James Van Der Beek Grew up With His Siblings and Parents in Connecticut

Plenty of '90s kids grew up with James Van Der Beek in one form or another. He was around 20 years old when he was cast in the then-WB teen drama Dawson's Creek, and his career continued with other roles for years. But, outside of acting, there is plenty of curiosity about James's personal life, like who his parents and siblings are.

Although James was one of the Teen Beat regulars during the early years of his career, his family was not in the business. In fact, James's brother and sister pursued very different lives from him. James remained close to his family until his February 2026 death. But who are his siblings, and how did they shape his career, if at all?

James was the oldest of his siblings. He was one year older than his brother, Jared Van Der Beek, and their sister, Juliana Van Der Beek, is the youngest. Although Juliana does not appear to have a public social media profile and might prefer to keep her private life away from the spotlight, James did talk about her at times.

In 2019, James shared a childhood photo of himself with his siblings on Instagram. In the caption, he wished his sister a happy birthday and sang her praises for the person she is, especially when compared to him.

"From the moment she was born, a bright, shining beacon of sweetness, optimism and joy," he wrote. "The kindest person I've ever known. Seriously ... She's so genuinely nice that she makes me look like a--hole."

James's brother Jared is a little more open about his private life. His Instagram explains that he is a physical therapist and acupuncturist. He also shares videos from time to time that focus on positivity and having a bright outlook on life, which seems to be something that runs in the family, as far as James's own social media posts are concerned.

According to Jared's LinkedIn, he started the business Pathway2Healing in 2010 as a physical therapist. Before that, he was a co-owner and teacher at Coastal Seminar, where Jared focused on teaching physical therapy.

Before James's mom, Melinda Weber, died in 2020. When James competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2019, both of his parents were there to cheer him on. And, per James's numerous social media posts, his mom was a dedicated grandmother to his children before her death. James was also incredibly close to Melinda.

In May 2022, James shared an Instagram post about his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, giving birth at their home the previous October. He shared an incident during the home birth where a candle's wax melted on a mirror in the image of his mother.

"I often ask people if they've discovered a connection to those who've passed," he wrote. "And it doesn't have to be this obvious — can be just a feeling, a song on the radio, anything, really. But this one felt undeniable."