Van Dyke, Dick, 1925-

Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925), more commonly known as Dick Van Dyke, is an American actor, comedian, writer, singer, and dancer, whose award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television and the theatre.

Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and television, in nightclubs, and on the Broadway stage. In 1961 he starred in the original production of Bye Bye Birdie alongside Chita Rivera, a role which earned him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Carl Reiner then cast him as Rob Petrie on the CBS television sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966), which made him a household name. He went on to star in the motion picture musicals Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Mary Poppins (1964), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), and in the comedy-drama The Comic (1969). He made memorable guest appearances on television programs Columbo (1974) and The Carol Burnett Show (1977), and starred in The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–74), Diagnosis: Murder (1993–2001), and Murder 101 (2006–08). Van Dyke has also made appearances in motion pictures Dick Tracy (1990), Curious George (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), and Mary Poppins Returns (2018).

Van Dyke is the recipient of five Primetime Emmys, a Tony, and a Grammy Award, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. He received the Screen Actors Guild's highest honor, the SAG Life Achievement Award, in 2013. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard and has also been recognized as a Disney Legend. In 2021, Van Dyke was honored with the Kennedy Center Honors.