Dick Van Dyke Biography

Dick Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri, and began his career in entertainment in the early 1950s.

In 1955 he hosted The CBS Morning Show in New York, working alongside Walter Cronkite and Barbara Walters. Around the same time, he landed a role in the Broadway revue The Boys Against the Girls.

Director/choreographer Gower Champion saw the show and signed Dick to play a lead in Bye Bye Birdie, for which he won a Tony award. His stage success quickly transitioned to television when Carl Reiner and Sheldon Leonard cast him as the lead on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which premiered in 1961. Co-starring Mary Tyler Moore, the landmark sitcom ran for five seasons and earned Dick three Emmy Awards.

During breaks from the series, he starred in the film version of Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and the Disney classic Mary Poppins (1964). Other features included Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), The Comic (1969), Some Kind of a Nut (1969), The Runner Stumbles (1979) and Dick Tracy (1990).

From 1971 to 1974 he headlined The New Dick Van Dyke Show, which was produced at the Van Dykes' ranch in Carefree, Arizona, it ran for three seasons.

He then returned to the theater for a revival of The Music Man, touring before taking it to Broadway. The following year he toured in Damn Yankees.

His numerous accolades throughout his career, including the Disney Legend Award (1998), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Comedy Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

From 1993 to 2001, Van Dyke starred as Dr. Mark Sloane on the popular CBS series Diagnosis: Murder. The character originated on Jake and the Fatman and went on to appear in multiple TV movies. The series also featured his son, Barry Van Dyke, and grandson Shane Van Dyke in recurring roles.

In 2993, Dick reunited with longtime co-star Mary Tyler Moore to play two lonely retirees in the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, The Gin Game (2003) on PBS Hollywood Theater. The following year they were together again as Rob and Laura Petrie in Dick Van Dyke Revisited (2004).

He also appeared in several Murder 101 Hallmark TV movies, voiced Mr. Bloomsbury in Curious George (2006), and played security guard Cecil in Night at the Museum (2006). He returned for Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), and in Mary Poppins Returns (2018), he delighted audiences by portraying Mr. Dawes Jr., son of his original character. That same year he played the starring role in the theatrical release Buttons, a New Musical Film.

In 2023, Dick made a guest appearance on the soap opera Days of Our Lives, marking his first-ever role in daytime television. That same year, he appeared in the short film Capture the Flag.

Even in his later years, Dick continues to perform and make public appearances, captivating audiences with his enduring charm and energy. He also remains active in charity work, notably as fundraising chairman for the Midnight Mission in Los Angeles, for which he received the Golden Heart Award.

A recovered alcoholic since the 1970s, Dick is a father of four with his late ex-wife Margie Willett. The couple divorced in 1984 after 36 years of marriage. In 2012, he married makeup artist Arlene Silver.

Filmography:

Capture the Flag (2023)
Days of Our Lives (2023)
The Relic (2023)
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014)
The Middle (2015)
Murder 101: New Age (2008)
Murder 101: If Wishes Were Horses (2007)
Murder 101: College Can Be Murder (2007)
Murder 101 (2006)
Curious George (2006)
Night at the Museum (2006)
Diagnosis Murder: Town Without Pity (2002)
Diagnosis Murder: Without Warning (2002)
The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited (2004)
The Gin Game (2003)
The Carol Burnett Show: Show Stoppers (2001)
The Dick Van Dyke Show Remembered (2004)
Walt: The Man Behind the Myth (2001)
The Alan Brady Show (2003)
The Runner Stumbles (1979)
Tubby the Tuba (1975)
Cold Turkey (1971)
Some Kind of a Nut (1969)
The Comic (1969)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Never a Dull Moment (1968)
Fitzwilly (1967)
Divorce American Style (1967)
Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966)
The Art of Love (1965)
Mary Poppins (1964)
What a Way to Go! (1964)
Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
The Phil Silvers Show (1957)
Chance of a Lifetime (1954)