Dick Van Dyke admittedly “neglected” his wife and their children for his career.
The 99-year-old entertainer — who has worked in film, TV, radio and live theater — reflected on his success and the impact it had on his personal life in a new interview ahead of his 100th birthday.
“[My family] probably got neglected at some point because I was really working hard to get out of poverty, so to speak,” Van Dyke told People.
However, he made sure to note he hasn’t received “any complaints from anybody.”
The actor, comedian and talk show host recalled the difficulties of balancing the demands of his various jobs with being a husband and father early in his professional life.
“In the beginning, I was [raising] a family with no money, so the whole thing was getting some money together and getting a home,” the “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” star explained.
“I bought a home on the GI Bill, finally, but I think the toughest was I did game shows. I played nightclubs. I did about everything. At one point, I was doing a disc jockey show at 5 in the morning, and then at night I was working with a partner in nightclubs.”
At the time, Van Dyke “was getting, like, three or four hours [of] sleep in between” the gigs, but he was laser-focused on “working so hard to get going, to get a foothold.”
Once he did, he “enjoyed every minute of it.”
The media personality shared his four kids — sons Christian Van Dyke, 75, and Barry Van Dyke, 74, as well as daughters Stacy Van Dyke, 70, and Carrie Van Dyke, 64 — with his late ex-wife, Margie Willett.
He married his current wife, 54-year-old Arlene Silver, in February 2012.
The “Dick Van Dyke Show” star will turn 100 on Dec. 13. His new book, “100 Rules for Living to 100,” is available now wherever books are sold.
