Dick Van Dyke turns 99: A storied life of a beloved dancing chimney sweep

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Dick Van Dyke poses at the 51st annual Daytime Emmys Awards at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles on June 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Dick Van Dyke, the beloved actor who danced into people’s hearts through the silver screen, turned 99 on Friday, days after he had to evacuate his Malibu home due to wildfires.

Van Dyke recalled his harrowing escape in an interview with NBC's Today. He said he was struggling Tuesday to uncoil his hose to put out a small fire in his guesthouse, eventually crawling to safety as he watched nearby hills go up in flames.

"I had exhausted myself," he said. "I couldn't get up. Three neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out the little fire in the guesthouse and saved me. "

Van Dyke appears in Coldplay music video

Less than a week before his birthday, the "Mary Poppins" actor appeared in a music video for Coldplay’s "All My Love" and shared some tearjerking moments of reflection.

"I’m acutely aware that I could go any day now, but I don’t know why, it doesn’t concern me, I’m not afraid of it," Van Dyke said in the video. "I have that feeling, totally against anything intellectual, that I’m going to be alright."

"I think I’m one of those lucky people who got to do for a living what I would have done anyway," he added. "When you think how lucky I am — I got to do what I do, play and act silly."

Before Hollywood

Although Van Dyke was born in West Plane, Missouri, he would spend most of his childhood in Danville, Illinois, where he had aspirations of becoming a priest due to his mother’s devout religious beliefs, according to Turner Classic Movies.

However, Van Dyke caught the bug for acting after joining his high school drama class. But that didn’t lead him straight to Hollywood.

Van Dyke would eventually drop out of school during his senior year in high school with hopes of joining the Air Force to fight in World War II, but due to being underweight, Van Dyke was instead assigned to be a radio announcer. This role is what kickstarted his acting career.

Memorable roles: From Bert the chimney sweep to Rob Petrie

Some of the roles for which Van Dyke is most recognized include his wildly popular TV series, "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "Mary Poppins," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," and a recurring role in the "Diagnosis Murder" TV series and TV movies.

He made his first TV network debut in 1954 on ABC’s "Chance of a Lifetime" and then landed several guest spots on shows such as CBS’s "The Phil Silvers Show," ABC’s "The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom," and NBC’s "The Polly Bergen Show."

Van Dyke then hopped into roles on Broadway and landed a spot in "Bye Bye Birdie" which was a huge hit and won Van Dyke a Tony award.

In 1961, he would go on to star in his hugely successful show, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" on CBS. Van Dyke won three Emmys for his role as the accident-prone Rob Petrie and the show won Outstanding Comedy Series four times, according to TCM.

And who can forget Van Dyke’s portrayal of Bert, the soot-dusted chimney sweep who danced alongside penguins in "Mary Poppins." He won a Golden Globe and a Grammy award for his role in the family classic.

99 and counting

Van Dyke continues to work in Hollywood.

Among his recent movie credits are Curious George (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014) and Mary Poppins Returns (2018). Even more recently, Van Dyke helped influence the vision for the Disney+ series "WandaVision" and made an appearance on FOX’s "The Masked Singer."

The actor also became the oldest ever to win a Daytime Emmy. Van Dyke won for his guest performance in "Days of Our Lives" and was also awarded a Creative Arts Emmy award in September.

When asked how he would like to be remembered during his storied and decadeslong career, he simply told People magazine, "For laughter."

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