RICHARD W. VAN DYKE, FROM BERT TO DR MARK SLOAN

Today, The Grandma is relaxing at home. She is watching some of her favourite movies and she has chosen Walt Disney's Mary Poppins, a classic masterpiece. She has remembered one of her beloved families, The Poppins, and she has enjoyed the movie a lot. 

One of the stars of Mary Poppins is Dick Van Dyke, Bert and Mr. Dawes Senior in the movie, the unforgettable actor who was born on a day like today in 1925.

Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, comedian, writer, singer, and dancer, whose award-winning career has spanned seven decades.

Van Dyke first gained recognition on radio and Broadway, then he became known for his role as Rob Petrie on the CBS television sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran from 1961 to 1966. He also gained significant popularity for roles in the musical films Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Mary Poppins (1964), and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968).

His other prominent film appearances include roles in The Comic (1969), Dick Tracy (1990), Curious George (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), and Mary Poppins Returns (2018). Other prominent TV roles include the leads in The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–74), Diagnosis: Murder (1993–2001), and Murder 101 (2006–08) which both co-starred his son Barry.

Van Dyke is the recipient of five Primetime Emmys, a Tony, and a Grammy Award, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. He received the Screen Actors Guild's highest honor, the SAG Life Achievement Award, in 2013. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard and has also been recognized as a Disney Legend.

More information: The Guardian

Van Dyke was born on December 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri, to Hazel Victoria, a stenographer, and Loren Wayne Cookie Van Dyke (1898–1976), a salesman. He grew up in Danville, Illinois. He is the older brother of actor Jerry Van Dyke (1931–2018), who sometimes appeared as his brother in The Dick Van Dyke Show but is best known for a role in the TV series Coach.

Van Dyke is a Dutch surname, although he has English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry as well. His family line traces back to Mayflower passenger John Alden.

Among Van Dyke's high school classmates in Danville were Donald O'Connor and Bobby Short, both of whom would go on to successful careers as entertainers. One of his closest friends was a cousin of Gene Hackman, the future actor, who also lived in Danville in those years.

Van Dyke's mother's family was very religious, and for a brief period in his youth, he considered a career in ministry, although a drama class in high school convinced him that his true calling was as a professional entertainer. In his autobiography, he wrote, I suppose that I never completely gave up my childhood idea of being a minister. Only the medium and the message changed. I have still endeavored to touch people's souls, to raise their spirits and put smiles on their faces.

Even after the launch of his career as an entertainer, he taught Sunday school in the Presbyterian Church, where he was an elder, and he continued to read such theologians as Martin Buber, Paul Tillich, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who helped explain in practical terms the relevance of religion in everyday life.

More information: The Guardian

Van Dyke left high school in 1944, his senior year, intending to join the United States Army Air Forces for pilot training during World War II. Denied enlistment several times for being underweight, he was eventually accepted for service as a radio announcer before transferring to the Special Services and entertaining troops in the continental United States.

Van Dyke's start in television was with WDSU-TV New Orleans Channel 6 (NBC), first as a single comedian and later as emcee of a comedy program.

Van Dyke's first network TV appearance was with Dennis James on James' Chance of a Lifetime in 1954.

From 1961 to 1966, Van Dyke starred in the CBS sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, in which he portrayed a comedy writer named Rob Petrie.

Van Dyke began his film career by playing the role of Albert J. Peterson in the film version of Bye Bye Birdie (1963). That same year, Van Dyke was cast in two roles: as the chimney sweep Bert, and as bank chairman Mr. Dawes Senior, in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins (1964).

Van Dyke received a Grammy Award in 1964, along with Julie Andrews, for his performance on the soundtrack to Mary Poppins.

More information: The Penn Gazette

I think, the 'Van Dyke Show' and 'Mary Poppins'
are two of the best periods of my life.
I had so much fun, I didn't want it to end.

Dick Van Dyke