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Revision as of 23:34, 4 April 2004 by 63.188.176.111 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Dick Van Dyke (whose full name is Richard Wayne Van Dyke) (b. September 13, 1925) is a noted television and movie actor. He is most famous for his starring roles on The Dick Van Dyke Show in the 1960s and Diagnosis: Murder in the 1990s.
Van Dyke's first major role was on stage in Bye Bye, Birdie in 1960, for which he won a Tony Award. He then starred in his own sitcom, The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran for five seasons -- in the lead role of Rob Petrie, Van Dyke won three Emmy Awards. He slowly transitioned out of television into movie acting in Bye Bye, Birdie (1963), What a Way to Go! (1964) and, most notably, Walt Disney's Mary Poppins (1964), in which he played Bert, a Cockney chimney sweep, and also played, in heavy disguise, the elderly owner of the bank. Van Dyke's attempt at a Cockney accent was widely ridiculed (especially in the UK), but the film also showed his versatility as a singer and dancer.
After the mid-1960s, Van Dyke was in a number of relatively unsuccessful movies (though one, a children's film called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is still well-known, especially with the recent stage musical). In 1974, however Van Dyke surprised everyone by appearing in his first dramatic role and recieving an Emmy nomination. The television film was called The Morning After and he recieved wide acclaim for his role as an alcoholic businessman. It was at this time that Van Dyke admitted he had recently overcome a real-life drinking problem. His career seemed essentially over by 1990 when Van Dyke, whose usual role had been the amiable hero, took a villainous turn in Dick Tracy. He received positive reviews that led him to star in a series of TV movies on CBS that became the foundation for his popular television drama, Diagnosis: Murder, which ran from 1993 to 2001.
Dick Van Dyke is the brother of actor Jerry Van Dyke. Dick's son Barry Van Dyke and grandson Carry Van Dyke are also actors: both Barry and Carry acted with Dick on Diagnosis: Murder.
Van Dyke received a Grammy Award for his performance on the soundtrack to Mary Poppins. There have also been persistent rumors that Dick Van Dyke's real name is Penis Van Lesbian although this has not been conclusively proven.