EXCLUSIVE: Dick Van Dyke at 100 — Hollywood Icon Opens Up About Letting Go of Regret and Overcoming Killer Booze and Smoking Addictions
Dick Van Dyke has opened up about letting go of regret and overcoming past addictions.
Dec. 13 2025, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
Dick Van Dyke has reflected on a century-long life shaped by hard-won sobriety and a willingness to release old regrets – telling fans letting go of booze, cigarettes, and lingering what-ifs has kept him grateful rather than bitter as he approaches his 100th birthday, with sources telling RadarOnline.com he is heading towards the milestone with renewed humor and a sense of lightness about his final days.
The Hollywood icon, turns 100 on 13 December, spoke at his Vandy High Tea fundraiser in Malibu, held to support The Van Dyke Endowment of the Arts and the Dick Van Dyke Museum, where he recounted the personal battles and career choices that defined him – from conquering addiction in his 50s to declining roles he felt betrayed his instincts.
Letting Go of Career Regrets
Dick Van Dyke reflected on a life shaped by sobriety and gratitude.
Discussing the films he refused, Van Dyke said: "I could have done The Omen that Gregory Peck did. I didn't want to do that kind of movie. It just didn't fit my taste somehow."
His refusal, he explained, was one of several pivotal decisions for good reason.
Van Dyke also recalled turning down a film with Cary Grant, a choice he now views as a rare misstep.
The actor said: "One thing I regret: (declining a movie with) Cary Grant… he was the best looking guy in the world."
He remembered their friendship while admitting he wonders why he ever said no.
The Career-Saving Instinct
Van Dyke recalled turning down roles that didn’t fit his values.
Career turns were not his only frustrations.
Van Dyke told attendees he "never forgave" an agent who declined a proposed film with Sophia Loren on his behalf without consulting him.
The missed opportunity, he joked, remained a sore point decades later, emblematic of how easily chance encounters in Hollywood could be lost to him personally.
He credited Chita Rivera for transforming his early stage career, recalling how her generosity during Bye Bye Birdie led writers to hand him the song "Put On a Happy Face."
Van Dyke said Rivera's instinct "saved my life," marking the moment that launched The Dick Van Dyke Show and placing him on trajectory shaping him.
Conquering Addictions
Van Dyke credited sobriety for helping him reach 100 with clarity.
Beyond career reflections, Van Dyke credited sobriety for his longevity.
He admitted: "I smoked a lot, actually! I think I was probably in my 50s before it dawned on me that I had an addictive personality."
He told guests abandoning cigarettes and alcohol was a decisive move, saying: "So I got rid of booze and cigarettes."
Van Dyke previously entered rehab in 1973 to confront alcoholism, later admitting quitting nicotine was "twice as hard."
The actor, who married Arlene Silver, 54, in 2012, has said smoking took "forever" to give up and was "much worse than the alcohol" to ditch, underscoring the depth of his earlier struggles.
Commitment to Optimism
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
He approached his 100th birthday grounded in purpose and optimism.
He also acknowledged the emotional toll of reaching 99, saying he feels lonely after outliving nearly all his closest friends.
Van Dyke said invitations to events increasingly require travel he cannot manage, adding most socializing now happens in his home, leaving him "frustrated" by the physical limitations of age he faces daily.
Even so, Van Dyke insisted he remains committed to optimism.
He said: "We all have the capacity for a joyful life," explaining that refusing to succumb to bitterness, loss or pain has kept him buoyant.
Romance, purposeful work and laughter, he said, continue to anchor him as he prepares to celebrate his 100th birthday.
