Dick Van Dyke

Full Name: Richard Wayne Van Dyke
Profession: Actor

Nationality:

Biography: Dick Van Dyke is best known for his role of TV comedy writer Rob Petrie in the early 1960s sitcom "The Dick Van Dyke Show", winning 3 Emmy Awards during its 5 year run.

Van Dyke dropped out of high school to join the Army Air Force, but didn't meet the physical requirements for pilot training and instead was assigned first to a radio announcer position and then transferring to Special Services as an entertainer for stateside troops. He continued in the entertainment field in civilian life as a radio DJ and nightclub entertainer.

In the late 1950's he took to the Broadway stage, and in 1960 won a Tony Award for his part in "Bye-Bye Birdie". Concurrently, through an Army connection he had a development deal with CBS television. The network suggested him as the lead for a semi-autobiographical series which Carl Reiner developed and hoped to star in, called "Head of the Family". This became "The Dick Van Dyke Show". It debuted in 1961 and ran for 5 seasons, garnering 15 Emmy Awards.

Van Dyke also juggled film work with the series, co-starring in "Bye-Bye Birdie" (1963) and "Mary Poppins" (1964), winning a Grammy for the soundtrack of the latter. After the series, he concentrated on films such as "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"; "The Comic"; "Divorce American Style"; and "Cold Turkey".

In the 1970s, he returned his focus to television again with another series, and some dramatic turns as a murderer in "Columbo", and as an alcoholic in "The Morning After". From 1993-2002, he starred in "Diagnosis: Murder" as a crime solving medical doctor.

Now in his 90's, he continues to appear in small roles, including the sequel "Mary Poppins Returns" (2018), as well as making records and music videos. In 2023 he performed disguised as a gnome in the celebrity singing competition show "The Masked Singer".

In 2013, he received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, and in 2021, the Kennedy Center Honors.

Born: December 13, 1925
Birthplace: West Plains, Missouri, USA
Age: 98 years old

Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Ox
Star Sign: Sagittarius