James David Van Der Beek (born March 8, 1977) is an American actor. He rose to fame beginning in 1998 for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in the WB series Dawson's Creek and for portraying a fictionalized version of himself on the ABC sitcom Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. He is also known for a website, created by "Funny Or Die" on which he acts out famous internet memes.