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Photo courtesy of The
Walnut Times |
Description: Tall, lanky, ambidextrous, pratfall-prone.
Although he'd had small roles beforehand, the ambidextrous Dick Van Dyke, who had grown to 6’1” by age eleven, was launched to stardom in the 1960 musical “Bye-Bye Birdie”. Van Dyke beat out Johnny Carson for the role of Rob Petrie on what later became “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” He has since starred in a number of films throughout the years, including roles as Reverend Clayton Brooks in “Cold Turkey” (1971) and Father Rivard in “The Runner Stumbles” (1979), as well as a number of television series and appearances. He was married, in 1948 to Margie Willett, on a radio show because the show paid for the wedding rings, a honeymoon, and household appliances. After their wedding, the Van Dykes were so poor they had to live in their car for a while. Margie and Dick had four children during the first ten years of their marriage - Barry, Carrie, Chris, and Stacy. Separated in the 1970's, Dick later became involved with Michelle Triola Marvin. Family members often appear with him on “Diagnosis Murder.” Dick is the brother of entertainer Jerry Van Dyke, who appeared in the TV series, “Coach.” Dick Van Dyke is also an admitted alcoholic.
Van Dyke enlisted to be a pilot in the Army Air Corps during World War II, but initially did not make the cut because he did not meet the weight requirement (he was underweight). He tried 3 times to enlist, before barely making the cut. He served as a radio announcer of a program called “Flight Time” during the war and did not leave the United States.
Dick, who first started using pantomime during a nightclub act called “The Merry Mutes,” often hosted games shows while he was a struggling actor. Hosting shows such as “Mother’s Day” in 1958 and “Laugh Line” in 1959, Van Dyke turned down “The Price is Right” in 1956. His comic inspiration was Stan Laurel, whom Van Dyke later befriended.
Van Dyke’s TV and film work:
“I Love Lucy's 50th Anniversary Special” (2001, TV) as Co-Host
“Walt: The Man Behind the Myth” (2001, TV) as Narrator
“CBS: The First 50 Years” (1998, TV)
“Intimate Portrait: Mary Tyler Moore” (1997, TV) as Himself
"Diagnosis Murder" (1993 – 2001, TV Series) as Dr. Mark Sloan
“A Twist of the Knife” (1993, made for TV) as Dr. Mark Sloan
“The House on Sycamore Street” (1992, made for TV) as Dr. Mark
Sloan
“Diagnosis of Murder” (1992, made for TV) as Dr. Mark Sloan
“Michael Landon: Memories with Laughter and Love” (1991, video)
“Daughters of Privilege” (1991, made for TV) as Buddy Keys
“Dick Tracy” (1990) as D.A. Fletcher
"The Van Dyke Show” (1988, TV Series) as Dick Burgess
“Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town” (1988, TV) as Himself
“Golden Anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1987,
TV) as Himself
“Ghost of a Chance” (1987, made for TV) as Bill Nolan
“Arthur Hailey’s Strong Medicine” (1986, made for TV) as
Sam Hawthorne
“Breakfast with Les and Bess” (1985, made for TV) as Les Dischinger
“Donald Duck's 50th Birthday” (1984, TV) as Host
“Wrong Way Kid” (1983, made for TV)
“Found Money” (1983, made for TV, aka “My Secret Angel”)
as Max Sheppard
“The Country Girl” (1982, made for TV) as Frank Elgin
“Drop-Out Father” (1982, made for TV) as Ed McCall
“Florida's Disney Decade” (1981, TV) as Host
“How to Eat Like a Child” (1980, TV)
“The Runner Stumbles” (1979) as Father Rivard
"The Carol Burnett Show" (1977, TV Series) as skit characters
“CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years” (1976, TV) as Himself
“Tubby the Tuba” (1976) as Voice of Tubby the Tuba
"Van Dyke and Company" (1976, TV Series) as Host
“Columbo: Negative Reaction” (1974, made for TV) as Paul Galesko
“The Morning After” (1974, made for TV) as Charlie Lester
“The New Dick Van Dyke Show” (1971 – 1974, TV Series) as
Dick Preston
“Cold Turkey” (1971) as Rev. Clayton Brooks
“The Comic” (1969) as Billy Bright
“Some Kind of a Nut” (1969) as Fred Amidon
“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968) as Caractacus Potts
“Never a Dull Moment” (1968) as Jack Albany
“Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman” (1968, TV Variety Special)
“Fitzwilly” (1967, aka “Fitzwilly Strikes Back, aka “A
Garden of Cucumbers”) as Claude Fitzwilliam
“Divorce American Style” (1967) as Richard Harmon
“Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.” (1966) as Lt. Robin Crusoe
“The Art of Love” (1965) as Paul
“Mary Poppins” (1964) as Bert / Mr. Dawes Sr., Chairman of Bank
“What a Way to Go!” (1964) as Edgar Hopper
“Bye Bye Birdie” (1963) as Albert Peterson
“The Dick Van Dyke Show” (1961 – 1966, TV Series) as Robert
'Rob' Petrie
“Head of the Family” (1961, TV Pilot for “The Dick Van Dyke
Show”)
“Laugh Line” (1959, TV Series) as Host
“Mother's Day” (1958 – 1959, TV Series) as Host
“The Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams” (1958, TV Series)
as Himself
“CBS Cartoon Theater” (1956, TV Series) as Host
“The Morning Show” (1955 – 1956, TV Series) as Host
Notable TV guest appearances:
“Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” (2/25/2000) as Duke in Episode #4.16:
“Welcome Back, Duke”
“Becker” (2/15/1999) as Fred Becker in Episode #1.13: “Becker
the Elder”
“Coach” (12/14/1993) as Partygoer (uncredited) in Episode #6.12:
“Christmas of the Van Damned”
“Diagnosis Murder” (11/19/1993) as Jonathan Nash / J. Edison Nash
/ Judith Nash / Julian Nash in Episode #1.4: “Inheritance of Death”
“Jake and the Fatman” (3/20/1991) as Dr. Mark Sloan in Episode
#4.19: “It Never Entered My Mind”
“The Golden Girls” (10/21/1989) as Ken in Episode #5.5: “Love
Under the Big Top”
“Airwolf” (7/17/1987) in Episode #1.21: “Malduke”
“Highway to Heaven” (1/14/1987) as Wally Dunn in Episode #3.15:
“Wally”
“Matlock” (9/23/1986) as Judge Carter Addison in Episode #1.2:
“The Judge”
“Supertrain” (1979) as Waldo Chase in Episode #1979: “And
a Cup of Kindness Too”
“The New Scooby-Doo Movies” (10/27/1973) as Voice of Himself in
Episode #2.8: “Scooby-Doo Meets Dick Van Dyke”
“The Bill Cosby Show” (1971) in Episode: “Miraculous Marvin”
“The Dick Van Dyke Show” (10/27/1965) as “Hezekiah”
in Episode #5.7: “The Great Petrie Fortune”
“The Andy Williams Show” (2/18/1964)
“The Danny Kaye Show” (12/18/1963) in Episode # 1.13
“Alfred Hitchcock Presents” (3/6/1960) as Thomas Craig in Episode
#5.23: “Craig's Will”
“The United States Steel Hour” (2/25/1959) in Episode: “Trap
for a Stranger”
“The Phil Silvers Show” (1/24/1958) as Swifty Bilko in Episode
#3.14: “Bilko's Cousin”
“The Phil Silvers Show” (10/1/1957) as Private Harry Lumpkin in
Episode #3.8: “Hillbilly Whiz”