From “Dawson’s Creek” to Papakatsu.
Before James Van Der Beek passed away in February 2026, the actor had six children with his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek, whom he married in August 2010.
The couple, who married in August 2010, moved their family from Los Angeles to Texas in 2020 after Kimberly’s series of miscarriages led to a “drastic change in[their]dreams and priorities.”
Four years after moving, James told her Instagram followers that she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer but was “in a good place and doing well.”
Kimberly acknowledged James’ death in a heartbreaking Instagram post in February 2026, writing, “He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. … We ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve a beloved husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
Keep scrolling to meet James’ little ones.
olivia van der beek
Kimberly was pregnant when she and James married in Israel, and their daughter, Olivia, was born the following month.
The couple’s first child, born in September 2010, was the only one of their children to be born in a hospital rather than at home.
Olivia appeared on We Are Family with her father in February 2024, performing a duet of “I Hope You Dance.”
When James turned 13 the previous year, he posted a touching tribute on Instagram.
“I can’t believe it’s been 13 years…It feels like yesterday that I was staring at your little basket in the hospital. Even though I was exhausted, I couldn’t close my eyes and stop looking at you – and I knew I’d never be able to tell you how wonderful it was to have you,” the “Varsity Blues” star exclaimed.
“The moment you came out, you expanded the capacity of my heart and soul in ways I never could have imagined,” he continued, calling himself Olivia’s “No. 1 fan.”
joshua van der beek
Olivia became a big sister when her younger brother Joshua was born in March 2012.
James clarified at the time that he did not name baby No. 2 after his Dawson’s Creek co-star Joshua Jackson.
“It would have been cute, but no, that’s something I never thought of,” he told Us Weekly. “That’s a wonderful name.”
Annabelle Leah Van Der Beek
Annabelle joined the family in January 2014.
“I felt tremendous gratitude and excitement as I outnumbered the children and outnumbered the girls,” James wrote at the time, via X. “Attention the world: VDB Baby #3 debuted last night.”
James later joked on “The Talk” that he and Kimberly were “lazy” and “never talked about names before the baby was born.”
He claimed that he and his wife independently came up with the same name for their third child.
When Annabelle was five years old, she made headlines for cutting her hair in a way that her father “didn’t have the courage to do.” It involved shaving the armpits with an undercut.
James praised his daughter, who will turn 10 in January 2024, for her “honesty”, “kindness” and “depth”.
In his final Instagram post, James praised Annabelle, writing: “It’s a wonder to me that you were able to remain so open and so kind and so truly good in this crazy world.”
emilia van der beek
In March 2016, Kimberly gave birth to Emilia.
“It’s crazy how you can fall so deeply in love with someone you just met,” James gushed to his Instagram followers after arriving.
Emilia was rushed to the hospital in February 2021 after hitting her head on a table and had to “glue” the skin under her left eyebrow, an incident her parents documented on social media.
gwendoline van der beek
James and Kimberly’s youngest daughter, Gwendolyn, was born in June 2018.
“Every child awakens a different energy within you,” the proud father told People. “This person has been bringing up the truth ever since he found out she was on his way.”
When Gwendolyn turned four in 2022, James praised her on Instagram, calling her “sensational” and “different.”
jeremiah van der beek
Jeremiah completed the Van Der Beek family in October 2021, becoming the only child of the couple’s six children to be born in Texas.
Before Jeremiah’s arrival, Kimberly suffered two consecutive miscarriages (both at 17 weeks) due to “cervical incompetence.”
Before becoming pregnant with her sixth child, she underwent a “simple suture surgery” and gave birth “naturally on a ranch.”
