Arlene Silver and Dick Van Dyke; Dick Van Dyke in ‘Mary Poppins’.Photo:CBS via Getty; Getty
CBS via Getty; Getty
“She didn’t know who I was,” Van Dyke said of his first encounter with Silver backstage at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2006.
“No, that’s not true,” Silver, 53, corrected. “Of course I know who he is. He’s Dick Van Dyke!”
Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver in 2012.Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images
Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images
In fact, Silver explained, one of the very first things she ever said to her future husband was that she “had never seen anything he was in.”
“She’d never seenMary Poppins,” Van Dyke added.
Van Dyke, of course, starred as chimney sweep Bert oppositeJulie Andrewsas the title character in the film, earning a 1964 Golden Globe nomination for his performance and, along with the rest of the cast, a 1965 Grammy Award for the soundtrack.
Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews in 1964’s ‘Mary Poppins’.Donaldson Collection/Getty
Donaldson Collection/Getty
The actor already had a 1961 Tony Award for his performance inBye Bye Birdieon Broadway, and went on to win multiple Emmys for his sitcomThe Dick Van Dyke Showbetween 1964 and 1966.
“In a way, it was kind of good for me, because she wasn’t over impressed or anything,” Van Dyke said of meeting Silver. “I was just a guy, you know?”
“Doesn’t sound like she was very impressed at all,” Steenburgen joked.
“I was a hard sell,” Van Dyke quipped.
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Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver at the 2018 premiere of ‘Mary Poppins Returns’.Rich Fury/Getty Images
Rich Fury/Getty Images
Van Dyke, who was previouslymarried to Margie Willettfrom 1948 to 1984, explained that he was “totally in love” the moment he saw Silver, who is 46 years his junior. The couple married in 2012.
In July 2024, the coupleopened up about their 46-year age gap, with Silver admitting in an interview withEntertainment Tonightthat it “scared” her at first.
“But it’s so irrelevant. I think when you see us together, it’s like you don’t even think about it,” she said. “We don’t think about it, we just meet in the middle.”
“I was fortunate that I didn’t grow up,” Van Dyke chimed in. “It was meant to be.”
source: people.com
