Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke must have a pretty full showreel to display for himself on his 97th birthday.
Born Richard Wayne Van Dyke in Missouri in 1925, the star - who turns 97 today - is just three years away from living a whole century!
And we have been blessed with his talents for more than half of that, since he has worked in the entertainment industry for around seven decades.
The actor started out in the radio industry and was actually part of the US army as a radio announcer during World War II. He also served as a radio DJ in his hometown, Danville.
After this, Van Dyke got his breakthrough on Broadway in the musical, Bye-Bye Birdie, earning a Tony Award for originating the role of Albert Peterson in 1961. He also reprised his role in the movie version of the musical, released in 1963.
At this point in his career, Van Dyke was a busy man. He had been approached to star in a sitcom named aptly after him, The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran from 1961 to 1966. The show became a pioneer of its genre, winning 15 Primetime Emmys, per IMDb.
At the same time though, the actor received lots of musical movie offers, which led to some of his well-known roles in Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins (1964) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968).
The star returned to sitcoms in a leading role in The New Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran from 1971 to 1974. However, the seventies were also plagued with trouble for Van Dyke, who openly admitted his struggle with alcoholism.
On Oprah: Where Are They Now, which aired in 2016, the actor confessed: "I was very shy with strangers, I couldn't talk to people.
"And I found if I had a drink, it would loosen me up. The barriers went down and I became very social. That’s what got me started."
Despite suffering from alcohol abuse for quite a long time, he still appeared in a selection of TV Movies before his next big success, which was his lead role as Dr. Mark Sloan in the TV drama, Diagnosis Murder - a step away from his usual comedic roles.
The show ran from 1993 to 2001 and also featured Van Dyke’s son, Barry Van Dyke, as per History.
In more recent years, the Hollywood legend has starred in two of the Night at The Museum franchise movies and he also appeared in the recent remake of Mary Poppins Returns (2018).
Van Dyke has a supporting family surrounding him for his 97th birthday. He has four children and seven grandchildren.
The actor is also currently married to makeup artist Arlene Silver. The couple has a 46-year age gap, however, Van Dyke thinks that is the secret to his happiness and wellness at the age of 97.
“We share an attitude. She can go with the flow. She loves to sing and dance, which we do almost every day. She’s just delightful,” he told Closer Weekly.
When asked about his age in an interview last year with CBS This Morning, per Express, the star said: “I’m looking forward to 100.
“George Burns made it, and I’m gonna do it too.”
Happy Birthday to Dick Van Dyke! Truly a living legend!