Dick Van Dyke & His Ex-wife Were Evicted While She Was Miscarrying - They Later Had 4 Children

Dick Van Dyke is one of Hollywood’s most treasured entertainers and a father to four children. His kids followed in his acting footsteps ensuring the Dyke legacy remained intact.

Veteran actor Dick Van Dyke dedicated his entire life to his acting career, spanning seven decades. The American icon also remained a doting dad to his children, who, like him, are all actors.

Dick is a father to Christian Van Dyke, Barry Van Dyke, Carrie Van Dyke, and Stacy Van Dyke. The siblings have all flourished in show business, some working closely with dad. Here is a glimpse into their lives.

CHRISTIAN VAN DYKE

Dick’s eldest son is Christian, who debuted his acting career alongside him on the self-named family sitcom, “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” in 1961. He appeared as Frankie for a cameo role in the episode "The Talented Neighborhood.”

However, years later, Christian pursued a completely different career and became a district attorney for Marion County, Oregon. The actor also dabbled in the corporate world, having worked with Nike in multiple marketing campaigns, which became lucrative projects earning him a net worth of nearly $1 million.

To date, Christian is happily married to his wife, Caroline Heller, with whom he shared one child, Jessica, who sadly died in 1987.

BARRY VAN DYKE

Dick’s second son, the most popular sibling, is Barry, born in July 1951. Like his father, he starred on numerous TV shows and films, including "Murder 101" and "Airwolf.”

Barry worked with his father as an assistant on the 1971 sitcom “The New Dick Van Dyke,” where he scored his first acting gig as an extra. His first prominent role came in the role of Lieutenant Dillion on the 1980 sci-fi series "Galactica."

Seeing that he came from a big family, the 70-year-old also had four kids: Wes Van Dyke, Carey Van Dyke, Shane Van Dyke, and Taryn Van Dyke with his longtime wife, Mary Carey Van Dyke. The pair got married in 1974 and are grandparents to five kids.

CARRIE BETH VAN DYKE

Carrie Beth is the third child and the first daughter of the Van Dyke clan. As an actress, she, like her older brother Christian, made her first debut on "The New Dick Van Dyke Show" in 1971.

Although it is unclear whether she still performs after fading from the limelight, her acting stints have earned her an estimated $100,000 per Glamour Path report.

Aside from being a star, Carrie is also a loving mother to two children whom she welcomed with her husband, Kevin McNally. The couple wed in 1983.

STACY VAN DYKE

The youngest in the family is Stacy, who, like her older siblings, made her debut on "The New Dick Van Dyke Show," which led to an appearance on the "Mike Douglas Show" in 1979.

Known for keeping her life private, Stacy’s recent acting stint was in the 2002’s crime movie “Diagnosis Murder: Town Without Pity.”

After accomplishing successful careers, the Dyke siblings hung up their acting shoes. Meanwhile, their father is still thriving in what he does best, with a net worth estimated at $30 million via The Richest report.

FIRST MARRIAGE

Dick shares his talented brood with his late former wife, Margie Willett, whom he married in 1948. The pair were high school sweethearts as they grew up together in Danville, Illinois.

In his memoir, “My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business,” Dick described the mother of kids as a local girl he had known for years. They started dating in 1945 when he was twenty years old.

He revealed that Willet had dumped her high school boyfriend to be with him, which later led to an interest in marriage. Dick and Willet were too broke to walk down the aisle back then, but that did not deter them from starting their lives together.

The two tied the knot on an ABC show called “Bride and Groom.” Notably, according to Distractify, about one thousand couples were married during the show’s tenure.

Dick disclosed that in exchange for participating in the show, the network paid for their honeymoon after 15 million people had listened to their marriage ceremony.

The newlyweds lived in Malibu early in Dick’s acting career, and he shared they found a duplex and enjoyed living at the beach. Willett fell pregnant with twins during that time, but she later suffered a miscarriage.

Dick explained that while they were at the hospital, their landlord evicted them for failure to pay rent. After that, his career involved traveling the country.

As he continued to build his career in the entertainment industry, the couple went on to have more kids. Christian and Barry were born in Atlanta, while Carrie was born in New Orleans in 1954.

Stacy arrived in 1961 in Los Angeles, but it was not long after things hit rock bottom between Willett and Dick. The radio star began having an affair which ultimately led to a divorce.

THE PROLONGED AFFAIR

Dick spoke candidly about the infidelity that lasted eight years in his autobiography. In an excerpt from his memoir, “Keep Moving," the "Mary Poppins" star opened up about feeling guilty about the prolonged affair.

His spouse Willet never liked the Hollywood life nor its stars, so she began spending more time at the family ranch in the desert, leaving her husband to find himself a confidant.

Dick ended up confiding in his agent’s secretary, Michelle Triola, whom he shared was easy to talk to because she understood him better:

“I was drawn into a relationship. I was involved with a woman other than my wife. It was unbelievable. I was writhing in guilt. By 1976 I had to do something. I needed to be honest.”

After that, the dancer and Willett decided to live their lives separately but did not divorce until 1984, after being married for 36 years. Willett tragically died from pancreatic cancer in 2008. A heartbreak Dick said left him stricken: "Even though we were long divorced, with her death, I lost a part of myself."

FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN

While Dick mourned the passing of his first wife, he endured another heartbreak after his lover Triola was diagnosed with lung cancer. He remained with her until she died in 2009.

The singer found love again when he met his second wife, Arlene Silver, at a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards dinner in 2006. The lovebirds tied the knot in 2012 despite the controversy regarding their 46-year age difference.

Dick jokingly refers to Silver as his "child bride." He once divulged that his brother told him that their marriage would never work because of their age gap while asking what they even talked about. The comedian told Huffington Post that he and his spouse talk all the time and do everything together.

The writer spoke highly of Silver in July 2020 when he recalled how he fell in love with her. After meeting the actress backstage at the award event, the “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” star said it felt like Silver was heaven sent.

“She’s just delightful, a great cook and a woman of great patience,” he exclusively told Closer Weekly at the time, adding, “she’s given me a third life, and I’m tickled to death with it.”