orig. Richard Wayne Van Dyke
born Dec. 13, 1925, West Plains, Mo., U.S.
U.S. actor and comedian.
In 1947–53 he played in nightclubs with his pantomime act, "The Merry Mutes," before making his Broadway debut in 1959. He starred in the musical Bye Bye Birdie (1960–61, Tony Award; film, 1963), and then in the successful television comedy series The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–66)
winning several Emmy Awards
The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–74), and the drama series Diagnosis Murder (1993–2001). He has starred in such movies as Mary Poppins (1964) and Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang (1968).