James Van Der Beek marks new milestone with daughter’s special birthday

James Van Der Beek is celebrating a his daughter Olivia’s birthday, one that holds extra significance.

Olivia turned 15, the same age as her father’s iconic character, Dawson Leery, in the pilot episode of Dawson’s Creek.

On Thursday, September 25, the proud father shared a heartwarming birthday tribute to the birthday girl, beginning with, "My oldest turned 15 today."

"To watch you stand there in that red dress, so confidently taking center stage amidst all those people I’ve known so long and cherish so deeply… I’m just left in awe," he wrote alongside a video, capturing the teenager taking the stage at a Dawson’s Creek reunion charity event.

At the Monday, September 22, event, she performed Paula Cole’s I Don’t Want to Wait, the show’s theme song, in front of a packed crowd at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City.

The actor, who shares Olivia with his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek, reflected how his baby girl has grown into an independent young girl, capable of managing big decisions and responsibilities.

He also shared a recent moment when Olivia made a mistake with a football game ticket but handled it with maturity by taking responsibility, apologising, and trying to fix it.

"I was more proud of how you handled the mess-up than if you’d done it all perfectly the start," the Van Der Beek, 48, added. "Keep taking big swings, kiddo. Risk imperfection. Keep dreaming big and most importantly, be true to who you are."

"Happy birthday kiddo. I love you [red heart emoji]," he concluded.

Although the actor couldn’t attend the reunion in person due to health issues, he was still part of the event through a pre-recorded video and, of course, his daughter was there as well.