Dick Van Dyke shares he still enjoys acting at 98 and would like to do a one-man show

Legendary actor and entertainer, Dick Van Dyke, spoke about his love for work and his zeal to keep going. In an interview with Deadline on May 30, 2024, the 98-year-old shared how he remains motivated in show business after staying active for seven decades.

"Well, it was a matter of just enjoying myself. I always loved what I was doing. If it had felt like work, I probably would have stopped it a long time ago, but I just loved it. I call it my play," Dick Van Dyke stated.

Talking about what’s ahead in his career, he told the media outlet:

"I'd still like to do a one-man show. Cary Grant did it. And Gregory Peck. Went on the road and talked about their careers. I think it’d be fun."

Dick Van Dyke is best remembered for his iconic sitcom on CBS called The Dick Van Dyke Show. It was about a gag writer named Petrie whose home and family life was a riot.

In 2023, the actor was celebrated for his lasting impact on the entertainment scene with his biggest screen moments featured in the CBS Original Special Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic.

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Dick Van Dyke talks about his career spanning over seven decades

According to Dick Van Dyke, his success in the business was not orchestrated, but a “pure kismet” (destiny). With television barely existing during his younger years in the 1940s, he stated that he started as a radio announcer at 17.

When television became popular after World War II, the 98-year-old entertainer knew what was going to do. Recalling that time, he shared with Deadline about what he was thinking then:

"Well, I’ll be a television announcer."

Unfortunately, it didn’t happen as Van Dyke instead formed a comedy team called The Merry Mutes.

While touring around the country and doing live shows and TV spots with his comedy group, Van Dyke landed an audition at CBS, but it wasn’t an easy and quick success as the entertainer noted. He jokingly told the outlet:

"They tried me as a game show host, a newsman—everything was a flop!"

After numerous auditions in theater productions, he got his breakthrough role in Bye Bye Birdie in 1961 and his career only grew upwards from there. Before the year ended, he was roped in for the sitcom, The Dick Van Dyke Show, which aired from 1961 to 1966, and earned him three Emmys.

Dick Van Dyke (Image via Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for ABA)

Some of his noteworthy appearances since then include starring with Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Fitzwilly.

But as successful as his career was, and still is, Dick Van Dyke expressed some “kind of sadness” while looking back to it. He shared:

"There is a kind of sadness in [watching 98 Years of Magic] because all of the wonderful people that I loved and worked with over the years have gone. I realized I've outlived an entire generation."

That said, the entertainer is still going strong. He’s always mentioned that retiring is not in his plans. Van Dyke excitedly told the outlet:

“I’ve just done my first soap opera!”

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Dick Van Dyke guest-starred in the long-running soap opera Day of Our Lives where he played Timothy Robicheaux, a man of mystery and an amnesiac war veteran. On April 19, 2024, he received a Daytime Emmy nomination for his role in the show, becoming the oldest actor to receive the honor.