There are some celebrities that aren’t just Disney Legends, but also legends in the minds of anyone who has ever come across their work.
©Disney
In fact, some celebrities spark so much joy that you can’t help but smile when you think about them because they’ve made that much of a significant impact on you. Well, for us, one of those celebrities is the ICONIC Dick Van Dyke, who just happens to be celebrating a HUGE milestone today: the Disney Legend just turned 99 years old.
That’s right, today, December 13th, marks Dick Van Dyke’s 99th year on this earth and how lucky are we to have existed at the same time as him! He’s one of our most beloved stars, especially for us Disney fans who will always remember him as Bert from Mary Poppins.
©Disney
Dick was born in West Plains, Missouri, and after serving in the Air Force during World War II, he started performing in a pantomime act that toured the entire country. He then broke into local television in Atlanta and made guest appearances on many variety shows like Ed Sullivan, Dinah Shore, and Jack Paar. His talent eventually landed him in a Broadway musical, although he’d never taken a singing or dancing lesson (no, REALLY!). He ended up winning a Tony Award in 1960 for Bye Bye Birdie and later repeated that role in the movie.
©Columbia Pictures
In 1961, Dick was cast as the lead in the TV show The Dick Van Dyke Show — he won the Emmy Award for that role for three consecutive years. Then, lucky for us, Walt Disney himself approached the actor about playing Bert in Mary Poppins. Dick ended up playing Bert AND the chairman of the bank at the end of the film — he also later played the son of that chairman in a cameo in Mary Poppins Returns. EPIC.
©Disney
Of course, he’s been in NUMEROUS movies and TV shows, including The Golden Girls, Dick Tracy, Diagnosis Murder, and more. The man is a STAR. He was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1998, and to this day, still remains a Legend AND a LEGEND.
More importantly, though, Dick Van Dyke is STILL working in entertainment and most recently starred in Coldplay’s video for “All My Love.”
At 99 years old, y’all — this man is still giving it his all, and we can’t help but be amazed. So you keep being you, Mr. Dick Van Dyke, and we’ll keep loving you for it. Happy Birthday!
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I loved all your pictures. You are one of greatest artists in the movies, and on TV. I would love to wish you a Happy Birthday and I wish you a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.