Dick Van Dyke’s children are Barry Van Dyke, Carrie Beth Van Dyke, Stacy Van Dyke, and Christian Van Dyke. The legendary actor had his four kids with his first wife, Margie Willett. Although he married another wife after his union with Willett ended in a divorce, his second wife, Arlene Silver, did not bear him any more children.
While none of the award-winning actor’s children has matched his fame, all have followed his path in the entertainment business as actors. They made their acting debut at a young age alongside their father on episodes of Diagnosis: Murder, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. In 1967, Dyke was honored as Father of the year by the national Father’s Day committee, and ever since, he has carried the title by being a constant part of his children’s life.
Dick Van Dyke’s Children-Meet His Four Children
Christian Van Dyke
Born in 1950, he is the oldest child of the actor with his first wife. He made his Hollywood debut on January 31, 1962, on his father’s widely syndicated, The Dick Van Dyke Show. His role was that of Frankie, a fedora-wearing youngster.
Years later, Christian took a break from Hollywood to follow a legal career. He got his education from Occidental College, in Los Angeles. Upon his graduation, he enrolled at Arizona State University where he earned a law degree.
The 74-year-old started practicing law in the fields of criminal law, administrative law, and immigration- and asylum law. Early in his career, he occupied positions in the district attorneys’ offices in Corvallis, Salem, and Marion County.
With the experience that he gathered over the years, Dick Van Dyke’s oldest son switched to the corporate world. He worked for big brands like Nike and Patagonia.
The former district attorney for Marion County is married to his long-time wife, Caroline Heller with whom he shares three children. Sadly, he lost his oldest child, a daughter named Jessica Van Dyke in 1987 to Reye’s syndrome, a disorder that affects many organs of the body, especially the brain and liver.
Barry Van Dyke
Barry was born on July 31, 1951. He started acting on episodes of his father’s shows. In his case, Barry was only 9 years old in 1960 when he appeared on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Since then, he continued on the acting career path that has made him an iconic actor in his own right.
Barry’s career was halted by his father when he was younger so he can concentrate on his studies. According to him, his father told him he could only continue acting after his high school graduation. Apparently, the older Dyke was concerned with his son’s poor academic performance. Thankfully, that phase passed and he took jobs working in the theatre till he got his big acting break in the 1993 television sitcom Diagnosis: Murder. Notably, he has also shared the screen with his father on Murder 101.
Away from his career, Barry is a married man. He tied the knot with his wife Mary Carey in 1974. During the marriage, they welcomed four children, Carey, Shane, Wes, and Taryn. Barry’s oldest children have also taken a path in the entertainment industry as scriptwriters and actors.
Stacy Van Dyke
For many of the fans of The New Van Dyke Show, it wouldn’t be difficult to remember Sally who was played by Van Dykes real-life daughter Stacy. Outside of this role, she also appeared as Carol Hilton in Diagnosis: Murder. These early appearances introduced her to the screen, a path that she would pursue for some years.
In the 70s, she became renowned as a member of the Barnstormer, a theatre performing group. Despite having a promising career, her appearances became less frequent.
In the years that her career was put on hold, she got married to Mike Breen, a musician that she met while working in the theatres.
She has also indicated an interest in singing, although her acting career remains what she is known for. The last time she was seen on screen was in the 2002 sequel, Diagnosis Murder: Town Without Pity.
Carrie Van Dyke
Carrie is the youngest among Van Dyke’s four children. She was born on October 18, 1961. As the last child, she was also the last one to make her Hollywood debut. She appeared on two episodes of The New Van Dyke Show back in the 70s.
While there was an expectation that she would continue acting, she took the backstage.
Except for her marriage to the actor cum musician, Kevin McNally in 1983, she has not revealed recent projects she is involved in. Despite the silence around her career, her love life is still thriving, In 2008, Carrie and her husband celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. In fact, she is one of the greatest influences in McNally’s musical career.
In 2015, he released the song Searching Your Eyes on Soundcloud, a song inspired by their love journey. Carrie lives in Los Angeles with her two children whom she shares with her husband.
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A Look Into Dick Van Dyke’s Two Marriages
Margie Willett (1948-1984)
Margie was born in 1927 and grew up together with Dick in Danville, Illinois where their love story began. They tied the knot in 1948 on the radio show, Bride and Groom. While they were together, Margie stayed away from the spotlight while Dyke built his career.
The couple had problems that weighed on the marriage. Margie was dealing with addiction to prescription drugs while Dyke was dealing with alcohol problems. In 1972, both of them checked into the same rehab facility to get treatment.
Despite doing their best to make the marriage work, the problems only persisted leading to their separation in 1976. They remained separated for close to a decade till 1984 when they finally divorced as result of unspecified reasons.
Dyke’s ex-wife kept a low profile after the divorce and she remained unmarried. Margie died in 2008 from pancreatic cancer. While reacting to her death, Van Dyke revealed that he had lost a part of himself despite all the years that have passed after their divorce.
Eight years later in 2016, the truth about their divorce came out when his memoir, Keep Moving was released by Weinstein Books. The Bye Bye Birdie actor revealed that he had cheated on Margie with Michelle Triola, his agent’s secretary at the time. The affair led to a long time relationship that lasted for thirty years till Triola’s death in 2009.
Arlene Silver(2012-Present)
Arlene Silver is a makeup artist and the second wife of the actor. She was born on September 21, 1971, in the Bronx, New York.
After the tragic death of his long-term partner of 30 years, many thought the Indiana native would shut his heart forever. Yet this was not the case. Van Dyke soon moved on to Silver, a younger woman whom he met at the Sag Awards in January 2007. Shortly after, he hired her to work on his projects as a makeup artist while maintaining only a professional relationship.
The Mary Poppins actor started paying romantic attention to Silver during his grief. When they revealed their relationship, there was so much media frenzy about their 46 years age gap. According to Dyke, even his son had doubts about the union but later came around. They tied the knot on February 29, 2012, and have been together since then.
Over the years, the loved-up couple has spared no details about their relationship whether on social media or in interviews. They have also adapted to each other through shared interests such as singing and dancing. Silver is a member of an acapella group formed by her husband. On his part, the 99-year-old father of four revealed that the secret to his staying young is having a younger woman who is half his age. This has been proven true by the couple’s activities. She helped to pick his number during his appearance on The Masked singer.
For now, the couple has not shown any signs of slowing down making it clear that large age gaps in marriage are nothing but numbers.
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