Dick Van Dyke is almost 100, but he certainly doesn\u2019t seem it.<\/p>\n
Steve Boettcher, the director behind the upcoming documentary \u201cDick Van Dyke: 100th Celebration,\u201d has revealed that the \u201cMary Poppins\u201d star\u2019s wife, Arlene Silver, is the \u201ckey force\u201d keeping him \u201cso vibrant\u201d at 99 years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they just want to play. And I think you saw that probably too when you were at Vandy Camp,\u201d Boettcher told People<\/a> on Monday. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s reflected in the relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n Dick Van Dyke attends the 43rd annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2021. Getty Images<\/p>\n Arlene Silver and Van Dyke during the CBS original special \u201cDick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic\u201d in 2023. CBS via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cAnd honestly, I think she\u2019s been a key force in keeping him so vibrant and alive today,\u201d he added of the couple\u2019s \u201cmagical\u201d relationship. \u201cI really feel that that love affair is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Dyke is set to turn 100<\/a> on Dec. 13. <\/p>\n In preparation for the \u201cChitty Chitty Bang Bang\u201d star\u2019s milestone birthday, Boettcher began interviewing the comedian and those closest to him 30 years ago for the upcoming \u201c100th Celebration\u201d documentary.<\/p>\n Director Steve Boettcher is releasing a new documentary, \u201cDick Van Dyke: 100 Celebration,\u201d on the \u201cMary Poppins\u201d star\u2019s 100th birthday on Dec. 13, 2025. AP<\/p>\n The director explained that the goal of the project was to \u201cinterview the people that worked with [Van Dyke] and not people that remember watching him all the time.\u201d <\/p>\n Although Boettcher began with the intention to only interview former cast members from\u00a0\u201cThe Dick Van Dyke Show,\u201d he admitted the project quickly began \u201cgaining its own momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an 80-year career in the making, and I think it\u2019s easy to look at a few shows and say, \u2018Wow, those are great,’\u201d he explained to People. \u201cBut collectively, what does that all mean? Why is he so extraordinary today? Why do we love him so much?\u201d<\/p>\n Van Dyke attends the 76th Creative Arts Emmys Winner\u2019s Walk at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 7, 2024. Getty Images<\/p>\n Van Dyke and his wife, Arlene Silver, at the 51st annual Daytime Emmys Awards in Los Angeles, California, on June 7, 2024. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s some really touching, sweet, fun moments in it,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd I think we also, we laugh again with him. We kind of hum along to the songs he sings. I think it\u2019s all those things. It\u2019s really a celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Dyke and Silver, 54, first met at the SAG Awards in 2006. They went on to tie the knot in 2012, just a few years after the death of the actor\u2019s longtime partner, Michelle Triola, in 2009.<\/p>\n The \u201cNight at the Museum\u201d star and Silver\u00a0discussed their 46-year age gap<\/a>\u00a0earlier this year.<\/p>\n Van Dyke and Silver at the premiere of \u201cMary Poppins Returns\u201d in Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 29, 2018. Penske Media via Getty Images<\/p>\n Van Dyke and his wife attend Carol Burnett\u2019s Hand and Footprint in the Cement Ceremony in Hollywood, California, June 20, 2024. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cWe get along so well,\u201d Van Dyke said back in April. \u201cEverybody said it wouldn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe just care about each other so much,\u201d his wife quickly added at the time. \u201cI mean it\u2019s like eerie how well it works. People the same age don\u2019t last.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the \u201cBye Bye Birdie\u201d star sparked health concerns<\/a> a few months later when he dropped out of Vandy Camp \u2013 the live fundraising and fan event<\/a> he and Silver host in Malibu every month \u2013 at the last-minute.<\/p>\n Van Dyke during a sketch for his \u201cVan Dyke and Company\u201d variety show in 1976. NBCUniversal via Getty Images<\/p>\n Van Dyke and Silver at the premiere of \u201cIf You\u2019re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast\u201d in Beverly Hills, California, on May 17, 2017. FilmMagic<\/p>\n \u201cI have to inform you that Dick is not up to coming to celebrate with us today,\u201d Silver told the audience in June. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re 99 and a half years old, you have good days and bad days,\u201d she added, \u201cand unfortunately, today is not a good day for him, and he\u2019s sick that he can\u2019t be here.\u201d<\/p>\n