Celebrating the Diverse Career of Actor Dick Van Dyke
West Plains, Missouri – Renowned actor Dick Van Dyke, known for his versatility in the entertainment industry, was born on December 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri. His full name is Richard Wayne Van Dyke, and he was born to Loren “Cookie” Van Dyke, a traveling salesman for Sunshine Biscuit Company, and Hazel (McCord) Van Dyke.
According to TourismAfrica2006, Van Dyke has had two marriages, first to Marjorie (Willett) Van Dyke from 1948 to 1984, ending in divorce, and currently to Arlene (Silver) Van Dyke since 2012. He has four children with his first wife, Marjorie: Christian, Barry, Stacy, and Carrie. Van Dyke served in the US Army Air Corps during World War II and married his childhood sweetheart, Marjorie, in a ceremony broadcast on the live radio show, “Bride and Groom.”
Van Dyke was the older brother of the late comedian Jerry Van Dyke and performs with an a cappella group, “The Vantastix.” His military service included being an Army radio announcer during World War II. He has been nominated for nine Emmy Awards, winning four, received one Grammy nomination and win, and one Tony Award nomination and win.
His career in entertainment began in the 1940s with the opening and closing of an advertising agency. From 1947 to 1953, he toured the country with Philip Erickson as the Merry Mutes and later Eric and Van. He then became a daytime television emcee in Atlanta from 1953 to 1955. “The Dick Van Dyke Show” first aired locally in New Orleans in 1955.
Van Dyke’s Broadway debut was in 1959 in “The Boys Against the Girls,” followed by a starring role in “Bye Bye Birdie” in 1960, which he later reprised in the 1963 movie. “The Dick Van Dyke Show” aired from 1961 to 1966, featuring him as Rob Petrie, alongside Mary Tyler Moore as his wife, Laura.
Other notable achievements in his career include “The New Dick Van Dyke Show” (1971-1974), “Van Dyke and Company” (1976), and “Diagnosis: Murder” (1993-2001). He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1995 and started a series of TV movies, “Murder 101,” in 2006.
Van Dyke has also authored memoirs, including “My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business” (2011) and “Keep Moving: And Other Tips About Aging” (2015). He celebrated his 90th birthday in 2015 with a costumed flash mob in Los Angeles and made a dancing cameo in “Mary Poppins Returns” in 2018. In 2021, he received the Kennedy Center Honors, and in 2023, he attended the opening of the Malibu Arts Commission’s photography exhibition dedicated to his life and career.
Dick Van Dyke’s career spans decades, showcasing his talent as an actor, singer, and dancer, leaving an indelible mark on the entertainment industry.