Line #5 Creator/DickVanDyke


1	[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dickvandyke.jpg]]
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3	->''"I never wanted to be an actor, and to this day I don't. I can't get a handle on it. An actor wants to become someone else. I am a song-and-dance man, and I enjoy being myself, which is all I can do."''
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5	Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American comedian, actor, singer, dancer, producer, and writer who has enjoyed a career spanning more than eight decades on stage and screen.
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7	Born in West Plains, Missouri and raised in Danville, Illinois, Van Dyke enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and was made a radio announcer; he continued working in radio after the war, as well as in nightclubs and on television. His Broadway debut came in 1959, and he soon landed the role of Albert Peterson in ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'', for which he won a Tony Award. This role, in turn, brought him to Hollywood when a film adaptation of the play was made. The bulk of his career since then has been in movies and television.
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9	Van Dyke is best known on television for ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'' and ''Series/DiagnosisMurder''. He also appeared in an episode of ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' where he murdered his wife, and had a couple of voice acting roles for Creator/HannaBarbera, in an episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo The New Scooby-Doo Movies]]'' and the ChristmasSpecial ''WesternAnimation/TheTownSantaForgot''. On the big screen he is fondly remembered for his roles in ''Film/MaryPoppins'' and ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'', and played an important role in the first ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum''.
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11	Now in his late [=90s=], the only things that have managed to slow him down are a lingering hip injury and the [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID-19 pandemic]]. Even then, he continues to perform a regular cabaret act in Los Angeles-area nightclubs.
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13	Outside of entertainment, he is a computer enthusiast and was a major supporter of the Platform/{{Amiga}} during its existence. He even used his own personal equipment such as a Video Toaster (of whom he also endorsed) to do visual-effects work for ''Series/DiagnosisMurder''.
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16	!!Filmography on TV Tropes:
17	[[foldercontrol]]
18
19	[[folder:Film roles]]
20	* ''Film/ByeByeBirdie'' (1963) as Albert F. Peterson
21	* ''Film/MaryPoppins'' (1964) as Bert and Mr. Dawes Sr.[[note]]In a CreditsGag, he's initially credited under the SdrawkcabAlias of "Navckid Keyd" for the latter role before the letters unscramble themselves into his real name.[[/note]]
22	** ''Film/MaryPoppinsReturns'' (2018) as Mr. Dawes Jr.[[note]]replacing the late Arthur Malet from the first film. Like with Dawes Sr. in the first film, he's also initially credited as "Navckid Keyd" before the letters unscramble themselves into his real name.[[/note]]
23	* ''Film/WhatAWayToGo'' (1964) as Edgar Hopper
24	* ''Film/LtRobinCrusoeUSN'' (1966) as Lt. Robin Crusoe
25	* ''Film/{{Fitzwilly}}'' (1967) as Claude R. Fitzwilliam
26	* ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'' (1968) as Caractacus Potts
27	* ''Film/ColdTurkey'' (1971) as Rev. Clayton Brooks
28	* ''Film/DickTracy'' (1990) as D.A. Fletcher
29	* ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum'' (2006) as Cecil
30	** ''Film/NightAtTheMuseumSecretOfTheTomb'' (2014) as Cecil
31	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Curious George\|2006}}'' (2006) as Mr. Bloomsberry (voice)
32	* ''Film/AlexanderAndTheTerribleHorribleNoGoodVeryBadDay'' (2014) {{as Himself}}
33	* ''Film/{{Buttons}}'' (2018) as The Angel
34	[[/folder]]
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36	[[folder:TV roles]]
37	* ''Series/ThePhilSilversShow'' (2 episodes, 1957–58) as Pvt. Hank Lumpkin/Pvt. Swiftington 'Swifty' Bilko
38	* ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents'' (1 episode, 1960) as Thomas Craig
39	* ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'' (1961–66) as Rob Petrie
40	* ''Series/TheBillCosbyShow'' (1 episode, 1971) as Martin
41	* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' ([[Recap/ColumboS04E02 1 episode]], 1974) as Paul Galesko
42	* ''Series/TheCarolBurnettShow'' (season 11, 1977) as Himself/Various Characters
43	* ''Series/{{Supertrain}}'' (1 episode, 1979) as Waldo Chase
44	* ''Film/TheCountryGirl'' (TV movie, 1982) as Frank Elgin
45	* ''Series/{{Matlock}}'' (1 episode, 1986) as Judge Carter Addison
46	* ''Series/HighwayToHeaven'' (1 episode, 1987) as Wally Dunn
47	* ''Series/{{Airwolf}}'' (1 episode, 1987) as Malduke
48	* ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'' (1 episode, 1989) as Ken
49	* ''Series/JakeAndTheFatman'' (1 episode, 1991) as Dr. Mark Sloan
50	* ''Series/{{Coach}}'' (1 episode, 1993) as Partygoer
51	* ''Series/DiagnosisMurder'' (1993–2001) as Dr. Mark Sloan
52	* ''Series/{{Becker}}'' (1 episode, 1999) as Fred Becker
53	* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' (1 episode, 2000) as Duke
54	* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' (1 episode, 2003) as Dr. Townshend
55	* ''Series/TheMiddle'' (1 episode, 2015) as Dutch Spence
56	* ''Series/TheMaskedSinger'' (1 episode, 2023) as Himself[[spoiler:/Gnome]]
57	* ''Series/DaysOfOurLives'' (4 episodes, 2023) as Timothy Robicheaux
58	[[/folder]]
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60	[[folder:Voice roles]]
61	* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewScoobyDooMovies'' (1 episode, 1973) as Himself
62	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTownSantaForgot'' (1993) as Narrator/Old Jeremy Creek
63	* ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouseClubhouse'' (1 episode, 2014) as Grandpappy Goof
64	* ''Series/{{Kidding}}'' (2 episodes, 2020) as Hopscotch the Sasquatch
65	[[/folder]]
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67	[[folder:Other]]
68	* ''Series/WandaVision'' (2021) – production consultant[[note]]The producers reasoned that hiring Van Dyke to give them advice on set design and filming techniques for Golden Age sitcoms would be cheaper than trying to learn themselves through trial and error.[[/note]]
69	[[/folder]]
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72	!!His career provides examples of:
73	* CoolOldGuy: As one user noted on Website/{{Twitter}}, "Looks like nobody told Dick Van Dyke's body that he's in his 90s." At an age when most people can barely move, he can still pull off more than a few ''dance'' moves. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIiI05uNgnI Here's the proof]]. Note that when he first appears, the crowd gives him a ''standing ovation''.
74	** During their co-presentation at the 2019 UsefulNotes/{{Golden Globe Award}}s, Creator/EmilyBlunt was amazed that he could read the Teleprompter without glasses like she needed, and declared “You really are Superhuman!” Also, make no mistake--the standing ovation from the gathered crowd of A-list celebrities was ''not'' for Emily Blunt.
75	* CreatorBacklash: [[invoked]] Dick Van Dyke doesn't think highly of the 1963 movie version of ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'', which {{retool}}ed the script to make Creator/AnnMargret the indisputable star, rather than him and Creator/JanetLeigh (succeeding his on-stage LoveInterest Chita Rivera).
76	* {{Flashmob}}: His wife arranged an ''epic'' flash medley performance of ''Film/MaryPoppins'' hits for his 90th birthday. The delighted Van Dyke loved the surprise, joyously leading the mob of fans in an encore of "Let's Go Fly A Kite".
77	* GameShowHost: He was the host of two obscure ShortRunners, ''Laugh Line'' and ''Mother's Day''. He also famously turned down the hosting gig on the original ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', saying he didn't see any entertainment value in people guessing prices for a half-hour[[note]]To be fair, that's pretty much all the original ''Price'' was, yet it still managed to last almost a full decade[[/note]].
78	* InherentlyFunnyWords: Many jokes have been made about his name.
79	* LivingLegend: Has become this in his golden years, not many people can get a standing ovation from ''every'' crowd they get in front of, including ones made up almost entirely of A-list celebrities, simply by walking out on stage, but he can, after all, he is ''everyone's'' childhoods.
80	* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: After the whole ''Film/MaryPoppins'' debacle (see below), he decided to use his natural American accent the next time he played a Brit (in ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'').
81	* RealLifeRelative: His younger brother Creator/JerryVanDyke was an actor and comedian in his own right, and appeared in several episodes of ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'' as Rob Petrie's brother Stacey. Jerry would go on to become best known for playing Luther Van Dam on ''Series/{{Coach}}''.
82	* SadClown: He plays one in Creator/CarlReiner's 1969 film ''The Comic'', about an egotistical and self-destructive SilentMovie comedian of the 1920s.
83	* ScunthorpeProblem: Many jokes, yes, and one [[http://www.snopes.com/humor/jokes/vandyke.asp rather stupid urban legend]] too.
84	* {{Slapstick}}: Many of his comedy routines. Van Dyke was, in fact, a master of slapstick, and has criticized some modern comedians for not knowing how to ''fall'' properly, which he predicts will eventually lead to injuries.
85	* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: His horrible Cockney accent as Bert in ''Film/MaryPoppins'' was roundly mocked.[[note]]For the record, Van Dyke claims that he deliberately butchered it as much as possible because his dialect coach couldn't teach him a proper Cockney accent.[[/note]] Interestingly, in the same film, he also pulled off a much more convincing RP accent as Mr. Dawes Sr., and disappeared so completely in the role that the child actors didn't even know it was him until they saw the credits.

Context Creator / DickVanDyke