Dick Van Dyke says there’s a simple secret behind his long life, shared as the Hollywood favourite gets ready to mark his 100th birthday.
The Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star turns 100 on December 13, and says steering clear of “anger” and “hate” has been central to reaching the milestone. Speaking to People magazine, he explained he has “never really been able to work up a feeling of hate”, adding: “I’ve always thought that anger is one thing that eats up a person’s insides – and hate.”
While he admits there are people he dislikes or disapproves of, Van Dyke said he has never carried the kind of “white-heat” hatred he believes can take a toll on the body.
He also credits his wife Arlene, 54, with keeping him young. Writing in a recent health diary for the Times, he said: “Without question, our ongoing romance is the most important reason I have not withered away into a hermetic grouch. Arlene is half my age, and she makes me feel somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters my age, which is still saying a lot.”
Reaching such an extraordinary age has brought moments of sadness, however. Van Dyke revealed he feels “diminished” both “physically and socially”, and said: “Every single one of my dearest lifelong friends is gone, which feels just as lonely as it sounds.”
He has also had health scares in recent years. In 2023, the actor was involved in a car crash in Malibu after skidding on wet roads and colliding with a gate. He escaped with minor injuries and later said he felt “lucky to be alive”, a reminder, he noted, of how fragile life can be.
Despite nearing a century, Van Dyke’s spirit remains notably youthful. He recently released his new book, 100 Rules For Living To 100, describing it as a collection of lessons shaped by stories that “stuck” in his memory because of their emotional meaning.
Last year he appeared in a Coldplay music video and continues to enjoy returning to some of his most famous roles — including a much-celebrated cameo in Mary Poppins Returns, which saw Emily Blunt take on the role of the no-nonsense nanny made iconic by Julie Andrews.
He says he still wakes up feeling light-hearted: “I feel really good for 100… I never wake up in a bad mood. I feel like I’m about 13.”
As for how he hopes to be remembered, Van Dyke says it is not about personal legacy but the joy his work continues to bring. “It’s the music, the music we leave behind,” he said. “For as long as children are proudly belting out Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, or singing and skipping along to Chim Chim Cher-ee, the most important part of me will always be alive.”
Across a career spanning more than seven decades, Van Dyke has collected four Emmys, a Tony for Bye Bye Birdie, a Grammy for Mary Poppins, a place in the Television Hall of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
