Overview
- At a Nov. 30 Vandy High Tea at his Malibu home, Van Dyke raised funds for The Van Dyke Endowment of the Arts and a planned Dick Van Dyke Museum, with performances and a lengthy Q&A.
- He said he may be the last living person who knew Walt Disney, recalling a bond over a childlike outlook and noting they kept politics out of their friendship.
- Van Dyke recounted that Disney cast him in Mary Poppins after hearing him say there was too little quality entertainment for children.
- He said he declined the lead in 1976’s The Omen, expressed regret about turning down a project with Cary Grant, and lamented missing a Sophia Loren film his agent rejected.
- Reflecting on longevity, he said he recognized an addictive streak in his 50s and believes quitting alcohol and cigarettes helped him reach this milestone; he also shared a lighthearted story about Mary Tyler Moore asking him to redraw a caricature.