Dick Van Dyke plays a good-natured, offbeat physician who occasionally works for the police department as a consultant in Diagnosis Murder.
Dick Van Dyke is one of America,s most adored comedians. Sophistication, dignity, kind-hearted warmth, brilliant comedic timing, and a capacity to propel audiences of all ages into belly-aching laughter has made Dick Van Dyke a revered legend in his own lifetime.
Mary Tyler Moore put it best, “Despite his lack of ego and paranoia, the usual requirements for cultivating genius, the seemingly uncomplicated all-around good guy that is Dick Van Dyke is also a genius.” (TV Guide 12/14/96)
Dick Van Dyke,s career is built on a creative comedic flair that seems to giggle up inside him before combusting spontaneously. Spanning five decades, his career has been marked with illustrious kudos. Appearing in Bye Bye Birdie on the Broadway stage catapulted him into the spotlight where he has remained.
It would be remiss not to mention four Emmys, two for The Dick Van Dyke Show and two other statues for Van Dyke & Company, a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, Bye Bye Birdie, a Grammy along with the cast, for Best Children,s Recording, Mary Poppins and a People,s Choice Award.
There also was the Theater World Award for Bye Bye Birdie and let,s not forget his induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1995 or the 1998 Disney Legends Awards, commemorating Disney,s 75th anniversary where Van Dyke was honored for his performance in Uncle Walt,s (as the comedian liked to distinguish him) big budget musical Mary Poppins.
All that said, Dick Van Dyke is a remarkably humble man with a supreme ability to make people smile and do that which networks appreciate the most, keep the audience,s hands off the remote. He,s approachable, respectful and understated and everyone adores being part of his productions.
Six-foot-one and all heart he,s a master of physical comedy. It comes as no surprise that one of his idols was the great clown of slapstick, Stan Laurel. When Laurel died in 1966, Dick Van Dyke delivered his eulogy. In February of 1993, Dick Van Dyke was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. It,s inspiring that it just happens to be near his mentor,s. He had an unsuccessful false start in advertising before securing a footing in variety performing, his path to the right livelihood. In the Air Force, a buddy named Byron Paul recognized Van Dyke,s talent and persuaded him to work as the announcer of Flight Time. Byron later became a director at CBS in New York and asked Dick to audition, which led to a network contract.