Dick Van Dyke has lived a storied life and career both in and out of Hollywood, and last week, celebrated his 99th birthday! His career has spanned 9 decades beginning in 1947 with its ups and downs. He started his career on radio, TV and in nightclubs entertaining the masses. He debuted on Broadway in 1959 in the musical The Girls Against the Boys. He has been awarded six Emmys, a Grammy, a Golden Globe and a Tony Award. Van Dyke broke into the mainstream after his Tony Award-winning success in Bye Bye Birdie in 1960 with his own TV show aptly titled The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran from 1961 to 1966. During the 60s, he achieved further stardom by playing the chimney sweep in the Disney musical Mary Poppins, which earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture. He starred in two more musicals on the silver screen with a familiar project, Bye Bye Birdie and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1968.
Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri, and grew up in Danville, IL. During World War II, Van Dyke Van Dyke served during World War II in the US Army Air Corps from 1944 to 1946. He earned the rank of Staff Sergeant and served with the Armed Forces Radio Service. He joined the US Army Air Corps for pilot training but was denied enlistment because he was underweight. He got in as a radio announcer and was transferred to the Special Services to entertain troops in the continental US. He became a radio DJ in Danville after returning home from the war. His younger brother, Jerry Van Dyke, served and was an entertainer in Hollywood, as well. Van Dyke then tried comedy on stage in the group Eric and Van – the Merry Mutes which traveled the West Coast. He moved to Atlanta, GA, and performed on local TV as The Merry Mutes.
Van Dyke had much success in the 1950s across TV with appearances on Chance of a Lifetime, The Phil Silvers Show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom and The Polly Bergen Show. His career took off in the 1960s and he pressed onward. By the late 1960s, Van Dyke was an established star, and he had even been offered to take over the James Bond character from Sean Connery. Van Dyke declined the offer. During the late 60s and early 70s he appeared in feature films such as The Comic, Cold Turkey and authored a book Faith, Hope and Hilarity: A Child’s View of Religion which was based on his experiences as a Sunday School teacher. Also, during the 70s, he had another show with his name on it, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, which was different than its predecessor. It lasted four seasons.
In the mid-1970s, Van Dyke announced he had overcome a drinking problem and had been an alcoholic for 25 years. In 1980 he was on Broadway again with The Music Man and did a lot of TV guest spots throughout the 1980s. He appeared in Matlock, Airwolf and The Golden Girls. The 1990s were good to him with his appearances in such projects as Dick Tracy and his own series Diagnosis: Murder. He reunited with Mary Tyler Moore in a 2003 version of The Gin Game and he worked on th popular show Scrubs as Doctor Townshend. He worked in the Hallmark Channel series Murder 101, the feature films Curious George and Night at the Museum. He appeared in the third installment of the film Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb in 2014. He continues his musical passion by singing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their album Rhythm Train on Step Back in Time, with him singing classics from the 20s, 30s, and 40s. Van Dyke appeared in Mary Poppins Returns in 2018. At the age of 97, he became the oldest person to complete a series on The Masked Singer and did several episodes of Days of Our Lives. This year he starred in the Coldplay music video All My Love. Van Dyke has influenced such comedy greats as Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Conan O’Brien, Jim Carrey and Bryan Cranston.
Van Dyke resides in Malibu with his wife Arlen and he has four children, Christian, Barry, Stacy and Carrie Beth. He has seven grandchildren.
