Dick Van Dyke will be joining past recipients Mary Tyler Moore, Ernest Borgnine, Betty White, James Earl Jones, Charles Durning, Julie Andrews, Shirley Temple Black, James Garner, Karl Malden, Clint Eastwood, Edward Asner, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier, Kirk Douglas, Elizabeth Taylor, Angela Lansbury, Robert Redford and George Burns when he accepts the honor at the 2013 SAG Awards.
A Look Back at Dick Van Dyke’s Life and Career – Courtesy of SAG:
The Emmy-winning Van Dyke made his television-acting debut in 1957 and Broadway debut in 1959. The following year his career soared when he was cast opposite Chita Rivera in the Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie. His performance as Albert Peterson earned Van Dyke a Tony® Award and brought him to the attention of Reiner, who signed him for a pilot opposite newcomer Moore. In 1963, Van Dyke spent his series’ hiatus shooting the film version of Bye Bye Birdie in 1963 followed by What a Way to Go and Disney’s 1964 musical classic Mary Poppins, which won five Academy Awards®, including one for star Julie Andrews (recipient of the 2006 Life Achievement Award). Van Dyke earned a Golden Globe® nomination and, with Andrews, a Grammy®. A run of films followed including Lt. Robin Crusoe, USN, Divorce American Style, Fitzwilly, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Comic, directed by Reiner, among others. He returned to movies again in 1979’s The Runner Stumbles, 1990’s Dick Tracy and more recently, the Ben Stiller comedy Night at the Museum (2006). On the small screen, his numerous roles include the crime-solving physician Dr. Mark Sloan in Diagnosis: Murder, which ran from 1993 to 2001. The ever-energetic Van Dyke has written several books and in 2000, formed Dick Van Dyke & the Vantastix, an a cappella quartet. Among the venues they’ve played are the Disney Concert Hall and Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., with the President and First Lady in the front row.
For nearly 20 years Van Dyke has been committed to volunteering at Los Angeles’ century-old shelter, The Midnight Mission. He helped raise millions for their new building program and is there every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and times in between offering comfort and cheer. He is passionate about raising funds for music and art programs for public schools and became a spokesperson for the National Reye’s Syndrome Foundation in 1967 after losing a granddaughter to that disease. In 2010, he was named the first spokesperson for the Cell Therapy Foundation.
Source: SAG
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