Dick Van Dyke, 98, Says He Is Still Looking For Work

Are you 70 and retired? Well, that’s on you. Dick Van Dyke is 98 and still looking for work. The star has been in the spotlight for 75 years and retirement is not a word in his dictionary.

Dick Van Dyke Says “Making People Laugh” Is His Biggest Achievement

Forget the shiny awards and the accolades that come with it, Van Dyke is happy just making other people happy.

On Saturday, Sept. 7, the ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ star won an award for outstanding variety special at the 2024 Creative Arts Emmy Awards for his 2023 birthday special, ‘Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic.’

Van Dyke gladly received the award amid the joyous cheers from the crowd. “Thank you! That reception, I cannot tell you what it means,” he said.

He then took the time to praise his wife, Arlene Silver, who worked as a producer on the special and joined him onstage as he received the award. “The young lady who got this award, you may think of the word nepotism and I would understand it, but this lady got the job all by herself as producer of the Dick Van Dyke special because she knows me inside and out, and knows how I work, and don’t take no sass from anybody,” Van Dyke said of his partner.

Later on, he was taken to a press room for an interview, and when he was asked by a reporter what he would like to be most remembered by, he replied, “For laughter. I hope for making people laugh for 75 years.”

Speaking on his long-running and successful career, he added, “I’ve been in the business 75 years. I can’t believe that I’m still here and performing.”

After pausing for a brief moment to observe the people in the press room with him, he said with a laugh, “I’m looking for work if anybody has.”

Dick Van Dyke – Shares Advice He’ll Give To Young Performers

For all the people who are struggling to and hopeful about making it big in the entertainment industry, Van Dyke wants you to be “confident,” and in a way, even long-suffering.

He advised, “You have to stick with it. You’re gonna go through hard times and a lot of auditions … but you have to stay with it. Be patient if you’ve got the confidence in yourself, and it’s very important to believe that you can do it.”

Van Dyke’s latest Creative Arts Emmy win puts him in the same league as the late Norman Lear, who also won at age 98 in 2020.

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