Dick Van Dyke's Life in Photos

Dick Van Dyke's Early Years

Dick Van Dyke was 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's The Dick Van Dyke Show beginning in 1961. Mary Tyler Moore played 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 joined Julie Andrews, Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber in Walt Disney Pictures' Mary Poppins in 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 including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Dick Tracy, plus a plethora of TV parts, including two attempted Dick Van Dyke Show reboots.

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 drama Diagnosis Murder from 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 series Coach. Jerry died in 2018.

Dick Van Dyke and Carol Burnett

Van Dyke and Carol Burnett often guested on each other's shows. "I love her laugh," he told PEOPLE.

Dick Van Dyke in 'Night at the Museum'

Ben Stiller cast Van Dyke in Night at the Museum (here in 2006 alongside Mickey Rooney and 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

In 2012, Van Dyke married makeup artist Arlene Silver, who frequently joins him on red carpets.

At the time of his 97th birthday, Van Dyke said being married to Silver was among the things helping him stay young.

"Genes, I guess, for one thing," Van Dyke recently told Yahoo! Entertainment. "Having a beautiful young wife half my age to take care of me — that works! My positive attitude, I get that from my wife."

Dick Van Dyke and Emily Blunt

Van Dyke had a resurgence of sorts in 2018 when he joined Emily Blunt in Mary Poppins Returns. The two shared the stage at the 2019 Golden Globe Awards.

Dick Van Dyke's Political Activism

Van Dyke stumped for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in 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 2024 by reading aloud from a speech he gave in 1964 at a civil rights event alongside Martin Luther King. Jr.

Dick Van Dyke's Kennedy Center Honor

In 2020, Van Dyke was among the year's Kennedy Center Honors recipients, alongside Debbie Allen, Joan Baez, Garth Brooks and 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 of The 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.

Recently, he was spotted in Malibu, handing out cash to those seeking work and meeting with homeless people at the non-profit organization Malibu County Labor Exchange.

Dick Van Dyke's Coldplay Music Video

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.”