That Eric Alper

Dick Van Dyke turns 100 on December 13, 2025, and few entertainers have shaped American comedy, film, television and musical theatre as profoundly as he has. Beloved across generations, Van Dyke’s optimism, physical comedy, vocal charm and storytelling instinct helped redefine what it meant to be a performer on stage, on screen and even in living rooms across the world. From Broadway triumphs to Disney magic to decades of television classics, he has become one of the most enduring and joyful figures in entertainment history.

Here are 100 facts you need to know to celebrate a century of Dick Van Dyke.

1. Richard Wayne Van Dyke was born on December 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri.
2. He grew up in Danville, Illinois, where he joined the a cappella choir and dramatic club.
3. He performed high-school drama with Bobby Short and Donald O’Connor.
4. He briefly considered becoming a minister before pursuing entertainment.
5. He left high school during WWII to join the Army Air Forces.
6. He was denied enlistment several times for being underweight.
7. He served as a radio announcer before joining Special Services to entertain troops.
8. He was discharged in 1946 after serving in the contiguous United States.
9. He officially received his high-school diploma in 2004.
10. In the late 1940s, he worked as a radio DJ on WDAN in Danville.
11. In 1947, he formed a mime and lip-sync duo called Eric and Van – the Merry Mutes.
12. The Merry Mutes toured West Coast nightclubs performing pantomime.
13. The duo later performed on local Atlanta television as The Merry Mutes.
14. His early TV career began at WDSU-TV in New Orleans.
15. His first network appearance came on Dennis James’ Chance of a Lifetime in 1954.
16. He appeared twice on The Phil Silvers Show during the 1957–58 season.
17. He also appeared on The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom early in his career.
18. A CBS executive and Army friend helped him land a seven-year network contract.
19. He anchored the CBS Morning Show with Walter Cronkite as his newsman.
20. He made his Broadway debut in The Girls Against the Boys in November 1959.
21. The Broadway revue ran only 16 performances.
22. Bye Bye Birdie cast him as Albert Peterson beginning April 14, 1960.
23. The original Bye Bye Birdie won him a Tony Award in 1961.
24. He starred with Chita Rivera and Paul Lynde in the Broadway cast.
25. He reprised Albert J. Peterson in the 1963 film version of Bye Bye Birdie.
26. Despite disliking the film’s focus, the movie was a success.
27. From 1961 to 1966, he starred as Rob Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show.
28. Carl Reiner recast himself and selected Van Dyke to lead the series.
29. He won three Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
30. The Dick Van Dyke Show won four Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series.
31. Mary Tyler Moore played Laura Petrie opposite Van Dyke.
32. Critics praised his physical comedy from the start of the series.
33. His “drunk husband” scene was singled out as a masterpiece of timing.
34. The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited reunited the cast in 2004.
35. In Mary Poppins (1964), he played both Bert and Mr. Dawes Sr.
36. He was credited as Navckid Keyd for the latter role.
37. His cockney accent has been widely cited as one of film’s worst.
38. His accent coach, J. Pat O’Malley, was actually Irish.
39. Mary Poppins earned him a Grammy Award for the soundtrack with Julie Andrews.
40. The song Chim Chim Cher-ee won the Sherman Brothers an Oscar.
41. He starred as Caractacus Potts in 1968’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
42. That film reunited him with Mary Poppins choreographers and songwriters.
43. Albert R. Broccoli offered him the chance to replace Sean Connery as James Bond.
44. He declined due to his British accent.
45. Carl Reiner wrote the 1969 film The Comic specifically for him.
46. Van Dyke played a troubled silent-film comedian in The Comic.
47. He played a minister leading a no-smoking campaign in 1971’s Cold Turkey.
48. In 1970, he published Faith, Hope and Hilarity based on teaching Sunday school.
49. He owned Phoenix radio station KXIV from 1965 to 1982.
50. From 1971 to 1974 he starred in The New Dick Van Dyke Show.
51. Hope Lange played his wife in that series.
52. He earned a Golden Globe nomination for the role.
53. He ended the series after three seasons.
54. He voiced himself in Scooby-Doo Meets Dick Van Dyke in 1973.
55. He earned an Emmy nomination for 1974’s The Morning After.
56. He publicly revealed he had struggled with alcoholism for 25 years.
57. He played a murderous photographer in a 1974 episode of Columbo.
58. Van Dyke and Company marked Andy Kaufman’s primetime debut.
59. The show won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy-Variety Series.
60. He joined The Carol Burnett Show as a regular in its final season.
61. In 1980, he starred as Harold Hill in a Broadway revival of The Music Man.
62. He starred in a 1982 remake of The Country Girl with Faye Dunaway.
63. He played a murderous judge in a 1986 episode of Matlock.
64. In 1987, he guest-starred on Airwolf opposite his son Barry Van Dyke.
65. He earned an Emmy nomination for a 1989 role on The Golden Girls.
66. He turned down the lead in The Omen, later played by Gregory Peck.
67. He wished he could have played the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.
68. In 1990, he played villainous DA Fletcher in Dick Tracy.
69. His Dick Tracy performance helped launch Diagnosis: Murder.
70. Diagnosis: Murder ran from 1993 to 2001.
71. Barry Van Dyke co-starred as his on-screen son, Steve Sloan.
72. Victoria Rowell co-starred as pathologist Dr. Amanda Bentley.
73. He became a computer-animation enthusiast after buying an Amiga in 1991.
74. He created 3D effects used in Diagnosis: Murder.
75. He displayed his CGI work at SIGGRAPH.
76. He began singing with The Vantastix in September 2000.
77. The group performed on Larry King Live and at the TV Land Awards.
78. They also performed the national anthem at multiple Lakers games.
79. In 1999, he became an honorary member of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
80. He reunited with Mary Tyler Moore in the 2003 TV version of The Gin Game.
81. In 2006, he appeared as Dr. Jonathan Maxwell in Murder 101 films.
82. He voiced Mr. Bloomsberry in the 2006 film Curious George.
83. He played Cecil Fredericks in Night at the Museum (2006).
84. His cameo in the museum sequel was cut but included on the DVD.
85. He appeared again in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb in 2014.
86. He rapped on a children’s album called Rhythm Train in 2010.
87. In 2017, he released Step (Back) In Time, his first solo album in decades.
88. He recorded a Christmas duet with Jane Lynch in 2017.
89. In Mary Poppins Returns (2018), he played Mr. Dawes Jr.
90. WandaVision producers consulted him on replicating The Dick Van Dyke Show style.
91. In 2023, he competed on The Masked Singer as Gnome.
92. At age 97, he became the oldest contestant in the show’s history.
93. He performed part of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious as his encore.
94. He guest-starred on Days of Our Lives in 2023.
95. CBS aired a 98 Years of Magic special honoring him in December 2023.
96. In 2024, he co-produced Coldplay’s All My Love music video with his wife.
97. He cites Stan Laurel, Buster Keaton, and Carl Reiner as major influences.
98. He continued teaching Sunday school while maintaining his acting career.
99. He endorsed Bernie Sanders in both 2016 and 2020.
100. His 2025 book, 100 Rules for Living to 100, was published the year he reached his milestone birthday.