Dick Van Dyke is ‘Just Glad To Be Here’ and We Are Glad He Is Too

Dick Van Dyke has been a focal point of television since the early 1950s, and his name continues to live in his current titles including Life is Boring and Kidding.

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Van Dyke remains central to current life as he was trending today for his comments about being ‘just glad to still be here.’

Born Richard Wayne Van Dyke on December 13, 1925. He grew up in Danville, Illinois, where he participated in the theatre during high school. He later began a career in showbusiness, amassing the successful characters we know and love, only because his advertising agency failed.

In the late 40s and early 50s, Van Dyke and performed in nightclubs with a pantomime act, Merry Mutes. In the 1950s, he hosted game shows before making his move to Broadway in 1959. Broadway consisted of “The Girls Against The Boys” and his first lead role in “Bye Bye Birdie” as Albert Peterson. “Bye Bye Birdie” won four Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best-Featured Actor for Dick Van Dyke. This accolade put him in the position to be cast in Carl Reiner’s comedy series, the Dick Van Dyke Show.

The Dick Van Dyke show:

Van Dyke’s character on the show was Rob Petrie, which is his most known role. The show was nominated for 15 Emmy Awards, three of which went to Van Dyke. The show ran for five seasons from 1961-1966 on the CBS network. The show centered on the life of Rob Petrie, who was the writer for a variety show based in Manhattan and gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how a tv show is produced. The show starred Morey Amsterdam (Buddy Sorrell), Rose Marie (Sally Rogers), and Mary Tyler Moore.

Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang:

Dick Van Dkye began a film career while working on The Dick Van Dyke Show. His breakout and the most famous film was Mary Poppins starring alongside a young Julie Andrews. His characters of Bert, a street merchant, and Mr. Dawes Senior, the bank manager in the 1964 musical showed his acting chops and versatility. The soundtrack to this film also was the winner of a Grammy Award.

A few years later, he was a hit in the musical adaptation of Ian Fleming’s children’s book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a story of siblings Jemima and Jeremy and their father, Caractacus Potts who meet a charming woman they all want to join their family, Truly Scrumptious and the musical whimsical stories that ensue from that moment.

Return to Television and Present:

He turned to television for The New Dick Van Dyke Show, ruling from 1971-1974. This time, however, the actor-singer played a talk-show host. Another rendition of the show included the actor’s son, Barry Van Dyke, in The Van Dyke Show. However, it was canceled after a few episodes.

In 1995 Dick Van Dyke was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Today, he’s still going strong, check out his IMDB for a complete list of his works not excluding the 2018 TV movie Mary Poppins Returns!

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