Hollywood Icon Dick Van Dyke Reveals the Two Vices he Quit in Order to Reach 100 — 'It's Why I'm Still Here'
Dick Van Dyke claims giving up two of his favorites vices is a big reason why he's on the verge of hitting 100.
Dec. 8 2025, Published 1:25 p.m. ET
Dick Van Dyke claims giving up two addictive vices is a major reason why he's on the verge of hitting 100, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The veteran actor, who turns 100 on December 13, kicked alcohol and cigarettes decades ago, after being a big consumer of both during his younger days.
Alcohol And Cigarettes Had To Go
Van Dyke used to be a heavy drinker and liked smoking during his younger days.
Speaking at a special event at his Malibu home, the Hollywood legend recalled meeting Walt Disney in the early Sixties and how he's "probably the last person alive" to work with the pioneering animator.
"He was a wonderful guy. He just smoked too much! Doggone," Van Dyke said.
His son Barry, 74, proudly noted his father never smoked to that level, but Van Dyke quickly corrected him, saying, "I smoked a lot, actually!"
The acting legend didn't recognize his "addictive personality" until he was well into middle age.
Van Dyke explained: "If I liked something, I was going to overdo it," he admitted, before explaining how that ultimately led to a life-changing wake-up call.
"So I got rid of booze and cigarettes and all that stuff, which is probably why I'm still here."
Stint In Rehab For Booze Addiction
Van Dyke, here with wife Arlene Silver, went to rehab in the Seventies to treat alcoholism.
In 1972, the movie star checked himself into a hospital to treat alcoholism.
And while quitting drinking was brutal, he says cigarettes were "twice as hard" to give up.
"It was much worse than the alcohol," Van Dyke said in a 2023 interview, admitting it took "forever" to finally stop.
Van Dyke credits his long life not only to quitting his vices but to refusing to harbor resentment.
"I've always thought that anger is one thing that eats up a person's insides, and hate," he explained. "And I never really was able to work up a feeling of hate. I think that is one of the chief things that kept me going."
He said his father, "constantly upset by the state of things," died at just 73, reinforcing his belief that bitterness is deadly.
'I'm Not Scared Of Death'
The Hollywood icon says he's not afraid of death as he talks hitting 100.
As he nears the milestone birthday, Van Dyke previously explained he's aware the "end" is close, but he's not afraid of it.
"When you expire, you expire. I don't have any fear of dearth for some reason… I've had such a wonderfully full and exciting life. That I can't complain," he said last month. "I feel really good for 100… I never wake up in a bad mood."
He also joked that if he knew he'd live this long that he "would've taken better care of" himself.
The screen legend also insisted the best decision he ever made was marrying makeup artist Arlene Silver, 54, in 2012.
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Van Dyke credits makeup artist Silver for helping to keep him young.
"She's responsible for keeping me in the moment," he gushed. "She kept me happy every day of my life… I'm just lucky."
Earlier this year, he noted their 46-year age difference doesn't faze them and that they "get along so well."
Approaching the near-century mark, however, he said, comes with heartbreak.
"I've lost a lot of friends," he said, recalling plans to remake The Odd Couple with Ed Asner before his friend's death. "That would've been such fun," he said.
His wife jumped in with a bittersweet truth: "He's outlived everybody. That's the curse of living to almost 100."
