Dick Van Dyke celebrates 100 years with humor
Dick Van Dyke turns 100 this December with a new book, a theater tribute and his signature humor.
The name is Bond – Dick Van Bond?
Emmy-winning actor Dick Van Dyke got nostalgic on his illustrious career during an interview on the “Today” show aired Tuesday, Nov. 18.
“I’m speaking from an advantageous position. I got to do for a living what I would have done for nothing,” Van Dyke, 99, told host Al Roker. “If I had been sitting at a desk somewhere in a cubicle, I might not be so happy.”
But Van Dyke, known for his career-defining roles in the musicals “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and his eponymous “Dick Van Dyke Show,” also reminisced on what could have been.
The actor revealed he was approached for the role of suave action-hero James Bond following Sean Connery’s departure from the franchise. Connery, who died in 2020, originated the Ian Fleming-penned character on screen in 1962’s “Dr. No.”
“They said, ‘Would you like to be Bond?’ And I said, ‘Have you heard my British accent?'” Van Dyke recalled, adding that he was skeptical that viewers would have “accepted” the change in genre from him.
After five films, Connery was succeeded by George Lazenby in 1969’s “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” Looking back, Van Dyke said playing Bond would have been “a great experience.”
Dick Van Dyke also turned down Cary Grant movie
007 wasn’t the only role Van Dyke has Hollywood regrets about.
During his “Today” show interview, the actor shared that he also turned down doing a movie with Oscar-nominated actor Cary Grant.
Van Dyke said Grant, whom he reportedly met during a Broadway stint on the show “Bye Bye Birdie,” proposed the idea while hanging out in Van Dyke’s dressing room one day. The actor didn’t detail his reasoning for passing on Grant’s offer.
“I regret that every day of my life,” Van Dyke said. “I turned Cary Grant down. I don’t believe it.”
Dick Van Dyke reveals his surprising dream role
Even as Van Dyke nears his centenarian years, he still has a bucket list for his creative life.
“I always wanted to play Scrooge,” said Van Dyke on the “Today” show, referring to holiday icon Ebenezer Scrooge from the Charles Dickens novel “A Christmas Carol.”
Scrooge, known for his cold demeanor and hatred of Christmas, has been portrayed on TV and film by actors such as Seymour Hicks, Jim Carrey, Christopher Plummer, Kelsey Grammer and Will Ferrell.
“I could do it,” Van Dyke said, laughing. “It’s just November. I’ve still got time.”