There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. At a private tribute in Studio City celebrating his legendary career and approaching 100th birthday, Dick Van Dyke gave friends and family a moment they never expected. As clips from Mary Poppins and The Dick Van Dyke Show played across the screen, the beloved star rose from his chair with that unmistakable grin that has charmed audiences for generations. And then, as the band began a soft jazz standard from his Broadway days, his son Barry Van Dyke stepped beside him. What followed was a tender father-son dance that stopped time.
The moment was more than nostalgia — it was a reminder of a bond that has lasted nearly a lifetime. Born in 1951, Barry grew up with a father who was not only a Hollywood icon, but also the kind of dad who brought his boundless energy and childlike spirit home from the set. “He was a terrific father,” Barry once said. “He gave me great things: how to make the right choices, how to be your own person. Those things meant enough to me that I am gladly and proudly passing them on to my children.”
While he had every chance to simply live in his father’s shadow, Barry carved out his own place in Hollywood. Guest-starring on iconic shows like Wonder Woman, The A-Team, and Mork & Mindy, he built a résumé of his own. But it was when he joined his dad on the long-running hit Diagnosis Murder that audiences really got to see the natural chemistry between the two. Playing detective Steve Sloan to Dick’s Dr. Mark Sloan, Barry shared the screen with his father for nearly a decade — a run of 178 episodes and five TV movies.
The collaboration wasn’t just professional; it was deeply personal. “The opportunity to work with Barry was one of my main reasons for doing it,” Dick admitted. Barry echoed the sentiment: “Dad pretty much plays himself. All that warmth and humanity really comes across. So their relationship on the show was pretty much ours.” Their partnership made the show feel like family, both on screen and off.
Barry’s own family grew alongside his career. Married to his high school sweetheart Mary Carey, the two raised four children together — Carey, Shane, Wes, and Taryn. Today, Barry is not only an actor but also a proud grandfather, following in his father’s footsteps of keeping family at the center of his world. “They all turned out great,” Dick once said of his kids. “Not a horse thief in the bunch.”
Even now, Barry continues to act, recently appearing in films like The Untold Story and Heavenly Deposit. But as the tribute audience saw, he’s still taking cues from his father. At 98, Dick Van Dyke is proof that joy, laughter, and music can carry you across generations. And with Barry by his side, the family legacy is still dancing forward.
As the father and son swayed to the music that night, applause filled the room, mingled with tears and laughter. It wasn’t just a dance. It was a living snapshot of Hollywood history — and a reminder that beyond the roles and accolades, the greatest legacy Dick Van Dyke has given is family
