Dick Van Dyke Loves Being A Father To His Four Adult Kids

Dick Van Dyke has been active in Hollywood for the past six decades. He has starred in many movies and TV shows such as his own show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Diagnosis: Murder. The actor has won five Emmy Awards, one Tony Award, and a Grammy Award.

Despite his achievements, he has never hesitated to put fatherhood at the top of his list. He has always made it a public opinion that his four kids, Christian Van Dyke, Barry Van Dyke, Carrie Beth Van Dyke, and Stacy Van Dyke, are his topmost priority.

Dick Van Dyke’s journey into fatherhood

Dick became a father shortly after his marriage ceremony to his first wife, Margie Willett, in 1948. The couple welcomed their eldest son, Christian, followed by their son Barry. They later became the dad and mom of their daughters, Carrie Beth and Stacy.

RELATED: Dick Van Dyke’s Four Children Are Actors, Too — And So Are His Grandkids!

Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, Dick pursued his career as a Hollywood star while raising his kids alongside Margie. However, once their children were all grown up and off on their own, the  actor and his wife separated after 36 years in 1984.

The 97-year-old found love again and walked down the aisle for the second time with Arlene Silver in 2012. Reflecting back on the day he fell in love with the make-up artist in a 2020 interview with Closer Weekly, Dick appreciated his spouse for giving him a fresh start in life. “She’s just delightful, a great cook, and a woman of great patience,” he explained. “I’m tickled to death with it.”

Dick Van Dyke spends time with his children

Following his divorce, Dick focused on being a good dad to his kids and also being the best husband to his wife while still juggling his job as an actor.  The happy father sometimes brings his children to work. This seems to have influenced their career path as most of them have also starred alongside their father on the small screen.

Christian was with his famous dad on The Dick Van Dyke Show once, while Barry and Stacy acted in Diagnosis: Murder. It is not surprising that his children are all very talented and have made quite successful careers for themselves.

Meet Dick Van Dyke’s four children:

Christian Van Dyke

Christian is Dick’s eldest son. Initially, he wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps, branching into acting following a gig on The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961. However, he decided to follow a different path years later.

He became a district attorney following his brief stint in Hollywood and has also worked as the marketing director for Nike USA. He has a net worth of nearly $1 million. Christian tied the knot with Caroline A. Heller, with whom he welcomed a child, their daughter, Jessica, who died in 1987 after battling with a rare disease.

Barry Van Dyke

Dick’s second son, Barry, was born on July 31, 1951. Following in his father’s footsteps, the 71-year-old has starred in a number of hit TV shows and films, including Murder 101, Airwolf, Galactica, and A Twist of the Knife.

He got married to his wife, Mary Carey Van Dyke in 1974 and they have four kids: Taryn Van Dyke, Shane Van Dyke, Carey Van Dyke, and Wes Van Dyke.

Carrie Beth Van Dyke

Carrie Beth is the third child born to Dick and his ex-wife, Margie. As her older siblings did, Carrie Beth also tried her hand at acting, making her debut in The New Dick Van Dyke Show in 1971. Although it’s unclear if she still performs, Carrie Beth’s work as an actress has earned her an estimated $100,000.

She is married to her husband, Kevin McNally. The pair exchanged vows in 1983 and have two children together.

Stacy Van Dyke

Stacy is the youngest child of Dick Van Dyke. Also taking after her dad, she made her on-screen debut in The New Dick Van Dyke Show In 1971.

The role landed her an appearance on The Mike Douglas Show later in 1979. Stacy stays out of the spotlight for the most part like her sister.