What Is Dick Van Dyke's Net Worth?
Dick Van Dyke is a legendary actor, comedian, director, and producer who has a net worth of $50 million. Dick Van Dyke is best known for his roles in iconic musical films like "Bye Bye Birdie" (1963), "Mary Poppins" (1964), and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (1968), among others.
Van Dyke began his career as a dancer on Broadway in the 1940s. He made his film debut in 1949 and went on to star in a number of successful comedies. It was his role as Bert in "Mary Poppins" that brought him international fame. Van Dyke also had a successful television career. He starred in the sitcom "The Dick Van Dyke Show" from 1961 to 1966. The show was a critical and commercial success and won numerous awards, including five Emmy Awards. Van Dyke also starred in the sitcoms "The New Dick Van Dyke Show" (1971-1974) and "Diagnosis Murder" (1993-2001).
In addition to his acting career, Van Dyke is also a talented singer and dancer. He has released several albums and has starred in a number of Broadway musicals. He is also a skilled ventriloquist and has performed with his dummy, Mortimer Snerd, for many years.
Here are some other notable achievements in Van Dyke's career:
- He has won five Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.
- He was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2004.
- He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1996.
- He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2007.
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Early Life
Richard Wayne Van Dyke, better known as Dick Van Dyke, was born on December 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri. His mother, Hazel Victoria (née McCord), was a stenographer, and his father, Loren Wayne "Cookie" Van Dyke, was a salesman. He was raised in Danville, Illinois, along with his younger brother Jerry Van Dyke, who was also an actor.
Dick left high school in 1944, when he was a senior, with the intention to join the United States Army Air Forces and train as a pilot during World War II. He was denied enlistment multiple times due to being underweight but was eventually accepted to serve as a radio announcer, and later on as a member of the Special Services, where he entertained troops.
Career
During the late 1940s, Van Dyke began working as a radio DJ in his hometown. He was also part of a comedy duo with the pantomime performer Phil Erickson, and they toured together around the West Coast as well as appeared on a local television show, "The Merry Mutes," in Atlanta, Georgia, in the early 1950s. His other early appearances on television include "Chance of a Lifetime" in 1954, "The Phil Silvers Show" (1957-1958), "The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom" on ABC, and "The Polly Bergen Show" on NBC. In 1959, Van Dyke debuted on Broadway in a production of "The Girls Against the Boys." He then starred as the lead in "Bye Bye Birdie" from 1960 to 1961. For his appearance in "Bye Bye Birdie," Dick went on to win a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in 1961; the musical won four other Tony Awards.
Beginning in 1961, Van Dyke starred in his own CBS sitcom, "The Dick Van Dyke Show," playing the character of comedy writer Rob Petrie. The show ran until 1966, and during this time, he won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The series also received four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series. Appearing with him on the show was an all-star cast featuring prominent actors such as Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Jerry Paris, Ann Morgan Guilbert, and Mary Tyler Moore. Van Dyke's next project was a different, unrelated sitcom, "The New Dick Van Dyke Show," which ran from 1971 to 1974. This show was less successful than his first show, but he still received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. The third show named after him, "Van Dyke and Company," was a short-lived sketch comedy show that also featured Andy Kaufman and Super Save Osborne. It only ran for three months but still managed to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety Series.
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In addition to his appearances on television, Van Dyke also enjoyed a highly successful film career. His first film appearance in 1963 was an adaptation of the hit musical "Bye Bye Birdie," which he had starred in on Broadway. He then starred in what has come to be viewed as a classic film, Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" (1964). In it, he played the character Bert, who has a cockney accent; Dick's attempt at the accent is widely considered to be one of the worst-ever accents to appear in a film.
Throughout the rest of the 1960s, he starred in a string of films that all performed pretty poorly at the box office, with the noted exception of the musical "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (1968). In fact, Van Dyke's film roles affected his television work; after starring in the film "Dick Tracy" (1990), in which he played the role of D.A. Fletcher, he was offered the opportunity to play the role of Dr. Mark Sloan in an episode of "Jake and the Fatman."
He ended up getting his own television show featuring the Sloan character, "Diagnosis: Murder," which ran from 1993 to 2001. Many of his family members, including his son Barry Van Dyke, and grandsons Shane Van Dyke and Carey Van Dyke, have appeared in various "Diagnosis: Murder" episodes.
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Other Work
In addition to being a famed actor, Van Dyke is also a published author. He has published five books: "Altar Egos" (1967), "Faith, Hope, and Hilarity" (1970), "Those Funny Kids!" (1975), "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business" (2011), "Keep Moving: And Other Tips and Truths About Aging" (2015).
Personal Life
In February 1948, Dick Van Dyke married his first wife, Margerie Willett, live on the radio show "Bride and Groom." They had four children together. After a long separation, Van Dyke and Willett divorced in 1984.
Next, Dick lived with his longtime partner Michelle Triola Marvin until she passed away in 2009. They had been together for more than 30 years.
In 2012, Van Dyke married makeup artist Arlene Silver, who is 46 years his junior.
Dick has been open and vocal about his struggle with alcoholism and previously had received treatment for his addiction in 1972. Throughout most of his adult life, he was also a heavy smoker but revealed in 2013 that he had quit and turned to Nicorette gum to control his urges.
Malibu Mansion
In September 1986, Dick paid $750,000 for a large property in Malibu, California. Today, the property is worth $7-8 million.
