Dick Van Dyke’s Almost 100, But Says There Is A Price Of A Long Life

At 99 years previous, Dick Van Dyke stays one in every of Hollywood’s most beloved entertainers, and he’s not slowing down simply but.

The enduring performer, identified for his decades-spanning work in tv, movie, and theater, lately opened up in regards to the joys and challenges of dwelling practically a century throughout a heartfelt Q&A session on the “Dick & Arlene Van Dyke Current Vandy Camp” occasion.

Joined by his 53-year-old spouse, Arlene Van Dyke, Dick Van Dyke mirrored on outliving lots of his closest buddies, together with fellow display screen icon Ed Asner.

Van Dyke and Ed Asner had as soon as deliberate to remake “The Odd Couple” earlier than Asner’s passing in 2021.

“That might’ve been such enjoyable, and we misplaced it. I’ve misplaced numerous buddies,” Van Dyke shared, in response to PEOPLE. Arlene added, “He is outlived everyone. That is the curse of dwelling to nearly 100.”

When requested how he maintains such a constructive outlook regardless of the non-public losses, Van Dyke merely replied, “Effectively, life’s been good to me. I can’t complain.”

Whereas he initially rose to fame on “The Dick Van Dyke Present,” the multitalented performer rapidly transitioned to the large display screen, turning into a significant field workplace draw within the Sixties.

He made his characteristic movie debut in “Bye Bye Birdie” (1963), portraying Albert Peterson within the adaptation of the Broadway musical he additionally starred in on stage. His charming, neurotic efficiency received over audiences and critics alike.

Only a 12 months later, he starred because the affable chimney sweep Bert (and the getting older banker Mr. Dawes Sr.) in Disney’s “Mary Poppins” (1964), reverse Julie Andrews. Whereas his Cockney accent was famously panned, Van Dyke’s bodily comedy and infectious power made the position unforgettable.

The movie went on to win 5 Academy Awards and stays one of the vital celebrated musicals of all time.

He adopted that success with “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968), taking part in quirky inventor Caractacus Potts in one other whimsical household basic. The Ian Fleming-inspired movie could not have received awards, nevertheless it grew to become a beloved staple for generations, thanks partially to Van Dyke’s playful efficiency and the movie’s memorable soundtrack.

Extremely, Van Dyke has continued to make headlines properly into his 90s. In 2018, at age 93, he delighted audiences with a shock cameo in “Mary Poppins Returns,” dancing atop a desk as Mr. Dawes Jr., a efficiency that left followers in awe of his enduring agility and showmanship.

“I’m a ham. I adore it,” he informed PEOPLE on the occasion in Malibu, California. “I get a jolt of power from an viewers.”

Regardless of his in depth profession, Van Dyke has by no means acquired an Academy Award nomination, an omission that continues to spark debate amongst critics and followers alike. Nonetheless, his contributions to leisure haven’t gone unrecognized and has received different main awards together with a Tony Award, a Grammy Award, and a number of Emmy Awards.

In 2013, he was honored with the Display Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, and in 2021, he acquired one of many nation’s highest cultural honors: the Kennedy Heart Honors.

These honors, and way more, have been spotlighted in CBS’s two-hour tribute particular “Dick Van Dyke: Now and Then” (also referred to as “Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic”). Airing in celebration of his 98th birthday in December 2023, the particular supplied a heartfelt retrospective of Van Dyke’s exceptional profession, tracing his journey from his earliest tv appearances to his breakout success on Broadway and in Hollywood.