Dick Van Dyke Makes Bold Declaration About Retiring at Nearly 100
What To Know
- Dick Van Dyke, approaching his 100th birthday, declared he has no plans to retire.
- He emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive attitude in life, which he hopes readers take away from his new book, 100 Rules for Living to 100.
- Van Dyke reflected on his fulfilling seven-decade career and joked about his age.
Dick Van Dyke made a bold declaration about retiring less than a month before his 100th birthday.
During an interview with Today that aired on Tuesday, November 18, the Mary Poppins star — who turns 100 on December 13 — opened up about his legacy and concept of retirement while promoting his new book, 100 Rules for Living to 100.
“I don’t want to,” the former Dick Van Dyke Show host told Today‘s Al Roker, of retiring from acting. “I mean, it’s my hobby. It’s my life. I love it.”
Van Dyke then proclaimed, “I’m looking for work right now.”
During his sit-down with Roker, Van Dyke also said he hoped the main takeaway from his book was “their attitude toward life.” He explained, “Take the right attitude and not the wrong one, to look for the best of everything, look what’s positive, the people that are positive.”
“I’m speaking from an advantageous position,” the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star admitted. “I got to do for a living what I would have done for nothing. If I had been sitting at a desk somewhere in a cubicle, I might not be so happy.”
During his iconic seven-decade career, Van Dyke has won six Emmy Awards, one Grammy Award, and one Tony Award, among many other accolades. And he’s not done yet.
“I always wanted to play Scrooge,” he told Roker. “I could do it. It’s just November. I’ve still got time.”
In October, Van Dyke and his wife, Arlene, attended the Vandy High Tea event in Malibu, California, during which he joked about his upcoming milestone birthday.
“That’s right. I’m not officially a hundred until December,” he said, per People. “Two months. Two months,” he added, joking, “It’d be funny if I didn’t make it.”
Van Dyke’s 100 Rules for Living to 100 was officially released on November 18.