Dick Van Dyke Shares Outlook on His Life Ahead of 100th Birthday

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Dick Van Dyke is indubitably grateful for his full life.

As the celebrated actor approaches his 100th birthday on December 13th, he’s been reflecting on his incredible life and career, and what the future holds. He shared that the most surprising thing to him is simply having reached this milestone.

In a recent interview with People magazine, 100-year-old Dick Van Dyke shared that he’s feeling great. He explained that while his energy levels fluctuate, he always starts his day with a positive attitude.

Despite some hearing and balance issues, the actor famous for Mary Poppins still feels incredibly youthful. He jokes that he feels like he’s thirteen years old.

And he credits wife Arlene Silver, 54—who he wed in 2012—with helping him stay youthful.

He said she has a wonderful way of keeping him grounded and present. She consistently brought happiness into his life and is a true joy to be around. She always knows how to lift his spirits – getting him to sing or dance – and he feels incredibly fortunate to have her, especially considering everything she manages.

Dick Van Dyke, who has four children – Christian, Barry, Stacy, and Carrie Beth – with his late ex-wife Margie Willett, recently shared stories from his life and how they’ve influenced his perspective in his new book, 100 Rules for Living to 100. He also believes he knows the secret to his long and active life.

When asked about his success, Dick Van Dyke told People magazine he wasn’t sure what he did to get it, jokingly admitting he’s actually quite lazy. He believes that holding onto anger and hate is incredibly damaging, and he personally never could bring himself to feel hatred towards others. He feels this ability to avoid hate is a major reason he’s lived a long and fulfilling life.

He doesn’t need to force himself to be optimistic; it comes as easily to him as saying a long, complicated word like “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

He believes people are naturally optimistic or pessimistic from birth. He feels he’s one of the lucky ones, born with a positive perspective. He imagines others constantly struggle against negativity, and after a lifetime of observation, he’s confident in his view.

At 99 years old, he understands he’s lived most of his life, but he isn’t afraid of death at all.

He stated simply, “When your time comes, it comes.” He admitted he wasn’t afraid of death, though he couldn’t say why. He felt he’d lived a wonderfully full and exciting life, and had no regrets.

After all, he also knows he’ll live on with his onscreen legacy. 

He stated that his greatest contribution was the joy he brought to children through entertainment and music. He wasn’t concerned about being remembered personally, but rather that his songs would live on. As long as children continue to happily sing classics like ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ and ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee,’ he believes a part of him will remain alive.

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2025-11-25 19:55