Getty Dick Van Dyke, 30th May 1967.
Legendary actor Dick Van Dyke is an honoree at the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors. He is known by many for his work on Mary Poppins, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Diagnosis Murder and Bye, Bye Birdie. As CBS noted, he is an “Emmy Award, Grammy Award and Tony Award-winning actor, comedian, writer, singer and dancer.”
The 95-year old actor has a career spanning more than six decades. According to his IMDb profile, his first role was in 1960 on The Fabulous Fifties and The Ed Sullivan Show.
Born on December 13, 1925, the bestselling author revealed he is shrinking. CelebHeights.com reported Van Dyke said in 2015, “I used to be six-foot-two, and now I am five-foot-eleven. Where did those three inches go? Medically, I’ve been told that vertebrae compact, the skeleton compresses, and you shrink. But I still think of those inches like socks that disappear in the dryer – a mystery. Is that what it means to grow old? You shrink a few inches every few years until you disappear?”
Still, the comedian continues to thrill, with recent appearances in Mary Poppins Returns, Buttons, A New Musical Film, Kidding and the upcoming Capture the Flag.
Derek Hough, Aaron Tveit and Laura Osnes Are Honoring Van Dyke
During tonight’s broadcast on CBS, Van Dyke will be celebrated by stars of stage, film and television. Before the show, the honorees are unaware of who has been selected to present and perform.
Among them are presenters Bryan Cranston, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chita Rivera, Steve Martin and even Mary Poppins herself, Julie Andrews.
Derek Hough, Laura Osnes, Aaron Tveit and Pentatonix are performing “Step in Time,” from the hit Disney film Mary Poppins. Hough and Osnes are also teaming up for “Put on a Happy Face,” with the latter also singing, “Jolly Holiday.” Tveit and Pentatonix will be collaborating on “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”
Van Dyke Is Joined by Garth Brooks, Debbie Allen, Midori and Joan Baez
Every year the Kennedy Center Honors selects artists across disciplines to celebrate. This year Van Dyke is joined by Joan Baez, Midori, Debbie Allen and Garth Brooks.
“The Kennedy Center Honors serves as a moment to celebrate the remarkable artists who have spent their lives elevating the cultural history of our nation and world,” Kennedy Center Chairman, David M. Rubenstein, said in the event’s announcement. “Debbie Allen moves seamlessly between artistic disciplines and is a cultural ambassador for all while having a monumental impact on dancers of color everywhere; folk icon Joan Baez breathed new life into the genre and powered rock music’s turn toward social and political consciousness; as one of the world’s best-selling music artists, Garth Brooks heightened country music’s profile like no other singer before him; with an international presence for over 35 years, violinist Midori combines graceful precision and expression for performances building connections between art and the human experience; with a charm that has made him one of the most cherished performers in show business history, Dick Van Dyke has brought us beloved film, stage, and TV characters adored by generations of fans, for more than seven decades.”
While the special was originally set for December 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed filming to May 2021. Instead of taking place solely in the Opera House stage at the Kennedy Center, it will take place across the theater’s campus with “with small, in-person events and re-envisioned virtual tributes.”
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