EXCLUSIVE: Dick Van Dyke at 100 — Beloved Actor is Now 'Blind, Deaf, Housebound, Friendless, Stooped, Crippled and Bemused by Cruelty of the World' as He Edges Towards Milestone Birthday
Dick Van Dyke has spoken more candidly than ever about the steep physical decline he is suffering as he approaches his 100th birthday.
Nov. 14 2025, Published 8:55 p.m. ET
RadarOnline.com can reveal Dick Van Dyke has spoken more candidly than ever about the steep physical decline he is suffering as he approaches his 100th birthday, describing himself as "a stooper, a shuffler and a teeterer" – and revealing severe sight and mobility problems that he says now shape every part of his daily life.
The Hollywood icon – celebrated for his roles in Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Dick Van Dyke Show – is set to turn 100 on December 13.
Age Catches Up to the Hollywood Icon
Dick Van Dyke reflected on his physical decline as he neared his 100th birthday.
In a reflective first-person essay, he looked back on the elderly characters he once played for laughs and said age has now caught up with him in ways he never expected.
Van Dyke said he had drawn inspiration for those roles by watching his own older relatives, writing: "Growing up, I hung around a lot with my grandparents and great-grandparents, and I did a lot of stealth observing. I watched their stoops get stoopier over time, heard their voices get cracklier and thinner."
Today, he said, those physical traits are no longer an act. Van Dyke poignantly said: "Like my old characters, I am now a stooper, a shuffler and a teeterer. I have feet problems and I go supine as often as is politely possible."
Declining Sight, Hearing, and Mobility Issues
He described himself as a stooper, a shuffler and a teeterer.
He added declining eyesight has left him unable to continue hobbies he once loved. "My sight is so bad now that origami is out of the question," he said.
Hearing loss has also become a daily frustration. "I have trouble following group conversations and complain frequently about my hearing aids," he said.
The actor admitted simple tasks have also become difficult. "At mealtime I spill stuff," he said, adding his wife, Arlene Van Dyke, 54, often asks him to change before going out.
"It's got blueberry all over it," she tells him, to which he replies: "Polka dots are in again!"
Lonely and Bemused by World's 'Cruelty'
He said travel became too difficult and kept him mostly housebound.
Van Dyke said the emotional challenges of very old age have been just as profound. "Every single one of my dearest lifelong friends is gone, which feels just as lonely as it sounds," he said.
Socially, he said, he is now largely housebound, noting that invitations for work or appearances often have to be turned down. "That kind of travel takes so much out of me that I have to say no," he said.
The screen icon acknowledged moments of anger and despair brought on by global events as well as two recent California wildfires that reached the edge of his home.
"Daily, I spiral into anguish over the mayhem and cruelty being inflicted on the entire world by those in power," he said. "So yes, I suppose at certain times of day I am the grumpy old man who yells at the TV."
Gym, Singing and Wife Arlene Remain Essential
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He shared that he still sang and danced at home with his wife Arlene.
And yet, despite the frailty he describes, Van Dyke insisted that a sense of play remains essential to how he navigates aging, saying he still likes to think of the world "like a giant playground."
He wrote he continues to sing, joke and dance around the house with Arlene, who he calls his source of strength. "Every day she finds a new way to keep me up and moving, bright and hopeful and needed," he said.
Van Dyke said he still pushes himself to stay active.
"I still try to hit the gym three times a week," he said, and mentioned he even sings while moving between machines.
"By 'going' I mean dancing. You heard me, dancing," he added.
Asked what keeps him looking forward, he offered a simple checklist approach, saying everyone should ask themselves if they want to stay optimistic and alive: "What are you going to do today? What do you want tomorrow, next month, next year to look like?"
