Dick Van Dyke tells us about his family and his career in this book. As a young man, Dick left highschool early and served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, He wanted to be a pilot, but as he was underweight he became a radio announcer and entertainer for the troops. After the war, he joined forces with his friend Phil Erickson: they formed a mime duo called “Eric and Van—the Merry Mutes,” performing in nightclubs. Dick married his highschool sweetheart Margie Willett in 1948 and they had four children: Christian, Barry, Stacy and Carrie Beth.
In 1961, Dick was offered his own TV show, which became known as The Dick Van Dyke show which also starred Mary Tyler Moore as his wife. The show lasted five seasons.
In 1964, Dick took on what would be his most famous role – Bert the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins. He’s renowned for his terrible British accent in it. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang followed in 1968.
In his personal life, he began a relationship with Michelle Triola in 1975 which lead to his divorce from Margie in 1984. Dick stayed with Michelle until her death in 2009.
In 1993. Dick starred in the series Diagnosis Murder with his son Barry.
I used to watch Diagnosis Murder on a Sunday afternoon and found that quite enjoyable for a cozy mystery series. I had seen a few episodes of the Dick Van Dyke show, and I have seen Mary Poppins (and his British accent really is atrocious) – I did quite enjoy this book (I listened to the audio version narrated by Dick Van Dyke himself).
Read for the ShelfReflection Reading Challenge 2026
Prompt 27: A book authored by a celebrity you’ve seen in a movie
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️