Dick Van Dyke | |
|---|---|
 Van Dyke in 2024 | |
| Born | Richard Wayne Van Dyke (1925-12-13)December 13, 1925 (age 99) West Plains, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1947–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouses | |
| Partner | Michelle Triola Marvin (1976–2009; her death) |
| Children | 4, includingBarry |
| Relatives |
|
| Awards | List of awards and honors |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army Air Forces |
| Years of service | 1944–1946 |
| Rank | Staff sergeant |
| Unit | Armed Forces Radio Service |
| Wars |
|
| Awards | Good Conduct Medal |
Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor and comedian.His work spans screen and stage, andhis awards include sixEmmy Awards, aGrammy Award, and aTony Award. He was inducted into theHollywood Walk of Fame in 1993, and then theTelevision Hall of Fame in 1995. He has been honored with theScreen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013, and theKennedy Center Honors in 2020. He was recognized as aDisney Legend in 1998.[1][2][3][4]
Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio, television and in nightclubs. He made hisBroadway debut in the musicalrevueThe Girls Against the Boys (1959). The following year he starred as Albert F. Peterson in the original production ofBye Bye Birdie (1960), a role which earned him theTony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He returned to Broadway playing Harold Hill in a revival ofThe Music Man (1980).
On television, Van Dyke became a household name in the United States and Canada portraying Rob Petrie in theCBS sitcomThe Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966), which also earned him threePrimetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He guest-starred on shows such asColumbo (1974) andThe Carol Burnett Show (1977), and starred inThe New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–1974),Diagnosis: Murder (1993–2001), andMurder 101 (2006–2008).
Van Dyke is also known for his role as Bert, thecockneychimney sweep in theDisney movie musicalMary Poppins (1964), for which he was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. He starred in the movie musicalsBye Bye Birdie (1963) andChitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), as well as the comedy-dramaThe Comic (1969). In his later years, Van Dyke has taken supporting roles in films such asDick Tracy (1990),Curious George (2006),Night at the Museum (2006),its 2014 sequel, andMary Poppins Returns (2018).
Richard Wayne Van Dyke was born on December 13, 1925, inWest Plains, Missouri,[5] to Hazel Victoria (née McCord), a stenographer, and Loren Wayne "Cookie" Van Dyke, a salesman.[6] He grew up inDanville, Illinois. He is the older brother of actorJerry Van Dyke, who appeared as his brother inThe Dick Van Dyke Show.Van Dyke is aDutch surname, although he also has English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.[7] His family line traces back toMayflower passengerJohn Alden.[8]
Van Dyke attendedDanville High School in 1944, where he participated in thea cappella choir and dramatic club.[9] He performed in the drama program withBobby Short andDonald O'Connor, and his involvement convinced him to become a professional entertainer, although he also considered a career in the ministry.[10]
Van Dyke left high school during his senior year to join theUnited States Army Air Forces for pilot training duringWorld War II.[11][12] Denied enlistment several times for being underweight, he was eventually accepted for service as a radio announcer before transferring to theSpecial Services and entertaining troops in thecontiguous United States.[13] He was discharged in 1946.[14] Van Dyke received his high school diploma in 2004.[15]
During the late 1940s, Van Dyke was aradio DJ onWDAN inDanville, Illinois.[16] In 1947, Van Dyke was persuaded bypantomime performer Phil Erickson[17] to form a comedy duo called "Eric and Van—the Merry Mutes."[18] The team toured theWest Coast nightclub circuit, performing a mime act andlip synching to78 rpm records. They moved toAtlanta, Georgia, in the early 1950s and performed on a local television show featuring original skits and music called "The Merry Mutes".[19]
Van Dyke's start in television was withWDSU-TVNew Orleans Channel 6 (NBC), first as a single comedian and later asemcee of a comedy program.[20][21][22] Van Dyke's first network TV appearance was withDennis James on James'Chance of a Lifetime in 1954. He later appeared in two episodes ofThe Phil Silvers Show during its 1957–58 season. He also appeared early in his career onABC'sThe Pat Boone Chevy Showroom andNBC'sThe Polly Bergen Show. During this time a friend from the Army was working as an executive for CBS television and recommended Van Dyke to that network. Out of this came a seven-year contract with the network.[23] During an interview onNPR'sWait Wait... Don't Tell Me! program, Van Dyke said he was the anchorman for theCBS Morning Show during this period withWalter Cronkite as his newsman.[7]
In November 1959, Van Dyke made hisBroadway debut inThe Girls Against the Boys which ran at theAlvin Theatre. The production was a revue in two acts and featured performances from Van Dyke,Shelley Berman,Bert Lahr,Nancy Walker among many others. The production ran on Broadway for 16 performances from November 2 to 14, 1959.[24]
He played the lead role of Albert Peterson inBye Bye Birdie, which ran from April 14, 1960, to October 7, 1961. Van Dyke starred alongsideChita Rivera, Barbara Doherty, andPaul Lynde. The production received mixed reviews from critics, such as fromBrooks Atkinson ofThe New York Times, who praised Van Dyke as "likable" but opined, "As a production it's neither fish fowl nor good musical comedy. It needs work." Despite this, the musical won four Tony awards, including for Van Dyke, who won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 1961.[25]
Van Dyke began his film career by playing the role of Albert J. Peterson in the film version ofBye Bye Birdie (1963). Despite his unhappiness with the adaptation—its focus differed from the stage version in that the story now centered on a previously supporting character[26]—the film was a success. The film starredAnn-Margret,Janet Leigh, andMaureen Stapleton with Van Dyke and Lynde reprising their roles.Variety wrote of Van Dyke's performance, "Van Dyke displays a showbiz knowhow far more extensive than his television outings communicate".[27]
From 1961 to 1966, Van Dyke starred in the CBS sitcomThe Dick Van Dyke Show, in which he portrayed a comedy writer namedRob Petrie. Carl Reiner conceived the program and cast himself as the lead in the pilot, but CBS insisted on recasting, and Reiner chose Van Dyke to replace him in the role.[23] Complementing Van Dyke was a veteran cast of comic actors includingRose Marie,Morey Amsterdam,Jerry Paris,Ann Morgan Guilbert,Richard Deacon, andCarl Reiner (as Alan Brady), as well as 24-year-oldMary Tyler Moore, who played Rob's wifeLaura Petrie. Van Dyke won three Emmy Awards asOutstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and the series received fourEmmy Awards as Outstanding Comedy Series.[28]
The Dick Van Dyke Show received positive reviews from its start, withThe Hollywood Reporter praising Van Dyke's comedic performance writing, "Sure to catch on as a new personality is Dick Van Dyke who, though he can play it straight when need be, proves a master of the double take, juicing up to solid laughs what would possibly be just amusing lines with his physical reactions. Yet, he doesn't over-mug. In this one, his "drunk husband" bit was a masterpiece of timing and ingenuity."[29]
Ken Tucker ofEntertainment Weekly reviewed the series following itsBlu-ray boxset release in 2012 writing, "The Dick Van Dyke Show certainly wasn't the first sitcom featuring a lead character who presided over a TV-show-within-the-TV-show —Jack Benny'sThe Jack Benny Program, among others, had beaten Van Dyke to that. But this was the first sitcom to meld the workplace sitcom with the domestic sitcom so seamlessly. The episodes themselves move with the same smoothness and grace that Van Dyke and Moore did, whether the Petries were clowning, dancing, or romancing".[30]
The series had a reunion in 2004 and was aired onCBS asThe Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited withRay Romano serving as host and Van Dyke,Mary Tyler Moore,Rose Marie, Jerry Van Dyke andCarl Reiner returning.Morey Amsterdam andRichard Deacon appeared in archival footage, both having died.
In 1964, Van Dyke was cast in two roles inWalt Disney'sMary Poppins: as Bert, a man who goes through multiple odd jobs, ultimately and memorably becoming achimney sweep; and as bank chairman Mr. Dawes Senior. For his scenes as the chairman, he was heavily costumed to look much older and was credited in that role as "Navckid Keyd". At the end of the credits, the lettersunscramble into "Dick Van Dyke", which was repeated inMary Poppins Returns. Van Dyke's attempt at acockney accent has been lambasted as one of the worst accents in film history, cited by actors since as an example of how not to sound. In a 2003 poll byEmpire magazine of the worst-ever accents in film, he came in second (toSean Connery inThe Untouchables, despite Connery winning anAcademy Award for that performance).[31][32]
According to Van Dyke, his accent coach—veteran actorJ. Pat O'Malley—was Irish and "didn't do an accent any better than I did", and no one alerted him to how bad it was during the production.[33][7][23][34] Still,Mary Poppins was successful on release and its appeal has endured. "Chim Chim Cher-ee", one of the songs that Van Dyke performed inMary Poppins, won theAcademy Award for Best Original Song for theSherman Brothers, the film's songwriting duo.Van Dyke received a Grammy Award in 1964, along withJulie Andrews, for his performance on the soundtrack toMary Poppins.[35]
Many of the comedy films Van Dyke starred in throughout the 1960s were relatively unsuccessful at the box office, includingWhat a Way to Go! withShirley MacLaine,Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.,Fitzwilly,The Art of Love withJames Garner andElke Sommer,Some Kind of a Nut,Never a Dull Moment withEdward G. Robinson, andDivorce American Style withDebbie Reynolds andJean Simmons. But he also starred asCaractacus Potts (with his native accent, at his own insistence, despite the English setting) in the successful musical version ofIan Fleming'sChitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), which co-starredSally Ann Howes and featured the same songwriters (the Sherman Brothers) and choreographers (Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood) asMary Poppins.
In 1968, it was reported thatAlbert R. Broccoli had offered Van Dyke the chance to replaceSean Connery asJames Bond. Van Dyke declined the offer, asking Broccoli: "Have you heard my British accent?".[36] In 1969, Van Dyke appeared in the comedy-dramaThe Comic, written and directed by Carl Reiner. Van Dyke portrayed a self-destructivesilent film era comedian who struggles with alcoholism,depression, and his own rampant ego. Reiner wrote the film especially for Van Dyke, who often spoke of his admiration for silent film era comedians such asCharlie Chaplin and his heroStan Laurel.[37]
Also in 1969, Van Dyke played Rev. Clayton Brooks, a small-town minister who leads his Iowa town to quit smoking for 30 days to win $25 million (equal to $214,360,254 today) from a tobacco company. The film,Cold Turkey, was not released until 1971. In 1970, he publishedFaith, Hope and Hilarity: A Child's Eye View of Religion a book of humorous anecdotes based largely on his experiences as aSunday School teacher.[38] Van Dyke was principal in "KXIV Inc." and owned 1400 AMKXIV in Phoenix from 1965 to 1982.[39][40]
From 1971 to 1974, Van Dyke starred in an unrelated sitcom calledThe New Dick Van Dyke Show in which he portrayed a local television talk show host. Although the series was developed by Carl Reiner and starredHope Lange as his wife, and he received aGolden Globe nomination for his performance, the show was less successful than its predecessor,[41] and Van Dyke pulled the plug on the show after just three seasons.[42]
In 1973, Van Dyke voiced his animated likeness for the October 27, 1973, installment ofHanna-Barbera'sThe New Scooby-Doo Movies, "Scooby-Doo Meets Dick Van Dyke", the series' final first-run episode. In 1974, he received an Emmy Award nomination for his role as an alcoholic businessman in the television movieThe Morning After (1974). Van Dyke revealed after its release that he had recently overcome a real-lifedrinking problem; he admitted he had been an alcoholic for 25 years.[43] That same year he guest-starred as a murderous photographer on an episode ofColumbo,Negative Reaction. Van Dyke returned to comedy in 1976 with thesketch comedy showVan Dyke and Company, on whichAndy Kaufman made his prime time debut.[44][45] Despite being canceled after three months, the show won anEmmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety Series.[46] After a few guest appearances on the long-running comedy-variety seriesThe Carol Burnett Show, Van Dyke became a regular on the show, in the fall of 1977. However, he appeared in only half of the episodes of the final season.
In 1980, Van Dyke appeared in the title role in a United States tour andBroadwayrevival ofThe Music Man.[47]
For the next decade he appeared mostly in TV movies, including a made-for-cable remake ofThe Country Girl (1982) withFaye Dunaway. One atypical role was as a murdering judge on the second episode of the TV seriesMatlock in 1986 starringAndy Griffith. In 1987, he guest-starred in an episode ofAirwolf, with his sonBarry Van Dyke, who was the lead star of the show's fourth and final season onUSA Network. In 1989, he guest-starred on the NBC comedy seriesThe Golden Girls portraying a lover ofBeatrice Arthur's character. This role earned him his first Emmy Award nomination since 1977.[48]
OnLarry King Live, Van Dyke mentioned that he turned down the lead role inThe Omen which was played by Gregory Peck. He also mentioned that his dream role would have been the Scarecrow inThe Wizard of Oz. Twenty-one years later in 1990, Van Dyke, whose usual role had been the amiable hero, took a small but villainous turn as crooked DA Fletcher inWarren Beatty's filmDick Tracy.
Van Dyke's film work affected his TV career: the reviews he received for his role as D.A. Fletcher inDick Tracy led him to star as the characterDr. Mark Sloan first in an episode ofJake and the Fatman, then in a series of TV movies on CBS that became the foundation for his popular television dramaDiagnosis: Murder. The series ran from 1993 to 2001 with son Barry Van Dyke co-starring in the role of Dr. Sloan's sonLieutenant Detective Steve Sloan. Also starring on the same show was daytime soap actressVictoria Rowell as Dr. Sloan's pathologist/medical partner,Dr. Amanda Bentley, andCharlie Schlatter in the role of Dr. Sloan's student,Dr. Jesse Travis.[49]
Van Dyke became acomputer animation enthusiast after purchasing anAmiga in 1991. He is credited with the creation of 3D-rendered effects used onDiagnosis: Murder andThe Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited. Van Dyke has displayed hiscomputer-generated imagery work atSIGGRAPH, and continues to work withLightWave 3D.[50][51][52]
As ana cappella enthusiast, Van Dyke has sung in a group called "Dick Van Dyke and The Vantastix" since September 2000. Thequartet has performed several times in Los Angeles as well as onLarry King Live, The First AnnualTV Land Awards, and sang thenational anthem at threeLos Angeles Lakers games including a nationally televisedNBA Finals performance on NBC. Van Dyke was made an honorary member of theBarbershop Harmony Society in 1999.[53]
Van Dyke continued to find television work afterDiagnosis: Murder, including a dramatically and critically successful performance ofThe Gin Game, produced for television in 2003 that reunited him withMary Tyler Moore. In 2003, he portrayed Doctor Doug Townshend onScrubs. A 2004 special ofThe Dick Van Dyke Show titledThe Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited was heavily promoted as the first new episode of the classic series to be shown in 38 years. Van Dyke and his surviving cast members recreated their roles; although nominated for a Primetime Emmy,[54][55] the program was roundly panned by critics.
In 2006 he guest-starred as college professor Dr. Jonathan Maxwell for a series ofMurder 101 mystery films on theHallmark Channel. Van Dyke returned to motion pictures in 2006 withCurious George as Mr. Bloomsberry and villain Cecil Fredericks in theBen Stiller filmNight at the Museum.[56] He reprised the role in a cameo for the sequel,Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), but it was cut from the film. It can be found in the special features on the DVD release. He also played the character again in the third film,Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014).
In 2010, Van Dyke appeared on a children's album titledRhythm Train, withRed Hot Chili Peppers drummerChad Smith and singer Leslie Bixler. Van Dykeraps on one of the album's tracks.[57] In 2017, Van Dyke released his first solo album since 1963'sSongs I Like. The album,Step (Back) In Time, was produced by Bill Bixler (who also played sax), with arrangements by Dave Enos (who also played bass) and features noted musicians John Ferraro (drums),Tony Guerrero (trumpet & vocal duet), Mark LeBrun (piano), Charley Pollard (trombone) and Leslie Bixler (vocals).Step (Back) In Time was released by BixMix Records and showcases Van Dyke in a jazz and big band setting on classic songs from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Van Dyke recorded a duet single for Christmas 2017 with actressJane Lynch. The song, "We're Going Caroling", was written and produced byTony Guerrero for Lynch's KitschTone Records label as a digital-only release.
In 2018, Van Dyke portrayed Mr. Dawes Jr. inMary Poppins Returns. He had previously portrayed both Bert and Mr. Dawes Sr. (Mr. Dawes, Jr.'s late father), in the original film.[58] For theMarvel Cinematic Universe television series,WandaVision, Van Dyke was consulted by the producers on how to emulateThe Dick Van Dyke Show.[59]
In 2023, Van Dyke competed inseason nine ofThe Masked Singer as "Gnome" and was the first to be eliminated. The episode had been promoted as "the most legendary, decorated and beloved unmasking in history". After Van Dyke revealed his identity, he received a lengthy standing ovation from the audience and judges. Before departing the stage, Van Dyke sang as an encore of his part in the song "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" fromMary Poppins, in which he starred. At age 97, Van Dyke became the oldest person ever to compete on the series.[60][61] In April of the same year, it was announced Van Dyke would guest-appear onDays of Our Lives for several episodes.[62] On December 21, 2023, he was honored with a CBS special,Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic, celebrating his 98th birthday.[63]
In December 2024, Van Dyke starred in the music video for theColdplay song "All My Love". He produced the video with his wife, actress Arlene Silver.[64]
Van Dyke has often citedStan Laurel,Buster Keaton, and Carl Reiner as his comedy influences and idols.[65][66] Van Dyke stated onConan that he called Laurel and admitted to him that he had stolen from him over the years, and Laurel replied, "Yes, I know".[67] Entertainers who have cited Van Dyke as an influence includeSteve Martin,Chevy Chase,Conan O'Brien,Jim Carrey, andBryan Cranston.[68]
On February 12, 1948, while appearing at the Chapman Park Hotel onWilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, Van Dyke and the former Margerie Willett were married on the radio showBride and Groom.[23] They had four children: Christian, Barry, Stacy and Carrie Beth.[69] They divorced in 1984 after a long separation. In 1976, Van Dyke began his relationship with longtime companionMichelle Triola Marvin. They lived together for more than 30 years, until her death in 2009.[70][71][72] Their affair, which left Van Dyke "writhing in guilt," contributed to the breakup of Van Dyke and Willett's marriage. On February 29, 2012, at the age of 86, Van Dyke married make-up artist Arlene Silver, 46 years his junior. They had met six years earlier at theSAG awards.[73][72]
Van Dyke included his children and grandchildren in his TV shows. Son Barry Van Dyke, grandsonsShane Van Dyke and Carey Van Dyke, and other Van Dyke grandchildren and relatives appeared in episodes ofDiagnosis: Murder. Van Dyke has seven grandchildren. His son Chris wasdistrict attorney forMarion County, Oregon, in the 1980s[74] and prosecuted theI-5 Killer,Randall Woodfield. In 1987, Van Dyke's granddaughter, Jessica Van Dyke, died fromReye syndrome,[75] which led him to do a series ofpublic service announcements to raise public awareness of the danger of aspirin to children.[76]
Throughout his acting career Van Dyke continued to teach Sunday school in the Presbyterian Church where he was an elder, and he continued to read such theologians asMartin Buber,Paul Tillich, andDietrich Bonhoeffer.[10] On August 19, 2013, it was reported that the 87-year-old Van Dyke was rescued from hisJaguar by a passerby after the car had caught fire on theVentura Freeway inCalabasas,Los Angeles County. He was not injured in the fire, although the car burned down to its frame.[77]
Van Dyke endorsedBernie Sanders in the2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries. In July 2016, while campaigning for Sanders, Van Dyke said ofDonald Trump, "I haven't been this scared since theCuban Missile Crisis. I think the human race is hanging in a delicate balance right now, and I'm just so afraid he will put us in a war. He scares me."[78] Van Dyke again endorsed and campaigned for Sanders in the2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[79] Van Dyke endorsedKamala Harris for president in the2024 U.S. presidential election.[80][81]
In December 2024, during theCalifornia wildfires, Van Dyke had to evacuate from his home in Malibu. He said, "I was trying to crawl to [my] car. I had exhausted myself. I couldn't get up. Three neighbors came and carried me out."[82] His home survived the wildfires.[83] Soon afterward, Van Dyke evacuated his home again due to theJanuary 2025 Palisades Fire.
"No one is genetically miserable. No matter our current circumstances, we all have the capacity for a joyful life. I’ve made it to 99 in no small part because I have stubbornly refused to give into the bad stuff in life: failures and defeats, personal losses, loneliness and bitterness, the physical and emotional pains of ageing. For the vast majority of my years, I have been in what I can only describe as a full-on bear hug with the experience of living. Being alive has been doing life — not like a job but rather like a giant playground."
Van Dyke is sober after struggling with alcoholism for years, and he checked into a hospital for three weeks in 1972 to be treated for his addiction.[72] Van Dyke was aheavy smoker for most of his adult life. In a January 2013 interview with the LondonDaily Telegraph, he said he had been usingNicorette gum for the past decade.[43] In April 2013, Van Dyke revealed that for seven years he had been experiencing symptoms of a neurological disorder, in which he felt a pounding in his head whenever he lay down. Despite his undergoing tests, no diagnosis had been made. He had to cancel scheduled appearances owing to fatigue from lack of sleep because of the medical condition. In May 2013, Van Dyke tweeted that it seemed his titaniumdental implants might have been responsible.[85]
In June 2025, Van Dyke was scheduled to attend a comedy event in Malibu, however had to cancel his appearance due to an undisclosed illness.[86]
Van Dyke has received various awards, including aGrammy Award, sixEmmy Awards, and aTony Award. In 1961 he won theTony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance inBye Bye Birdie. In 1964 he won aGrammy Award for Best Children's Album forMary Poppins. Nominated for 10Primetime Emmy Awards, Van Dyke received four awards for his work onThe Dick Van Dyke Show andVan Dyke and Company.
In 1998, Van Dyke was honored by theWalt Disney Company with theirDisney Legends award. He became the oldest living Disney Legend following the death ofGlynis Johns in 2024.[87] In 2013, Van Dyke received theScreen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2021, he was honored with theKennedy Center Honors, where he was given tribute byJulie Andrews,Steve Martin,Chita Rivera,Bryan Cranston, andLin-Manuel Miranda.Laura Osnes sang "Jolly Holiday", andDerek Hough performed "Step in Time" both fromMary Poppins (1964). Together Hough and Osnes performed "Put on a Happy Face" fromBye Bye Birdie.Aaron Tveit sang "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" withPentatonix.
In 2024, at the age of 98, Van Dyke received the award forOutstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series at the51st Daytime Emmy Awards for his performance onDays of Our Lives, becoming the oldest person to win a Daytime Emmy and the oldest to be nominated for one.[88]
Van Dyke has written six books, including his memoir, which was published in 2011:
Somebody sent me a British magazine listing the 20 worst dialects ever done in movies. I was No. 2, with the worst Cockney accent ever done. No. 1 was Sean Connery, because he uses his Scottish brogue no matter what he's playing.
