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The Dick Van Dyke Show left its imprint on television sitcom history.
The hit series, which aired from October 1961 to June 1966, brought viewers into the world of television comedy writer Rob Petrie, played by Dick Van Dyke, as he navigated life at work and life at home.
The series won 15 Emmy Awards during its successful run. While its premise was simple, it marked many firsts for sitcom television. It was the first time a character’s home life and work life both got screentime, rather than a focus on one or the other.
The jokes were impeccably written and smarter than much of the comedy of the time. Seasoned writers contributed to a realistic dynamic that included female writers both on screen and off. The relationships between characters were lively and showed positivity in both friendships and marriage without feeling unrealistic.
Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Larry Mathews, Richard Deacon, Ann Morgan Guilbert and Jerry Paris all had significant roles in the comedy success. To this day, it’s lauded as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.
Here’s what happened to the cast of The Dick Van Dyke Show after its 1966 conclusion.
Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie
After The Dick Van Dyke Show wrapped up, Dick Van Dyke continued to be a mainstay in television and film. He appeared in films such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins, Divorce American Style and more.
On television, he tried his hand with The New Dick Van Dyke Show from 1971 to 1974 before moving on to a number of guest spots on shows like The Golden Girls, Matlock and Dick Tracy.
In the ’80s, Van Dyke hit Broadway in the revival of Music Man. He also did a number of TV movies leading to his role in Diagnosis: Murder, which ran from 1993 to 2001 and costarred son Barry Van Dyke.
Van Dyke has continued to charm audiences across TV and film, from the Night at the Museum films to Hallmark’s Murder 101 films. More recently Van Dyke has appeared in Wandavision, competed on The Masked Singer and did a guest gig on Days of Our Lives. Now 99, he has been married to wife Arlene Silver since 2012 and has four grown children with his late ex-wife.
Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie
Mary Tyler Moore’s performance on The Dick Van Dyke Show paved the way, not just for TV wives but for Moore herself. She followed up her time on the show with her own eponymous program, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, on which she played Mary Richards from 1970 to 1977.
She was also hard at work behind the scenes, creating shows such as Rhoda, The Bob Newhart Show, Lou Grant and Hill Street Blues through her company, MTM Enterprises.
Moore followed up TV with an Oscar-nominated performance in 1980’s Ordinary People and a Tony Award-winning performance in the Brian Clark drama Whose Life Is It Anyway?
The actress continued to appear on TV throughout the ’90s and ’00s, including guest appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, That ’70s Show, Hot in Cleveland and more.
In her life off-screen, Moore struggled with complications from living with type 1 diabetes. She also was a passionate advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In January 2017, Moore died at the age of 80 from complications related to pneumonia.
Rose Marie as Sally Rogers
After five seasons as Sally Rogers, Rose Marie moved on to The Doris Day Show, where she portrayed Myrna Gibbons from 1969 to 1971. She also had a recurring role on S.W.A.T.
Marie also was active in the theater, co-starring with Rosemary Clooney in 4 Girls 4. She reunited with Dick Van Dyke costar Morey Amsterdam in October 1993 for an episode of Herman’s Head and again in February 1996 for an episode of Caroline in the City.
Later in life, Marie became active on social media, sharing memories from her career and sharing support during the #MeToo movement.
Marie died in December 2017 at 94.
Morey Amsterdam as Buddy Sorrell
After playing Rob Petrie’s coworker, Buddy Sorrell, Morey Amsterdam worked on the writing team for Your Show of Shows.
He appeared on an episode of The Partridge Family and sometimes appeared on the panel of Match Game and later, Hollywood Squares.
Amsterdam died in October 1996, just months after his appearance on Caroline in the City. The writer/actor died of a heart attack at age 87.
Larry Mathews as Ritchie Petrie
Larry Mathews portrayed Rob and Laura’s son, Ritchie, on the show. He was cast at just 4 years old, but he didn’t stay in the industry.
After The Dick Van Dyke show wrapped, Mathews didn’t appear on screen again until a 1993 TV movie, Chairman’s Choice, which co-starred Van Dyke. He also appeared alongside his remaining costars when The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited aired in 2004.
Since then, Mathews has appeared in A Day in the Life of Plain Jen, a 2011 short, and an episode of TV Therapy in 2021. Mathews reportedly continues to work in post-production and voiceover work.
Richard Deacon as Mel Cooley
Richard Deacon played Mel Cooley, producer of the fictional Alan Brady Show. After The Dick Van Dyke show was through, he’d go on to appear in The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Danny Thomas Show, The Beverly Hillbillies and The Pruitts of Southampton.
Deacon lived to be 62, dying of cardiovascular disease in August 1984.
Ann Morgan Guilbert as Millie Helper
Ann Morgan Guilbert played countless roles on television. After playing the quirky and inquisitive neighbor Millie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, she continued to stay busy with appearances on The Andry Griffith Show, Dragnet 1967, I Dream of Jeannie, The Partridge Family and more.
In 1990, she played Theresa Fannelli on the shortlived The Fannelli Boys. She then guested on Blossom, Seinfeld and Home Improvement before landing the recurring role as Yetta Rosenberg on The Nanny.
After the show wrapped in 1999, she continued to appear on TV in guest spots on Happily Divorced, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family and Life in Pieces. She also returned to Broadway in Touch the Names, Play Yourself and A Naked Girl on the Appian Way.
Guilbert’s final appearances on Life in Pieces came the same year as her death. The actress died of cancer in June 2016 at 87.
Jerry Paris as Jerry Helper
Jerry Paris pulled double duty in his recurring role as neighbor Jerry Helper, while also directing episodes of the show.
After The Dick Van Dyke Show wrapped, he focused his talents on directing. Paris worked on The Munsters, That Girl, The Partridge Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Odd Couple and more.
Paris died in March 1986, less than two weeks after he was discovered to have an immovable brain tumor. He was 60.
Carl Reiner as Alan Brady
Carl Reiner, the mastermind behind the scenes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, was a genius pick to portray the initially unseen character, Alan Brady. He reprised the character across other properties over the years.
After helping make stars of the cast of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Reiner helped Steve Martin break onto the scene, directing and writing on four films for the comedian.
Reiner moved on to directing films such as Oh, God! and The One and Only. He’d make countless appearances on television, both guest starring and appearing as himself. He also did some voice acting in more recent years.
An accomplished author, Reiner also penned more than 20 books, many of which were humorous memoirs. In June 2020, Reiner died at 98 in his home in Beverly Hills.
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