Dick Van Dyke earns historic Daytime Emmy nomination at 98 for guest starring on 'Days of Our Lives'

Veteran actor Dick Van Dyke earned himself a historic Daytime Emmy nomination for guest starring on Days of Our Lives as the elderly Timothy Robicheaux. At 98, the actor became the oldest person to receive the Daytime Emmy nod on Friday, April 19, 2024.

Days of Our Lives is a long-running American soap opera that debuted in 1965 and currently has over 14,400 episodes. It is set in the fictional town of Salem, Illinois, and is a medical drama centered around two groups, the Brady and the Horton families.

Tim Robicheaux is an elderly amnesia patient looking for his son, who was born at Salem University Hospital. Van Dyke appeared in a special four-part arc on the show.

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Dick Van Dyke was cast in Days of Our Lives at the request of his real-life friend Drake Hogestyn

Van Dyke, born in Missouri, started out working in radio and Broadway before he was offered to work on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which catapulted the actor to fame.

While working on the sitcom, he starred in the 1964 classic, Mary Poppins. Since then, he has acted in several movies and TV shows, including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dick Tracy, Diagnosis: Murder, and Night at the Museum.

As per an April 2023 interview with Access Hollywood, the 98-year-old landed the role of Tim Robicheaux at his real-life friend and gym buddy Drake Hogestyn's request. He stated —

"I said, ‘Don’t you have any parts for old people? Come on give me one.’ And he took me seriously and got me a part!"

Hogestyn has been associated with the show since 1986, playing the role of John Black, who turned out to be Tim's long-lost son.

Van Dyke talked about watching several Days of Our Lives episodes to get a sense of what other actors had been doing during the show's duration to prepare for the role. He told Access Hollywood —

"Some of the people have been doing it for 20 years. That’s all the homework I can do, watch one and see how they do it. The other thing, you have to hold, ‘duh duh,’ there’s this thing of music, and we’ve said something exciting."

In April 2023, when it was announced Dick Van Dyke was cast in the soap opera, he quipped it was the first time he had ever played a part his age. He told Entertainment Weekly, "This is the first time I ever just played my 97-year-old self."

Back in December 2023, the 98-year-old was honored with a two-hour special tribute broadcast on CBS, Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic. It showcased archival footage from his long and iconic career. At the time, the comedian told People —

"You think, 'I don't deserve this,' but it's difficult to say how I felt. I came home, and I said, 'You know something? It's going to be a couple of days before this actually sinks in that it happened.' I never expected that kind of recognition. My whole life went before me. I didn't realize I had done so many things while I was 75 years in show business."

While Dick Van Dyke is the oldest person to receive a Daytime Emmy award nomination, this is not his first Daytime Emmy nod. He won Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming in 1984 for his work on CBS Library: The Wrong Way Kid. The actor also boasts four Primetime Emmy awards for his work on The Dick Van Dyke Show.