Dick Van Dyke’s wife Arlene keeps him active daily as he reaches 100

Dick Van Dyke turns 100 on December 13, and he attributes his milestone birthday to a every day ritual that his spouse faithfully maintains.

The actor, finest recognized for his roles in “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” is the topic of a brand new documentary, “Dick Van Dyke: a hundredth Celebration,” set to hit theaters within the coming years. his birthday weekend on December 13 and 14.

Filmmaker Steve Boettcher informed Fox Information Digital that Van Dyke’s secret to remaining remarkably youthful at age 100 is surprisingly easy. He mentioned the star’s spouse, Arlene Silver, retains him energetic on daily basis: singing, dancing and continually transferring.

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Dick Van Duke celebrates his a hundredth birthday on December 13. He’s the topic of a brand new documentary, “Dick Van Dyke: a hundredth Celebration.” (Monty Brinton/CBS through Getty Photos)

And so they begin their day with music.

“Arlene is a key participant, I actually imagine that,” Boettcher mentioned. “I feel there’s one thing about these two. They’re like children collectively. They each like to sing and get up within the morning singing. They sing and dance and carry out collectively.”

Arlene Silver and Dick Van Dyke attend the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at The Westin Bonaventure Lodge & Suites in Los Angeles on June 7, 2024. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Photos)

“I actually imagine she has been such an influential pressure in preserving him so alive, entertaining and related to music,” he shared. “I feel that is a part of the important thing to residing so lengthy.”

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Van Dyke and his spouse, 54, married in 2012. Regardless of their 46-year age distinction, the star insists they’re an ideal match.

“I feel the magical factor about their relationship is that he all the time says, ‘I am fairly immature,’” Boettcher mentioned with amusing. “So age-wise, they’re truly an ideal match. I feel they’re simply two large children who like to be collectively. And you may inform he smiles when she’s round. I feel that is one thing very magical.”

Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver attend Carol Burnett’s hand and footprint in the course of the Cement Ceremony at TCL Chinese language Theater on June 20, 2024 in Hollywood. (Monica Schipper/Getty Photos)

Boettcher mentioned Van Dyke begins his day with music, laughs typically all through the day and all the time finds a means to slot in every day train — whether or not it is dancing at dwelling or going to the gymnasium.

Dick Van Dyke and his spouse Arlene Silver photographed at dwelling on April 21, 2016 in Malibu, California. Singing and dancing is a part of their every day routine. (Roxanne McCann/Getty Photos)

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It additionally helps to get sufficient daylight.

“He laughs, he sings, he trains — he simply lives an ideal life,” Boettcher mentioned. “He is in Malibu. There’s nothing unsuitable with Malibu, simply to let you recognize. It is such a magical place for him to be. And I feel that is a part of the important thing. He is residing his good life.’

Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver first crossed paths in 2006 on the SAG Awards, the place she was working as a make-up artist. Van Dyke later mentioned he was instantly charmed by her heat and friendliness. They married in 2012. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Photos)

Van Dyke beforehand wrote an essay for it The Times UKthe place he described how staying energetic is the important thing to preserving oneself bodily robust and mentally sharp.

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Dick Van Dyke on the 76th Artistic Arts Emmy Awards on September 7, 2024 in Los Angeles. (JC Olivera/Selection through Getty Photos)

“I nonetheless attempt to go to the gymnasium thrice per week,” he defined. “I do not know why I nonetheless wish to do that, however I do. I am not but a ‘get up and return to mattress’ form of particular person, except it is chilly and wet. If I miss too many gymnasium days, I can actually really feel it—a stiffness creeping in right here and there. If I let that occur, effectively, God assist me.”

“On the gymnasium I often do a circuit, the place I’m going from one machine to a different with no break, in a circle,” he mentioned. “I begin with the sit-up machine. Arlene says I may do 500, however that could be overkill. Then I do all of the leg machines religiously as a result of my legs are two of my most cherished property. After which the higher physique.”

Filmmaker Steve Boettcher’s “Dick Van Dyke: a hundredth Celebration” shall be in theaters for one weekend solely, on December 13 and 14. (Fathom Leisure)

“The key ingredient is the music,” he continued. “Most of my buzzing and singing truly occurs once I’m going from one machine to a different. By ‘going’ I imply dancing. You heard me – dancing! And once I actually really feel it, I am not a silent warbler; I am a Broadway singer.”

Dick Van Dyke (left) and Carol Burnett on the TCL Chinese language Theater on June 20, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Eric Charbonneau/Getty Photos for Apple TV+)

Van Dyke additionally gave up cigarettes and alcohol a long time in the past.

And when he isn’t sweating, Van Dyke makes it a precedence to seek out one thing to be thankful for on daily basis.

Dick Van Dyke has some pep in his step on the crimson carpet for Carol Burnett’s hand and footprint ceremony. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP through Getty Photos)

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“He got here from a small city within the Midwest,” Boettcher mentioned. “He wrote a number of books in the past about his hometown of Danville: ‘There is a wealthy aspect of city, and there is a poor aspect of city, however there is not any unhealthy aspect of city in Danville.’ I feel he has a means of seeing that every part is nice in life. He believes that 90% of life is all the time nice and 10% might be not so nice – and he’s all the time centered on that 90%.”

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Dick Van Dyke and Ann Howes starred in ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ in 1968. (Victor Crawshaw/Mirrorpix/Getty Photos)

Over time, Van Dyke has averted Hollywood scandals and has been praised as one of many nicest guys in showbiz.

“He actually is,” Boettcher mentioned. “He has been so form to us in making this movie, and his spouse, Arlene, has been very form as effectively. I actually suppose he has an enormous coronary heart. He got here out of the Melancholy. He did not know what poverty was, regardless that he lived it. I feel that is as a result of he grew up on this small city, which had an enormous affect on his upbringing. It formed him his entire life.”

“The Dick Van Dyke Present” aired for 5 seasons, from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966. (Getty Photos)

Wanting again on his a long time of success in Hollywood, Van Dyke would not have many regrets. Over the previous thirty years, Boettcher has spoken with lots of his closest mates and collaborators to be taught extra about his eighty-plus years in leisure. He interviewed Mary Tyler Moore, Carl Reiner and Chita Rivera, amongst others – all of whom have now handed away.

Chita Rivera and Dick Van Dyke carry out collectively on stage in the course of the Eli And Edythe Broad Stage presentation of “Chita: A Legendary Celebration” at The Broad Stage on February 10, 2017 in Santa Monica, California. (Amanda Edwards/Getty Photos)

Alongside the best way, Boettcher found some enjoyable information concerning the beloved legend.

“He auditioned for ‘The Worth Is Proper,’” Boettcher mentioned. “He went dwelling and mentioned to his first spouse, ‘It is a present about guessing costs. How is that this ever going to final? It is not going to final six weeks!’ Now it has been on the air for many years. However he laughs it off and says, “I guessed unsuitable.” The present is nice and he may have been the host, however I feel we’re higher off with the trail he selected.”

Bob Barker hosted “The Worth Is Proper” for 35 years – from September 4, 1972 till his retirement on June 15, 2007. He stays the longest-serving recreation present host in American historical past. (Jesse Grant/WireImage/Getty Photos)

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However one half he regretted passing was the prospect to play 007.

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Dick Van Dyke mentioned he turned down the prospect to play James Bond after Sean Connery (pictured right here). (Getty Photos)

On November 19, throughout an look on “As we speak,” Van Dyke mentioned he was approached to play James Bond after Sean Connery resigned from the function.

“[Producer] Albert Broccoli got here as much as me and mentioned, ‘Do you wish to be Bond?'” Van Dyke recalled. “And I mentioned, ‘Did you hear my British accent?’ Click on!”

Dick Van Dyke amazed generations along with his expertise: he modified movie, theater, comedy and dance. (Tradition Membership/Getty Photos)

Van Dyke admitted that he by no means performed the function as a result of he feared audiences “would not settle for it from me.” Nonetheless, he admitted that it will have been “a tremendous expertise to step into Bond’s sneakers.”

Dick Van Dyke starred reverse Julie Andrews in ‘Mary Poppins’ in 1965. (Donaldson Assortment/Getty Photos)

“It was actually suited to household leisure,” Boettcher mentioned. “He kicked round New York, the place CBS tried to discover a place for him — whether or not it was information, which wasn’t fairly proper, or early kids’s programming, which wasn’t fairly proper both.”

“It took him some time to determine the place he belonged,” Boettcher continued. “He ended up on Broadway with ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ and that is the place individuals found him — the place Walt Disney and Carl Reiner, the creator of ‘The Dick Van Dyke Present,’ discovered him.”

Dick Van Dyke lights up the display screen in a vibrant scene from the 1963 hit “Bye Bye Birdie,” directed by George Sidney. (Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Photos)

Regardless of all of the music and motion that continues to gasoline him on daily basis, Van Dyke believes his actual mark lives on within the work that has touched generations.

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Dick Van Dyke wins “Visitor Look in a Daytime Drama Sequence” for “Days of our Lives” on the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards held on the Westin Bonaventure Lodge on June 7, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Gilbert Flores/Selection through Getty Photos)

“For those who ask Mr. Van Dyke how he needs to be remembered, it is all concerning the work,” Boettcher mentioned. “It is concerning the household leisure he introduced with him – whether or not it is ‘Mary Poppins,’ ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ or ‘The Dick Van Dyke Present,’ that may stay on. He is aware of that is his legacy.”

The Related Press contributed to this report.