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Dick Van Dyke started his career in 1955 and starred in over 70 noteworthy projects for over seven decades. He first found fame on radio and Broadway and transitioned to television by playing Rob Petrie on the CBS TV sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show from 1961 to 1966. He is also well known for appearing in musical films Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He also starred in leading roles in Diagnosis: Murder (1993–2001) and Murder 101. After a hiatus, Van Dyke returned to mainstream cinema in 2006 with Curious George as Mr. Bloomsberry and villain Cecil Fredericks in the Ben Stiller film Night at the Museum (2009). He returned to play the character again in the third installment, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014). Most recently, he was honored with the Life Achievement Award at the 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Let us take a look at his successful Hollywood journey.
Van Dyke's journey has been instrumental in earning him the Television Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012. He is also recognized as a Disney Legend.
Dick Van Dyke’s Early Life
Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri, on December 13th, 1925, and grew up in Danville, Illinois. His parents wanted him to become a church minister, but after attending a drama class in high school, Dick found his passion - acting. According to HomeTowns to Hollywood, he left high school in 1944 to enlist in the United States Army as an Air Force pilot during World War II. However, he was rejected for underweight. He was then enrolled as a radio announcer before being transferred to Special Services. His journey of being a celebrated emcee and comedian began in 1947. Van Dyke and Phil Erickson formed a comedy duo called - Eric and Van the Merry Mutes.
Together they toured the West Coast nightclub circuits performing mime acts and lip-syncing to vintage records. In 1950, a local Atlanta television network invited them to perform original skits and music. Dyke's official debut in the television industry happened when he signed a seven-year contract with the CBS network prompted by an Army friend who worked as an executive for the television network. Van started as anchorman for the CBS morning show.
From Television To Hollywood's Walk Of Fame
He won favor for his talent as a comedian and was cast as the lead in the CBS comedy sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran from 1961 to 1966. His character Rob Petrie became an instant hit among the audience and won him three Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actor in A Comedy Series. In the meantime, the sitcom also won four Emmy Awards as Outstanding Comedy Series. Fame catapulted Van onto the big screen with the film Bye Bye Birdie (1963). The musical comedy film collected $13.1 million at the box office, becoming the 13th highest-grosser of 1963. The mammoth hit won nominations at the Academy Awards, and Dyke won a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in A Featured Role in a Musical.
His golden streak at the box office continued with the iconic Walt Disney feature Mary Poppins (1964). The timeless classic collected a record-breaking $103.1 million at the box office. The musical won several prestigious awards, including a Grammy Award, four Oscar Awards, and two Golden Globes. In 1968 he starred in another $7.5 million grosser comedy film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. After this, he tried reviving his hit show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, several times from 1971-74 and in 2004 for the television audience but failed to create the magic.
Decades later, Van Dyke played Mr.Dawes Jr. in the sequel Mary Poppins Returns (2018). According to Forbes, the Rob Marshall-directed sequel crossed $200 million at the global box office.
The Many Achievements In His Seven-Decade-Long Career
According to Yahoo, Van Dyke is a true icon with a career spanning over seven decades, earning him a net worth of $50 million. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995, and his illustrious career earned him the Screen Actors Guild’s highest honor, the SAG Life Achievement Award in 2013. Hollywood honored his contribution with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard. Despite his age, the prolific actor has no intention of slowing down.
According to Daily Mail, Van Dyke surprised the audience and the judges on the popular reality show The Masked Singer, where he appeared as a Gnome and performed two iconic songs - When You're Smiling by Frank Sinatra and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from his hit 1964 film Mary Poppins. His on-stage presence after being unmasked made everyone emotional, including the celebrity judges. The legendary entertainer was eliminated in the ninth season's premiere of the reality Fox show.
Dick Van Dyke shows no signs of stopping, even at 97. The timeless entertainer continues creating magic on screen, stage, and television.
Sources: HomeTowns to Hollywood, Forbes, Yahoo,Daily Mail
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