Dick Van Dyke’s wife Arlene, 53, reveals ‘curse’ of husband living to almost 100 in candid confession

He’s just months away from turning 100, but Dick Van Dyke is proving that age is truly just a number. The Mary Poppins star made a rare and heartfelt appearance alongside his wife Arlene Van Dyke at their special event, Dick & Arlene Van Dyke Present Vandy Camp, in Malibu, California.

Speaking to a warmly captivated audience during a Q&A, Dick opened up about what it really means to live nearly a century, and the emotional reality of outliving many of your peers.

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Dick’s confession

“I’m a ham. I love it,” he said with a gleam in his eye. “I get a jolt of energy from an audience.”

The 99-year-old actor hasn’t slowed down when it comes to performing. At the event, he even took to the stage with his beloved barbershop quartet, The Vantastix, proving that the stage still brings him just as much joy as it did more than seven decades ago.

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But alongside the laughter and applause, there were also tender moments of reflection. When asked by Arlene what keeps him feeling positive, especially after so many personal losses, he didn’t miss a beat: “Well, life’s been good to me. I can’t complain.”

That kind of optimism has long defined Dick, but he also acknowledged the more difficult side of longevity. 

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Recalling a project that never came to be, he shared: “Ed Asner and I were going to do The Odd Couple together. That would’ve been such fun, and we lost it. I’ve lost a lot of friends.”

Arlene, 53, added gently: “He’s outlived everybody. That’s the curse of living to almost 100.”

Dick’s career

The audience was treated to a rich tapestry of memories from his career, including working opposite Julie Andrews in the 1964 Disney classic Mary Poppins.

“I’m not a real singer,” he admitted with characteristic humility. “I tend to be under, fighting to get up there and sing on top of the note. It just took me forever in the recording.”

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But he credits Julie, now 89, with helping him through. “She was just patient as could be and kept helping me, saying, ‘Think high. Think up there.’ And it turned out great. She was wonderful. We had a wonderful time together.”

That film, where Dick famously played both lovable chimney sweep Bert and the elderly bank chairman Mr. Dawes Sr., remains one of the standout achievements of his career — though he had already made his mark on Broadway years earlier.

Reflecting on his breakout role in Bye Bye Birdie, which he originated on stage from 1960 to 1961, Dick lit up: “It’s the one that got me off the ground. It was the biggest thrill. And I got a Tony [Award] later.”

He reprised the role in the 1963 film adaptation, balancing the performance alongside his work on The Dick Van Dyke Show, where he played comedy writer Rob Petrie from 1961 to 1966.