Legendary actor Dick Van Dyke has no plans to retire and has his eye on new career goals.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Van Dyke spoke at length about the early days of his career, how years of failure led to six decades of success in Hollywood, and why he’ll never stop working.
“Well, it was just a matter of having fun,” he said. “I’ve always loved what I did. If it felt like work, I probably would have quit a long time ago. But I just loved it.”
Van Dyke began his career as a radio announcer at age 17 in the 1940s and planned to become a television announcer when that role became popular, but things turned out differently.
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Van Dyke began his career as a radio announcer at age 17. (Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images)
He eventually formed a comedy group with some friends, The Merry Mutes, toured nationally, and eventually auditioned for CBS and was signed to a seven-year contract.
“They tried me out as a game show host and a news anchor, but they all failed,” he said. “I got fired after three years, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me, because it forced me to go out and get a job. I went and auditioned for every play that was playing, and I ended up getting the lead role in ‘Bye Bye Birdie.'”
The actor won a Tony Award for the role, which led to a five-season starring role on The Dick Van Dyke Show as well as appearances in many projects, including Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the latest of which is scheduled to premiere in 2023.
“It was my first time on a soap opera,” he said, referring to his four-episode run on “Days of Our Lives,” for which he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. “I’d never done anything like that before. Obviously I played an old man in a wheelchair. My wife was his caregiver.”
Van Dyke’s big break came when he won a Tony Award, which led to roles in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
With more than 60 years of industry experience and numerous lifetime achievement awards under his belt, Van Dyke still has some career goals he has yet to achieve.
“I’d love to do a one-man show,” he told Deadline. “Cary Grant did it. Gregory Peck did it. Go on the tour and talk about their careers. I think that would be fun.”
In December 2023, Van Dyke was honored in the television variety special “Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic,” in which his iconic performances were celebrated and remembered.
Other celebrities paid tribute to him by performing their own versions of his popular songs, including Rita Ora performing her own version of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” Jason Alexander performing “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” and Zachary Levi performing “Jolly Holiday.”
Van Dyke was recently honored in a television special. (Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images)
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“There is sadness in it. [watching ‘98 Years of Magic’]”All the great people that I loved and worked with over the years are gone. I realized that I’ve outlived a generation. … I miss Rose,” he said. [Marie] and Molly [Amsterdam] And all the great people I’ve worked with over the years, they should have been there too.”
He also expressed how much he misses his friend Carl Reiner, creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” who passed away in June 2020, saying, “I think I learned more from Carl Reiner than anybody.”
Overall, the actor is happy with his legacy and his ever-growing fanbase with each generation.
“I was scrolling through Facebook yesterday and there was a video of a toddler in a diaper trying to imitate my dance to ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.’ I nearly cried because he was copying the moves. Sixty years later, a little baby is trying to dance just like me,” he said.
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Van Dyk is proud of his growing accomplishments. (RDB/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
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“This is the third generation of kids writing to me, and I get these wonderful letters from parents thanking me for providing good entertainment for their kids. They’re so kind. I really appreciate it. I’m so lucky.”
