Richard Wayne Van Dyke popularly known as Dick Van Dyke is an American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian. Born on December 3, 1925, the 96-year-old actor appeared in several films, TV series, and theatre plays.
Van Dyke began initially began his career as a radio entertainer. Later he moved onto television and sometimes performed in nightclubs. In 1961, he starred in the film Bye Bye Birdie, for which he won the Best Actor award.
He rose to fame with the CBS sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, which first aired on October 3, 1961. The show continued for five seasons, and with every new season, Dyke became extremely popular among the masses.
Van Dyke married twice in his life; his first marriage was with Margie Willet. The two remained together for over three decades and shared four children.
After 24 years of marriage, the Mary Poppins actor started having an affair with his agent’s secretary Michelle Triola.
Speaking to Daily Mail in July 2016, the Bye Bye Birdie star said that he and his wife were going through a rough patch in life when he got along with Triola and got along with her,
“By 1975, I found myself talking about my ups and downs to my agent’s secretary, Michelle Triola. She was easy to talk to; she understood me. At the time, Michelle was suing actor Lee Marvin, with whom she had a six-year relationship. I was drawn into a relationship.”
“I was involved with a woman other than my wife. It was unbelievable. I was writhing in guilt. By 1976 I had to do something. I needed to be honest.”
In 1984, Dyke divorced Willet and made his relationship official with Triola. They remained together until Michelle died of cancer in 2009.
“I lost a part of myself,” he said, “but my life with Michelle helped me get back on my feet.” Per Closer Weekly.
“When she asked if she was going to die, I pretended I didn’t know — the hardest acting I have ever done,” he added.
In 2007, Dick met his now-wife, Arlene Silver, at the age of 86, while she was only 35 at that time.
Speaking to Closer Weekly, Silver — who used to work as a makeup artist back then, said,
“We first met at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. He came to me and said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick.’ The first thing I asked him was, ‘Weren’t you in “Mary Poppins”?’ We got along immediately as friends, so it didn’t feel like he was so much older than me.”
By February 2021, the pair was head over heels in love with each other and eventually tied the knot in a private ceremony at a chapel near his home in Malibu.
In February, the couple celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary; their singing and dancing video went viral on social media on Valentine’s Day. The video gathered more than 100,000 views on YouTube.
Fans were impressed with the iconic actor’s performance when he grooved on ‘Everybody Loves A Lover’ with his wife, Arlene.
The three-minute-long video clip received various comments in which people praised the actor’s charm even at the age of 90+.
“Absolutely fantastic… May Dick Van Dyke live forever! Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Much love to both of you adorable creatures!”
“Time stands still when Dick Van Dyke turns it on. And Arlene has a gorgeous voice. Absolutely beautiful. I once met Van Dyke in San Diego when I was just starting out as an actor, and he was a joy to behold.”
Thoughts on Dick Van Dyke’s relationships timeline? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: Daily Mail – Closer Weekly
