Dick Van Dyke, one of the biggest names in entertainment for nearly seven decades, will make his soap opera debut this week on Days of our Lives.
Days of our Lives is about to step in time with a legendary Hollywood performer. Dick Van Dyke, whose film and television roles are too numerous to mention in their entirety, will appear on Days of our Lives beginning September 1.
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The 97-year-old Van Dyke's journey to Salem came about via his real-life friendship with Drake Hogestyn (John Black).
"Drake and I went to the same gym together," Van Dyke explained of how his guest spot came to be. "I used to kid him, 'Don't you have any parts [on DAYS] for old people?' and he took me seriously. He got me a part."
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Van Dyke will play a character with amnesia who gets help from John and Marlena.
"I have played old men before, but comedy old men," the iconic actor explained, before joking that this would be the "first time I ever just played my 97-year-old self."
In an interview with DAYS star Eric Martsolf (Brady Black), Van Dyke confessed that he struggled to understand the pacing of the soap because his mind tends to understand the beats and pace of a comedic setup.
2023 has been a year of firsts for the actor, who has seemingly done it all. Earlier this year, Van Dyke was revealed as the Gnome on the reality competition The Masked Singer.
In 1961, Van Dyke starred in the original production of Bye Bye Birdie, a role that earned him a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He helmed the eponymous Dick Van Dyke Show from 1961 to 1966. He is known to generations for his work in the 1964 motion picture Mary Poppins. From 1993 to 2001, he headlined the CBS drama series Diagnosis Murder.
During his career, Van Dyke has won a Golden Globe, a Tony, a Grammy, a Daytime Emmy, and four Primetime Emmys. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012 and was a Kennedy Center Honors honoree in 2021.
You can watch Van Dyke chatting about his storied Hollywood career and DAYS role below.
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