Most people today will never even reach age 98, much less see themselves win an award for work they did at that age. But Dick Van Dyke has done both, making history as the oldest Daytime Emmy winner for his role on an episode of “Days of Our Lives” at 18 months shy of 100. He took home the 2024 award for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Drama Series for playing Timothy Robicheaux, an amnesiac “mystery man” on the long-running soap opera.
As impressive as that achievement is, it’s Van Dyke’s jaunt down the red carpet at the awards show that has people cheering.
He didn’t just walk the carpet. He practically danced down it.
His hair and beard may be snowy white and he may use a cane to help him get around, but there’s no mistaking the signature pep in his step. As the “Put the Telly On” X account shared, “Dick Van Dyke, 98, is going to live until he’s 180. This is his world and we’re just living in it.”
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Van Dyke is no stranger to awards for his television work, having won four Primetime Emmys for “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and the “Van Dyke and Company” variety show. This is his second Daytime Emmy win—he won his last one 40 years ago.
“I don’t believe this. I feel like a spy from nighttime television,” he said. “I’m 98 years old. Can you believe it? This really tops off a lifetime of 80 years in the business. If I had known I would have lived this long I would’ve taken better care of myself.”
Most people would agree that he seems to have taken quite good care of himself considering how vital he still is at age 98. He has credited his wife, Arlene, his positive attitude and his habits of movement for his aging so well.
And he’s still not done. He told Entertainment Tonight that he’s still on a mission to win an Oscar so he can claim the coveted EGOT status, winning an Emmy, a Grammy, and Oscar and Tony award. But even if he doesn’t get there, three out of the four most prestigious awards is an incredible feat for one career.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSat5_1-BY#:~:text=At%20the%20age%20of%2098,can%20officially%20have%20EGOT%20status. expand=1 site_id=19596302]Dick Van Dyke chats with ET’s Deidre Behar after winning Outstanding Guest on a Daytime Drama Series for ‘Days of Our Lives’ at the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards….