Dick Van Dyke’s Almost 100, But Says There Is A Price Of A Long Life

At 99 years old, Dick Van Dyke remains one of Hollywood’s most beloved entertainers, and he’s not slowing down just yet.

The iconic performer, known for his decades-spanning work in television, film, and theater, recently opened up about the joys and challenges of living nearly a century during a heartfelt Q&A session at the “Dick & Arlene Van Dyke Present Vandy Camp” event.

Joined by his 53-year-old wife, Arlene Van Dyke, Dick Van Dyke reflected on outliving many of his closest friends, including fellow screen icon Ed Asner.

Van Dyke and Ed Asner had once planned to remake “The Odd Couple” before Asner’s passing in 2021.

“That would’ve been such fun, and we lost it. I’ve lost a lot of friends,” Van Dyke shared, according to PEOPLE. Arlene added, “He’s outlived everybody. That’s the curse of living to almost 100.”

When asked how he maintains such a positive outlook despite the personal losses, Van Dyke simply replied, “Well, life’s been good to me. I can’t complain.”

While he originally rose to fame on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” the multitalented performer quickly transitioned to the big screen, becoming a major box office draw in the 1960s.

He made his feature film debut in “Bye Bye Birdie” (1963), portraying Albert Peterson in the adaptation of the Broadway musical he also starred in on stage. His charming, neurotic performance won over audiences and critics alike.

Just a year later, he starred as the affable chimney sweep Bert (and the aging banker Mr. Dawes Sr.) in Disney’s “Mary Poppins” (1964), opposite Julie Andrews. While his Cockney accent was famously panned, Van Dyke’s physical comedy and infectious energy made the role unforgettable.

The film went on to win five Academy Awards and remains one of the most celebrated musicals of all time.

He followed that success with “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968), playing quirky inventor Caractacus Potts in another whimsical family classic. The Ian Fleming-inspired film may not have won awards, but it became a beloved staple for generations, thanks in part to Van Dyke’s playful performance and the film’s memorable soundtrack.

Incredibly, Van Dyke has continued to make headlines well into his 90s. In 2018, at age 93, he delighted audiences with a surprise cameo in “Mary Poppins Returns,” dancing atop a desk as Mr. Dawes Jr., a performance that left fans in awe of his enduring agility and showmanship.

“I’m a ham. I love it,” he told PEOPLE at the event in Malibu, California. “I get a jolt of energy from an audience.”

Despite his extensive career, Van Dyke has never received an Academy Award nomination, an omission that continues to spark debate among critics and fans alike. Still, his contributions to entertainment haven’t gone unrecognized and has won other major awards including a Tony Award, a Grammy Award, and multiple Emmy Awards.

In 2013, he was honored with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, and in 2021, he received one of the nation’s highest cultural honors: the Kennedy Center Honors.

These honors, and much more, were spotlighted in CBS’s two-hour tribute special “Dick Van Dyke: Now and Then” (also known as “Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic”). Airing in celebration of his 98th birthday in December 2023, the special offered a heartfelt retrospective of Van Dyke’s remarkable career, tracing his journey from his earliest television appearances to his breakout success on Broadway and in Hollywood.