RIP Category (James Van Der Beek)

RIP Category (James Van Der Beek)

From Famous and Gravy: Dead celebrity biographies by 14th Street Studios | Michael Osborne

June 3, 2026 · 31 min · Episode 130

About this episode

This episode is a tribute to James Van Der Beek, reflecting on his life and career.

This person died in 2026, age 48. Asked in 2023 what advice he would give his younger self, he said: "Don't be surprised if six years of work gets reduced to a three-second GIF of you crying." In 1997, he was studying English at Drew University in New Jersey when the opportunity for his breakout role came along. In 1999, he played a high school football player in the coming-of-age movie Varsity Blues . Today's dead celebrity is James Van Der Beek. This is a shorter episode than usual as we say goodbye to James and The Van Der Beek category. If you liked this episode, you might also like Episode 88 Dirty Dancer (Patrick Swayze) or Episode 57 Cool Hand Dylan (Luke Perry). LINKS: 14th Street Studios Transcript of this episode NYT Obituary for James Van Der Beek Asshole for Hire — James Van Der Beek for Funny or Die Castle in the Sky (1986) — Studio Ghibli Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook , LinkedIn , Threads Famous & Gravy official website James Van Der Beek gave Famous & Gravy its name for a category. In this special tribute episode, Michael Osborne and co-host Sarah Murphy remember the Dawson's Creek star not as a punchline but as a person: a…

People in this episode

Host: Michael Osborne

Guest: Sarah Murphy

Topics covered

  • celebrity biography
  • memorial
  • film history
  • internet culture
  • personal reflection

Keywords

  • James Van Der Beek
  • Dawson's Creek
  • Varsity Blues
  • celebrity
  • memes

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 14th Street Studios

Books & works: Dawson's Creek, Varsity Blues

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