Dick Van Dykeis 100 and feeling fine!
The actor, whose award-winning career has spanned decades, earned a Tony Award for originating the role of Albert Peterson inBye Bye Birdieon Broadway in the 1960s and captured viewers' hearts on series such asThe Dick Van Dyke ShowandDiagnosis Murderand movies includingMary PoppinsandDick Tracy.
"I feel really good for 100," he told PEOPLE ahead of his big day. "Sometimes I have more energy than others — but I never wake up in a bad mood."
"People say 'What did you do right?'" he continued. "I don't know. I'm rather lazy. I've always thought that anger is one thing that eats up a person's insides — and hate. And I never really was able to work up a feeling of hate. I think that is one of the chief things that kept me going."
In honor of Van Dyke's big milestone, take a look back on his life and career in photos.
Dick Van Dyke's Early Years
Dick Van Dykewas born on Dec. 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri, ultimately growing up in Danville, Illinois. Before hitting it big, the actor wed Margie Willet, with whom he had four children (from left): Carrie Beth, Barry, Chris and Stacy. After a lengthy separation, he and Willet officially divorced in 1984.
The Dick Van Dyke Show
After starting out in radio and on Broadway, Van Dyke landed on Carl Reiner'sThe Dick Van Dyke Showbeginning in 1961.Mary Tyler Mooreplayed his wife, and the two were catapulted to stardom, both winning Emmys for their work.
"People assumed we were married," Van Dyke once told PEOPLE. "I'd check into a hotel with my [real] wife, and they would say, 'Who's this?' "
Dick Van Dyke in 'Mary Poppins'
Van Dyke joinedJulie Andrews, Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber in Walt Disney Pictures'Mary Poppinsin 1964. The film "was special," he told PEOPLE in 2011. Plus "I loved working with kids. You do a lot of clowning and get to know them."
After the movie came a string of film roles includingChitty Chitty Bang BangandDick Tracy,plus a plethora of TV parts, including two attemptedDick Van Dyke Showreboots.
Dick Van Dyke on 'Diagnosis Murder'
The actor famously played Dr. Mark Sloan, the medic who solved crimes in his spare time, in the CBS crime dramaDiagnosis Murderfrom 1993 to 2001. His daughter Stacy and son Barry both joined him at various points on the show.
Dick Van Dyke and Brother Jerry Van Dyke
Also in the industry: his younger brother Jerry, perhaps best known for his role on the seriesCoach.Jerry died in 2018.
Dick Van Dyke and Carol Burnett
Van Dyke andCarol Burnettoften guested on each other's shows. "I love her laugh," he told PEOPLE.
Dick Van Dyke in 'Night at the Museum'
Ben Stillercast Van Dyke inNight at the Museum(here in 2006 alongsideMickey Rooneyand Bill Cobbs) because he was an unlikely villain, Stiller told PEOPLE.
Dick Van Dyke and Michelle Triola
After his separation, Van Dyke spent nearly 35 years with longtime companion Michelle Triola. She died in 2009.
Dick Van Dyke and Wife Arlene Silver
Dick Van Dyke and Wife Arlene Silver
In 2012,Van Dyke married makeup artist Arlene Silver,who frequently joins him on red carpets.
Van Dyke hasoften creditedbeing married to Silver as one of the things that's kept him young.
"We thought it might be [a problem] in some regard, to some extent, but it hasn't really," Van Dyke explained to PEOPLE of their age difference. "I'm infantile to start with. I think I'm about 13, so that's been a problem and she's quite mature for her age, so I don't think we haven't had any problem with age at all."
Dick Van Dyke and Emily Blunt
Van Dyke had a resurgence of sorts in 2018 when he joinedEmily BluntinMary Poppins Returns.The two shared the stage at the 2019 Golden Globe Awards.
Dick Van Dyke's Political Activism
Van Dykestumped for presidential candidate Bernie Sandersin 2020, appearing at a rally in Los Angeles early in the year. "We love you, Bernie. Yes we do," he sang. "We love you Bernie, and we'll be true. When you're not near us, we're blue. Oh Bernie, we love you." He also supported the candidate ahead of the 2016 election, and endorsed presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2024by reading aloud from a speech he gave in 1964 at a civil rights eventalongside Martin Luther King. Jr.
Dick Van Dyke's Kennedy Center Honor
In 2020, Van Dyke was among the year's Kennedy Center Honors recipients, alongsideDebbie Allen,Joan Baez,Garth Brooksand Midori Gotō. The group's ceremony was delayed to 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Dick Van Dyke on 'The Masked Singer'
You read that right! In February 2023, at age 97, the actor popped up on the season 9 premiere ofThe Masked Singer,performing "When You're Smiling" as Gnome.
"I had never even seen the show when they asked me. So I checked it out and it looked like a lot of fun,"he told PEOPLE afterward. "I was positive they wouldn't be able to guess who I was. And I was right!"
Dick Van Dyke in Recent Years
The number of awards he's earned — four Emmys, one Tony, one Grammy, one People's Choice Award, a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement honor — only scratch the surface of the impact, influence and artistry Van Dyke has contributed to television, film and pop culture.
In 2022,he was spotted in Malibu, handing out cash to those seeking work and meeting with homeless people at the non-profit organizationMalibu County Labor Exchange.
Dick Van Dyke's Coldplay Music Video
Laura Johansen, Alaura Imagery & Design
In the days ahead of his 99th birthday, Dick Van Dyke starred in the music video for Coldplay's "All My Love," which featured a poignant look back at his career as well as a celebration of the actor as he approaches 100, including appearances from his wife and large family.
"I'm acutely aware that I could go any day now. But I don't know why, it doesn't concern me," Van Dyke says in the extended director's cut. "I'm not afraid of it. I have that feeling totally against anything intellectual I have that I'm gonna be alright. I think I'm one of those lucky people who got to do for a living what I would've done anyway. When you think how lucky I am — I got to do what I do, play and act silly."
Dick Van Dyke Today
Amy Sussman/Getty
On Nov. 30, the legendary entertainer and his wife,Arlene Silver, opened up their home in Malibu, Calif, for a Vandy High Tea charity event raising funds to benefit The Van Dyke Endowment of the Arts and the Dick Van Dyke Museum, which is currently in development.
"There are several reasons for having these — all good — but mine is to revive the art of conversation," the comedian said of the event. "I don't care if you're on a street, you're in a bus or in a restaurant, everybody's looking at their phones. Nobody talks. I've seen young couples having dinner together and they're both looking at their phones. I may be the only person in the United States over 10 who does not have a cell phone. I don't have a phone."
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