Age, Biography, and Wiki
Dick Van Dyke was born on December 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri. He is currently 99 years old. Van Dyke's early career began as a radio disc jockey and later as a dancer on Broadway in the 1940s. His journey to stardom was marked by his versatility in both stage and screen performances.
| Occupation | Voice Actors |
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| Date of Birth | 13 December 1925 |
| Age | 99 Years |
| Birth Place | West Plains, Missouri, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Sagittarius |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about Dick Van Dyke's height and weight are not widely documented, he is known for his energetic and agile physique, which has been showcased in his many dance and comedy roles throughout his career.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Van Dyke has been married twice. His first marriage was to Margie Willett from 1948 to 1984. He then had a long-term relationship with Michelle Triola Marvin until her death in 2009. In 2012, he married Arlene Silver, who is 46 years his junior.
From 1961 to 1966, Van Dyke starred in the CBS sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, in which he portrayed a comedy writer named Rob 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. Complementing Van Dyke was a veteran cast of comic actors including Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Jerry Paris, Ann Morgan Guilbert, Richard Deacon, and Carl Reiner (as Alan Brady), as well as 24-year-old Mary Tyler Moore, who played Rob's wife Laura Petrie. Van Dyke won three Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and the series received four Emmy Awards as Outstanding Comedy Series.
The Dick Van Dyke Show received positive reviews from its start, with The 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."
From 1971 to 1974, Van Dyke starred in an unrelated sitcom called The New Dick Van Dyke Show in which he portrayed a local television talk show host. Although the series was developed by Carl Reiner and starred Hope Lange as his wife, and he received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance, the show was less successful than its predecessor, and Van Dyke pulled the plug on the show after just three seasons.
In 2018, Van Dyke portrayed Mr. Dawes Jr. in Mary Poppins Returns. He had previously portrayed both Bert and Mr. Dawes Sr. (Mr. Dawes, Jr.'s late father), in the original film. For the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series, WandaVision, Van Dyke was consulted by the producers on how to emulate The Dick Van Dyke Show.
On February 12, 1948, while appearing at the Chapman Park Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, Van Dyke and the former Margerie Willett were married on the radio show Bride and Groom. They had four children: Christian, Barry, Stacy and Carrie Beth. They divorced in 1984 after a long separation. In 1976, Van Dyke began his relationship with longtime companion Michelle Triola Marvin. They lived together for more than 30 years, until her death in 2009. 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 the SAG awards.
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| Husband | Margie Willett (m. February 12, 1948-1984) Arlene Silver (m. February 29, 2012) |
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Net Worth and Salary
Dick Van Dyke's net worth is estimated to be $50 million in 2025, primarily accumulated from his successful careers in television, film, Broadway performances, and various other ventures such as directing and producing.
Career, Business, and Investments
- Early Career: Van Dyke started his career as a radio disc jockey and later transitioned to stage performances, including a stint with the comedy act "Eric and Van—the Merry Mutes" in the early 1950s.
- Television and Film: He is best known for starring in "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (1961-1966) and iconic films like "Bye Bye Birdie" (1963), "Mary Poppins" (1964), and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (1968).
- Awards and Recognition: Van Dyke has won numerous awards, including six Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award.
- Recent Ventures: At 99, he remains active in the entertainment industry, expressing his desire to continue working and potentially win an Oscar.
Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio, television and in nightclubs. He made his Broadway debut in the musical revue The Girls Against the Boys (1959). The following year he starred as Albert F. Peterson in the original production of Bye Bye Birdie (1960), a role which earned him the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He returned to Broadway playing Harold Hill in a revival of The Music Man (1980).
Van Dyke attended Danville High School in 1944, where he participated in the a cappella choir and dramatic club. His involvement in the drama program convinced him to become a professional entertainer, although he also considered a career in the ministry.
Van Dyke's start in television was with WDSU-TV New Orleans Channel 6 (NBC), first as a single comedian and later as emcee of a comedy program. Van Dyke's first network TV appearance was with Dennis James on James' Chance of a Lifetime in 1954. He later appeared in two episodes of The Phil Silvers Show during its 1957–58 season. He also appeared early in his career on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom and NBC's The 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. During an interview on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! program, Van Dyke said he was the anchorman for the CBS Morning Show during this period with Walter Cronkite as his newsman.
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 $ today) from a tobacco company. The film, Cold Turkey, was not released until 1971. In 1970, he published Faith, Hope and Hilarity: A Child's Eye View of Religion a book of humorous anecdotes based largely on his experiences as a Sunday School teacher. Van Dyke was principal in "KXIV Inc." and owned 1400 AM KXIV in Phoenix from 1965 to 1982.
In 1973, Van Dyke voiced his animated likeness for the October 27, 1973, installment of Hanna-Barbera's The 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 movie The Morning After (1974). Van Dyke revealed after its release that he had recently overcome a real-life drinking problem; he admitted he had been an alcoholic for 25 years. That same year he guest-starred as a murderous photographer on an episode of Columbo, Negative Reaction. Van Dyke returned to comedy in 1976 with the sketch comedy show Van Dyke and Company, on which Andy Kaufman made his prime time debut. Despite being canceled after three months, the show won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety Series. After a few guest appearances on the long-running comedy-variety series The 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.
Van Dyke's film work affected his TV career: the reviews he received for his role as D.A. Fletcher in Dick Tracy led him to star as the character Dr. Mark Sloan first in an episode of Jake and the Fatman, then in a series of TV movies on CBS that became the foundation for his popular television drama Diagnosis: Murder. The series ran from 1993 to 2001 with son Barry Van Dyke co-starring in the role of Dr. Sloan's son Lieutenant Detective Steve Sloan. Also starring on the same show was daytime soap actress Victoria Rowell as Dr. Sloan's pathologist/medical partner, Dr. Amanda Bentley, and Charlie Schlatter in the role of Dr. Sloan's student, Dr. Jesse Travis.
Van Dyke included his children and grandchildren in his TV shows. Son Barry Van Dyke, grandsons Shane Van Dyke and Carey Van Dyke, and other Van Dyke grandchildren and relatives appeared in episodes of Diagnosis: Murder. Van Dyke has seven grandchildren. His son Chris was district attorney for Marion County, Oregon, in the 1980s and prosecuted the I-5 Killer, Randall Woodfield. In 1987, Van Dyke's granddaughter, Jessica Van Dyke, died from Reye syndrome, which led him to do a series of public service announcements to raise public awareness of the danger of aspirin to children. 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 as Martin Buber, Paul Tillich, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. On August 19, 2013, it was reported that the 87-year-old Van Dyke was rescued from his Jaguar by a passerby after the car had caught fire on the US 101 freeway in Calabasas, Los Angeles County. He was not injured in the fire, although the car burned down to its frame.
Van Dyke has received various awards, including a Grammy Award, six Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 1961 he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in Bye Bye Birdie. In 1964 he won a Grammy Award for Best Children's Album for Mary Poppins. Nominated for 10 Primetime Emmy Awards, Van Dyke received four awards for his work on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Van Dyke and Company.
In 1998, Van Dyke was honored by the Walt Disney Company with their Disney Legends award. He became the oldest living Disney Legend following the death of Glynis Johns in 2024. In 2013, Van Dyke received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2021, he was honored with the Kennedy Center Honors, where he was given tribute by Julie Andrews, Steve Martin, Chita Rivera, Bryan Cranston, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Laura Osnes sang "Jolly Holiday", and Derek Hough performed "Step in Time" both from Mary Poppins (1964). Together Hough and Osnes performed "Put on a Happy Face" from Bye Bye Birdie. Aaron Tveit sang "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" with Pentatonix.
Social Network
While specific details about Van Dyke's social media presence are limited, he continues to engage with fans through various public appearances and interviews, maintaining his status as a beloved figure in American entertainment.
Van Dyke began his film career by playing the role of Albert J. Peterson in the film version of Bye 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 —the film was a success. The film starred Ann-Margret, Janet Leigh, and Maureen 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".
In 2010, Van Dyke appeared on a children's album titled Rhythm Train, with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and singer Leslie Bixler. Van Dyke raps on one of the album's tracks. In 2017, Van Dyke released his first solo album since 1963's Songs 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 actress Jane Lynch. The song, "We're Going Caroling", was written and produced by Tony Guerrero for Lynch's KitschTone Records label as a digital-only release.
Education
Details about Dick Van Dyke's formal education are not extensively documented, but his early career in radio and stage performances suggests a strong focus on practical skills and apprenticeships in the entertainment industry.
In conclusion, Dick Van Dyke's enduring legacy in the entertainment industry is a testament to his versatility, talent, and dedication to his craft. His continued involvement in the entertainment world at 99 years old is a remarkable achievement, inspiring new generations of actors and comedians alike.
Van Dyke left high school during his senior year to join the United States Army Air Forces for pilot training during World War II. Denied enlistment several times for being underweight, he was eventually accepted for service as a radio announcer before transferring to the Special Services and entertaining troops in the continental United States. He was discharged in 1946. Van Dyke received his high school diploma in 2004.
In 2006 he guest-starred as college professor Dr. Jonathan Maxwell for a series of Murder 101 mystery films on the Hallmark Channel. Van Dyke returned to motion pictures in 2006 with Curious George as Mr. Bloomsberry and villain Cecil Fredericks in the Ben Stiller film Night at the Museum. 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).
