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Dick Van Dyke‘s upcoming birthday will truly be something special — literally!
As the icon of stage and screen turns 98 years old on Dec. 13, 2023, Hollywood is celebrating with a television special dedicated to the star, airing on Dec. 21 on CBS.
“I started with CBS under contract in 1955 with the CBS morning show, then The Dick Van Dyke Show and Diagnosis Murder,” Van Dyke said in a statement. “I’ve been with the CBS family for almost 70 years, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
“I’m incredibly honored that CBS will be throwing a 98th birthday special for me,” he added. “Can’t wait to be part of the show!”
He’s been part of many a show during his lengthy, award-winning career, earning a Tony Award for originating the role of Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway in the 1960s and capturing viewers’ hearts on aforementioned series like The Dick Van Dyke Show and Diagnosis Murder and movies including Mary Poppins and Dick Tracy.
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
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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
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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’
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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’
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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
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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
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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’
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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
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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
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In 2012, Van Dyke married makeup artist Arlene Silver, who frequently joins him on red carpets.
Dick Van Dyke and Emily Blunt
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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
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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.
Dick Van Dyke’s Kennedy Center Honor
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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’
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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 Now
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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.
