The following is a list of characters for

The WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...

teen television drama series, ''

Dawson’s Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

'' (1998–2003). The series was created by Kevin Williamson and follows the lives of a group of close-knit friends who live in the fictional New England town of Capeside, Massachusetts. The first season featured eight regular characters: the titular Dawson Leery (

James Van Der Beek James David Van Der Beek (; born March 8, 1977) is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery on The WB's ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), he also played a fictionalized version of himself on the cult ABC sitcom '' Don't Trus ...

); Dawson's childhood friend

Joey Potter Josephine "Joey" Lynn PotterSeason 6, Episode 1 - "The Kids Are Alright", Episode 2 "The Song Remains the Same" (born 1983) is a fictional character in the WB television drama ''Dawson's Creek'', played by Katie Holmes. Joey is the only principa ...

(

Katie Holmes Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003). Holmes made her film debut with a supporting role in Ang Lee's '' The Ice Sto ...

); new girl in town

Jen Lindley Jennifer "Jen" Lindley (c. May 1983 — May 14, 2008) was a principal character in the WB television drama ''Dawson's Creek'', portrayed by Michelle Williams. Introduced in the pilot, Williams appeared as a regular for all six seasons. Backgrou ...

(

Michelle Williams Michelle Williams or Michele Williams may refer to: * Michelle Ann Williams (born circa 1965), American public health scholar * Michelle Williams (singer) (born 1979), American singer, previously a member of Destiny's Child * Michelle Williams (actr ...

); Pacey Witter (

Joshua Jackson Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is an American and Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayals of Pacey Witter on The WB's teen drama ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox science fic ...

), Dawson's other best friend; Gail Leery (

Mary-Margaret Humes Mary-Margaret Humes is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She won the Miss Florida USA pageant and was third runner up in the 1975 Miss USA. Humes later began working as a television actress, appearing in a more than 50 shows, mos ...

), Dawson's mother; Mitch Leery (

John Wesley Shipp John Wesley Shipp (born January 22, 1955) is an American actor known for his various television roles. He played the lead Barry Allen on CBS's superhero series ''The Flash'' from 1990 to 1991, and Mitch Leery, the title character's father, on ...

), Dawson's father; Bessie Potter (

Nina Repeta Nina Repeta (; born September 10, 1967) is an American actress best known for her role as Bessie Potter on the television drama ''Dawson's Creek'', which aired from 1998 to 2003. She attended East Carolina University with Kevin Williamson, the ...

), Joey's older sister; and Evelyn "Grams" Ryan, Jen's grandmother (

Mary Beth Peil Mary Beth Peil (; born June 25, 1940) is an American actress and soprano. She began her career as an opera singer in 1962 with the Goldovsky Opera Theater. In 1964 she won two major singing competitions, the Young Concert Artists Internation ...

). In season two, siblings Jack (

Kerr Smith Kerr Smith (born March 9, 1972) is an American actor. He began his career with a recurring role as Ryder Hughes on the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'' (1996–1997). Smith had his breakout with a main role as Jack McPhee on the WB teen d ...

) and Andie McPhee (

Meredith Monroe Meredith Leigh Monroe (born December 30, 1969) is an American actress best known for portraying Andie McPhee on ''Dawson's Creek'' from 1998 to 2003, her recurring role as Haley Hotchner on ''Criminal Minds'' and Carolyn Standall on ''13 Reasons ...

) joined the series as recurring characters and became part of the main cast in subsequent seasons; though Andie was not present for season five, she appeared as a guest in season six. In season five, Audrey Liddell ( Busy Phillips) was introduced as Joey's college roommate and became a recurring character that season, joining the main cast in season six.

Main characters

Recurring characters

The following is a list of characters that were recurring guests on the series; they are listed in the order that they first appeared on the show. Some characters have had story lines that spanned multiple seasons, while others are restricted to arcs that occurred during a single season of the show.

Notable guest appearances

Melissa McBride Melissa Suzanne McBride (born May 23, 1965) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in 1993, and went onto appear in ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' (1997) and ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998). In 2007, she also starred in the box office film ''The ...

as Nina in "Road Trip" and Melanie "In All Good Things..." *

Mel Harris Mel Harris (born July 12, 1956) is an American actress best known for her role as Hope Murdoch Steadman in the ABC drama series ''Thirtysomething'' (1987–1991), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination in 1990. Early life and educ ...

as Helen Lindley in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" *

Julie Bowen Julie Bowen (born Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer; March 3, 1970) is an American actress. She starred as Claire Dunphy in the ABC sitcom '' Modern Family'' (2009–2020), for which she received widespread critical acclaim. She won the Primetime Emmy A ...

as Aunt Gwen in "Stolen Kisses" * Danny Roberts as Jean-Jean in "Coming Home" *

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Known for playing starring and recurring roles in comedic television, her accolades include one Golden Globe, five Primetime Emmys and two Screen Actors Gui ...

as Mrs. Witter in "The Te of Pacey" *

Pat Hingle Martin Patterson Hingle (July 19, 1924 – January 3, 2009) was an American character actor who appeared in stage productions and in hundreds of television shows and feature films. His first film was ''On the Waterfront'' in 1954. He often play ...

as Irv the Mechanic in "Eastern Standard Time" *

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, singer, and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characters with a folksy ...

as Andrew Lanier in "A Winter's Tale" *

Eddie Cahill Edmund Patrick Cahill (born January 15, 1978) is an American actor known for portraying "Miracle on Ice" goalie Jim Craig in the 2004 film ''Miracle'', and for playing the roles of Tag Jones in ''Friends'' and Detective Don Flack in '' CSI: NY. ...

as Max Winter in "Everything Put Together Falls Apart" *

Ray Wise Raymond Herbert Wise (born August 29, 1947) is an American actor best known for his role as Leland Palmer in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, Twin Peaks (season 3), 2017) and its prequel film ''Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992). He has appeared ...

as Roger Stepavich in "All the Right Moves" *

Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known primarily for his comedic Leading actor, leading man roles in films, the accolades he has received include nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, ...

as Bob in "Rock Bottom" *

Paul Gleason Paul Xavier Gleason (May 4, 1939 – May 27, 2006) was an American film and television actor. He was known for his roles on television series such as ''All My Children'' and films such as '' The Breakfast Club'', ''Trading Places'', and ''Di ...

as Larry Newman in "Sex and Violence"

Special cameo appearances

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band formed in Anaheim, California in 1986. For most of its career, the band has consisted of vocalist and founding member Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young. Keyboar ...

as themselves in "Spiderwebs" *

Adam Carolla Adam Carolla (born May 27, 1964) is an American radio personality, comedian, actor and podcaster. He hosts '' The Adam Carolla Show'', a talk show distributed as a podcast which set the record as the "most downloaded podcast" as judged by ''Guin ...

as himself in "Lovelines" * Dr. Drew Pinsky as himself in "Lovelines"

References

{{Dawson's Creek Dawson's Creek

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...