Without a doubt, Dick Van Dyke is one of the most fascinating, talented, versatile, and prolific actors of our time. At age 97, of course, he’s called it quits and he’s enjoying a quite life and not much is going on. Well actually, that’s not true at all.
At age 97, Dick Van Dyke is returning to acting – he’ll be in a guest spot in a very popular TV show. But he’s also been involved in some other activities that’s been gaining a lot of news coverage.
But how did Dick Van Dyke get such a zest for life and how is he keeping so busy today? What was his life’s journey that got him to where he is now. His story is one that we can all learn from.
Dick Van Dyke Shouldn’t Be Doing This At His Age of 97. Join FactsVerse to learn more…
DICK’S LIFE AND CAREER
Richard Wayne Van Dyke or Dick Van Dyke as you know him is a living legend – but it seems that he’s been that way for a long time. He was born on December 13, 1925, in Missouri. His mother was a stenographer and his father was a salesman.
Yet, neither of these careers seemed to appeal to young Dick Van Dyke – who dreamt of making it big in the cinema and on television – well, TV came a bit later, it wasn’t really a thing during his childhood!
During his high school years, he participated in the drama club as well as the a capella club. He developed a love for performing and couldn’t imagine doing anything else with his life.
He dropped out of high school in his senior year to serve in the United States Air Force during the Second World War. However, he was rejected due to being underweight. Nevertheless, he eventually joined the Special Forces and entertained the troops within the mainland of the US.
He was discharged in 1948 and then decided to try his luck at radio – which was going through what we now refer to as the “Golden Age.” Truth be told, he couldn’t have joined radio at the right time.
Along with his friend and performer, Phil Erickson he began performing a double act on stage. Later, this led to him performing various comic roles on the radio. He eventually became well known for his role in the stage plays Bye Bye Birdie and The Music Man.
THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW
However, he knew that radio and stage had their limits and the way to make it big was with television and cinema. Television especially was becoming huge and as more Americans began buying more TVs in their homes, this was the way to reach to reach millions of people. He began seeking a variety of roles in TV shows.
Eventually, he gained so much fame that he was cast in his own show: The Dick Van Dyke Show where he played a writer, Rob Petrie. The show had many spinoffs. Later in life, he became known for another popular TV show, Diagnosis Murder – which he acted alongside his son Barry.
In cinema, he’s perhaps best known for his roles in Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and The Night at the Museum films. Now he’s 97 and you’d think he would slow down and just relax a bit. But he’s actually going to be making a guest spot on a very popular TV show soon!
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DICK SHOULDN’T BE DOING THIS AT HIS AGE OF 97
OR – should he? Who are we to judge?
But what exactly is it that everyone seems to be shocked by? At age 97, Dick Van Dyke is returning to acting!
He’s appearing in a guest spot on the popular soap opera “Days of our Lives.” What’s even more interesting is that this will be on the popular streaming platform Peacock.
This means that in his career, spanning 8 decades – he’s appeared on stage, on radio, on television, on cinema, and in a production for a streaming platform. We won’t be surprised if he’ll be doing a performance in a virtual reality space!
DICK VAN DYKE IN DAYS OF OUR LIVES
He shared in April 2023 that he was making his soap opera debut at the tender age of 97 with his guest spot on “Days of Our Lives.” And how did he land this guest spot? Well, it seems that Dick Van Dyke and actor Drake Hogestyn go to the same gym! Yup, Dick Van Dyke is still hitting the gym!
Anyways, Dick Van Dyke got to talking to Drake Hogestyn who is one of the stars of the show. The actor pulled some strings and helped the legendary Dick Van Dyke nab a guest spot on the show.
Dick Van Dyke still wanted to act and he asked Drake if the show had any parts for older people. He kept asking and it seems that young Drake was pleased to help out his senior. While Dick Van Dyke has decades of acting experience behind him, he’s still a newcomer to the world of soap operas.
He watched several episodes of the show and began practicing so he could do a great job in the show. He was pleased that he’d play a regular old man rather than a comic role which has been his forte. His episodes will likely air later in 2023. At 97, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. But it seems that his zest for acting and for life came after a very challenging event.
DICK VAN DYKE’S ACCIDENT
Dick Van Dyke has almost made a comeback in recent years – not that he truly went away. But one particular incident caught the headlines more than his acting.
He was revealed to play the unique character of the Gnome in the popular show “The Masked Singer.” This won him praise and showed that the actor still had his acting and singing chops. But it also showed how much strength he had after his traumatic car accident.
Earlier in 2023, he had a car accident – his car had slipped on a wet road and he crashed into the gate of a house. Luckily, he survived by he had sustained some serious injuries. His face was covered in blood and he had a potential concussion. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long for him to recover – though his wife took his car keys away from him for good!
Nevertheless, many in the entertainment industry were shocked at the news. One would think, that at age 97, this kind of incident would make one want to live a quiet and risk-free life. But then, you don’t know Dick Van Dyke do you?
It seems that this incident gave him an even bigger appetite for life. He wants to enjoy his life and make the most of it. He still has the same passion for acting that he did when he began his acting career so many years ago. It seems that even at age 97, he has the curiosity and energy that he had when he was in the drama club at high school.
Dick Van Dkye Shouldn’t Be Doing This at his age of 97! Well, perhaps that’s for him to decide – for now, we’ll stay tuned for the upcoming season of Days of Our Lives!
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DICK VAN DYKE’S LEGACY
Dick Van Dyke has always been one of the most prolific actors of his generation. It seems that he has no desire to slow down at all. He recently made headlines when he re-read the speech by Rod Serling at a Civil Rights rally in 1964.
On May 31st, 1964, Dick Van Dyke was attending a civil rights rally that was hosted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dick Van Dyke was a celebrity at the time and perhaps at the height of his stardom – with The Dick Van Dyke Show being one of the most popular TV shows of its time. He attended this civil rights rally and gave a speech that was written by screenwriter Rod Serling.
DICK VAN DYKE AT 97
In early 2023, Dick Van Dyke was rifling through his papers and found a copy of the speech. He re-read the speech and recorded it. The video became viral and not only was its message still poignant but it was a reminder at how Dick Van Dyke isn’t just a great actor and orator – but he’s also dedicated his life for great causes.
He’s also been spotted a few times outside the Malibu Labor Center. This is an organization that helps the unemployed find work. Often, people leave the center empty-handed as finding a job is a struggle. Dick Van Dyke is sometimes seen outside the Malibu Labor Center handing out $5 bills to job seekers. He’s received praise for spending his free time to help those who are struggling.
But this is nothing new to him.
He has dedicated his life to charity his entire life. He volunteered at a homeless shelter for 20 years. Also, he became the spokesperson for the National Reye’s Syndrome Foundation. He did this after his granddaughter, Jessica, sadly died from the illness in 1987.
Dick Van Dyke is one of our greatest actors but is also a great human being. Dick Van Dyke at 97, he is still acting, participating in charitable events, and re-reading beautiful speeches. He has lived a great and fulfilling life and he’s not showing any signs of slowing down. Apart from his upcoming episodes in Days of Our Lives, he’s playing the lead role in a feature film called “Capture the Flag” which is currently in pre-production.
Dick Van Dyke isn’t slowing down any time soon!
Are you a fan of Dick Van Dyke’s? What do you think about his incredible life and career and how he’s keeping busy?
In fact, here’s what we’d like to hear from you:
Do you think that we’ll see more actors and actresses acting well into their 90s?
Or do most actors always have a shelf life and their career won’t be more than a few decades?
