matthew Rhys & Keri Russell
in Louis Vuitton and Buccellati jewelry (Russell).
Monica Schipper/WireImage
Fran Drescher
Monica Schipper/WireImage
Ryan Coogler & Zinzi Coogler
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Viola Davis
in custom Gucci and Pasquale Bruni jewelry.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Molly Sims & Scott Stuber
in Chopard jewelry (Sims).
John Salangsang/Shutterstock for The Actor Awards
Jeremy Allen White
Monica Schipper/WireImage
Rhea Seehorn
in Louis Vuitton and Marco Bicego jewelry.
Watch The Actor Awards 2026 (formerly named the SAG Awards) live Sunday, March 1, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Netflix.
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