Dick Van Dyke reflects on his career
Veteran entertainer Dick Van Dyke took home the 2013 Screen Actors Guild’s Life Achievement Award, in honor of his storied career and humanitarian work, in a ceremony televised on TNT and TBS. And if that isn’t enough to celebrate, at 86 Van Dyke is a newlywed, having married Arlene Silver, 40, in February 2012.
Whether it’s his marriage or his career, to hear him tell it, Van Dyke has just been lucky to be in the right places at the right times.
Place your cursor over the images below to watch Van Dyke talk about working on films such as “Mary Poppins,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “Night at the Museum,” on TV shows such as “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “Diagnosis Murder,” and on stage in “Bye Bye Birdie.”
Read the full story here.
'Bye Bye Birdie' and winning a Tony
"The producers wanted to replace me. They didn't think I was cutting the mustard..."
Career highlights
"Some of my favorite shows probably weren't the best ones as far as the audience was concerned, but the ones in which I had the most fun..."
'Mary Poppins'
"Julie and I both knew we were in something magical. And you could feel it every day. It just kept getting better."
Working on wires
"One night I'm just hanging there and one of the wires breaks. Ping! And I'm hanging by one wire... Either I'm going to die or I'll kill a dancer."
'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'
"I had some misgivings in the beginning, I think because Walt Disney wasn't involved..."
'The Comic' with Carl Reiner
"It was an old movie that had been on the shelves of Columbia for a long time. Carl dug it out and said, 'This is a good idea about the silent screen days and the comedian.'"
Meeting Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton
"Stan Laurel was my idol when I was a little boy -- and Buster Keaton -- because of their great physical comedy."
'Night at the Museum'
"Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams, Ben Stiller! Talk about a cast. I mean, all we did was laugh!"
Reporting: Lisa Rosen. Videography: Don Kelsen. Photography: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times. Production and design: Lily Mihalik