90s teen show heart throbs now – sudden death, popstar and double baby heartache

Hollywood star and Dawsons Creek actor James Van Der Beek is 45 years old today (March 8).

The actor, who was born on March 8 1977, played the leading role of teenager Dawson Leery in the hit teen drama, alongside Hollywood icons including Michelle Williams and Katy Holmes.

It was one of the decade’s biggest teen dramas and launched the careers of its young stars to global fame.

Along with Dawson’s Creek, the teen dramas of the nineties including Blossom and My So Called Life, also brought viewers some of the decade’s biggest heart throbs.

To celebrate James Van Der Beek’s birthday, Daily Star takes a look at where some of the nineties teen show heart throbs are now.

James Van Der Beek – Dawsons Creek (Dawson)

James Van Der Beek rose to fame as budding film maker Dawson Leery in hit teen drama Dawsons Creek, where he played the character for over five years from 1998-2003.

From there he starred in TV series including One Tree Hill (as another film maker – Adam Reese), as well as Ugly Betty, Medium and Mercy.

However, he received rave reviews for his role as himself in sitcom Don’t Trust The B**** In Apartment 23, and most recently provided the voice of Boris in the cartoon Vampirina.

Away from the limelight, he has also been been married twice – first to Heather McComb from 2003-2010, and then to wife Kimberley from 2010, with who he has six children.

The actor also revealed last year that he and his wife had welcomed their sixth child, Jeremiah.

He shared the news on Instagram, and explained that following two miscarriages in 2019 and 2020, he had been “terrified” after finding out his wife was pregnant, saying: “Humbled and overjoyed to announce the safe, happy arrival of Jeremiah Van Der Beek (We’ve been calling him Remi, btw – not “dinosaur”).

“After experiencing late-term #pregnancyloss twice in a row (both at 17+ weeks), we kept this one quiet. Truthfully, I was terrified when I found out.”

He added: “Each child brings their own energy, their own manifestation of consciousness, their own lessons.

“The ones we lost each gifted us with different pieces of the puzzle… leaving us that much more grateful for the ongoing master class we get to enjoy with this sweet, wise little one.”

James’ wife has also spoken openly about the couple’s support for the American Red Cross, to raise awareness and encourage blood donations after Kimberly admitted without a blood transfusion, “I probably would not be here.”

Speaking to People she said: “My life was on the line, what saved my life was blood transfusions, people who donated blood. Without them, I probably would not be here.”

Luke Perry – Beverly Hills 90210 (Dylan)

Luke Perry became an instant teen idol when he played Dylan McKay in Beverley Hills 90210, starring alongside other teen stars of the era including Shannon Doherty.

Prior to his Beverley Hills role however, he was already a huge star after landing the role of Buffy Summer’s love interest in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer film in 1992.

Although he was one of 90210’s biggest stars, he revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the fame had made Luke doubt himself, saying: “All the [90210] madness made me doubt myself as an actor.

“I don’t anymore, and now I’m p**sed at myself that I ever did.

“I feel better than I ever have about where I’m going. The frenzy dying away forces people to look at the clearer picture.”

Following his teen idol status, he also had roles in TV series The Incredible Hulk, Oz and Jeramiah, as well as in hit drama Riverdale as Fred Andrews.

His last on screen role was in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood in 2019, where he played Wayne Maunder.

Luke was also married to Rachel Sharp from 1993-2003 and he had two children – Jack and Sophie.

However, he sadly died on March 4, 2019, with a statement announcing his death saying: “Actor Luke Perry, 52, passed away today after suffering a massive stroke.

“He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiancé Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Rachel ‘Minnie’ Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends.”

His friends and co-stars paid tribute to the actor following his death, including Riverdale co-star Molly Ringwald who said in a tweet: “My heart is broken. I will miss you so much Luke Perry. Sending all my love to your family.”

Meanwhile his Beverley Hills 90210 co-star Shannon Doherty told Entertainment Tonight: “I can’t talk about it here ’cause I will literally start crying but I love him and he knows I love him. It’s Luke, and he’s my Dylan.”

Mario Lopez – Saved By The Bell (Slater)

One of Saved By The Bell’s heart throbs was athlete A.C Slater, rival to Zack Morris, who had fans swooning over his dance moves in the series’ very first episode.

Slater actor Mario Lopez was one of the series’ biggest stars, going on to find huge success on TV programmes Pacific Blue, The Bold and The Beautiful and Nip/Tuck.

He has also become one of the most recognisable faces on American television, hosting The X Factor alongside Khloe Kardashian in 2012 and becoming a news presenter for Entertainment Tonight.

It is no surprise then that the actor has amassed a huge estimated net worth of $25 million (£18.46 million).

Like his Saved By The Bell co-stars he has also returned for the 2021 reboot, going back to his athletic roots as Bayside High’s PE teacher.

Away from the limelight, Mario has been married to dancer Courtney Mazza since 2012, with who he has three children.

Jared Leto – My So Called Life (Jordan)

Hollywood A-lister Jared Leto landed his first leading role in the groundbreaking teen drama My So called Life alongside future star Clare Danes, from 1994-1995.

He played Jordan Catalano in the series, before going on to worldwide fame in films including American Psycho, Requiem for a Dream and Suicide Squad, as The Joker.

Jared also won an Academy Award for his role as Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, and most recently appeared in the award nominated House of Gucci as Paolo Gucci.

Fans will not have long to wait until he is back on cinema screens either, as he is due to play Michael Morbius in the upcoming comic book adaption Morbius.

Not only is he a talented actor, but he is also the front man for rock band 30 Seconds To Mars, alongside his brother Shannon Leto, who have had worldwide success with their songs including Kings And Queens and From Yesterday.

While he tends to keep his personal life private, he has had a number of relationships, including his relationship and engagement to actress Cameron Diaz from 1999-2003.

The couple have since split and it is not known if Jared is currently in a relationship.

Joey Lawrence – Blossom (Joey)

Joey Lawrence was heart throb Joey Russo in the hit TV series Blossom from 1990-1995, where he appeared alongside future Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik.

He was not the only talented actor in his family however, as his younger brothers Matthew and Andrew are also famous actors too, with Matthew appearing as Robin Williams’ on screen son in hit comedy film Mrs Doubtfire.

Together, the siblings also found success with their own TV series, Brotherly Love, between 1995-1997.

From there he has not left our TV screens, appearing in sitcoms including Melissa and Joey opposite former teen star Melissa Joan Heart, the reboot of Hawaii Five-O and most recently, the film Mistletoe Mixup.

As well as being an actor, Joey also had chart topping music career in the early nineties with songs including Nothing My Love Can’t Fix, which reached number 13 in the UK Music Charts.

It is also reported that he formed a band with his brothers in 2017 called Still 3, releasing songs including Lose Myself.

Away from the limelight, Joey has two children and has been married twice – first to Michelle Vella from 2002-2005 and then to Chandie Yawn-Nelson from 2005.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk