Some family go into show business by accident. The Van Dykes made it a tradition. At the heart of that story is Mary Carey Van Dyke, a woman whose name doesn’t grace movie posters but whose family tree is a who’s who of American television. She is the mother of four children who are all successful in entertainment and she married into the Van Dyke name and a family legacy that spans now three generations.
Who Is Mary Carey Van Dyke?
About Mary Mary Elizabeth Carey was born and raised in Minnesota. Though she has never had a public acting career herself, in the family role she has been equally vital: she is the linchpin between the Van Dyke name and the next generation of actors who take it up.
How She Met Barry Van Dyke
Mary and Barry’s relationship actually began years before either of them became public figures. Barry himself has said that the two were only sixteen when he was working as a ticket-taker at a neighborhood movie theater when he met Mary. It wasn’t the kind of glamorous Hollywood family meeting you might imagine, but instead was small-town, quiet, and subtly romantic. Seven years later, they were married, making their teenage connection a lifelong partnership.
Marrying Into a Hollywood Dynasty
When Mary wed Barry Van Dyke in 1974, it wasn’t just a husband she was getting. She was becoming part of a family that was already shaping American television. Barry Van Dyke is the son of actor and entertainer Dick Van Dyke (“The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Mary Poppins”) and Margie Willett. Barry made a name for himself as an actor, most notably playing Lieutenant Steve Sloan opposite his father on Diagnosis: Murder.
Life With Barry Van Dyke
For many years, the marriage of Barry and Mary has endured, with family at its core, not fame. Barry has talked many times about trying to juggle his acting career with being a dad to their kids, and their solid marriage became the rock that the next Van Dyke generation was raised on.
Meet the Van Dyke Children
Mary and Barry raised four children together, and surprisingly enough, all four of their children wound up working in entertainment in one fashion or another. That’s not a fluke; it’s a family culture that revolves around the business right from the start.”
Carey Van Dyke
The son of Glenn and Gail Van Dyke, he was born in 1976 and joined the family tradition of acting and writing. Seasons He guest starred in “Diagnosis: Murder” with his father and grandfather, and he and brother Shane co-wrote ‘The Silence’ and ‘Don’t Worry Darling.’
Shane Van Dyke
Shane Van Dyke [born 1979] is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He is best known for directing and starring in “Titanic II”, and like his brother Carey has continued to work behind the camera on a number of film projects.
Wes Van Dyke
Wes, the third of the Van Dyke children, has remained closer to the family’s television roots, working with both his father and grandfather over the years.
Taryn Van Dyke
Taryn, born in 1986, is the youngest of four children and the only girl. She was raised on set, debuting on television as a child on “Diagnosis: Murder,” the very series that launched her brothers. She later married in 2014 at a beachside wedding in Malibu, surrounded by the Van Dyke family.
A Family That Works Together
The Van Dyke story is remarkable not only because three generations of the family have worked as actors, but also because they have so frequently collaborated on the same projects. The four children of Mary and Barry Van Dyke have all made guest appearances in the series “Diagnosis: Murder,” which Barry also wrote. This means that three generations of Van Dykes (Dick, Barry, and the kids) were often working together on the same show, which is rare even by Hollywood family standards.
The Van Dyke Legacy Today
Dick Van Dyke remains a force in entertainment as he ages and the family name lives on in television and film through his kids and grandkids. Mary Carey Van Dyke didn’t pursue her own spotlight in the world, but her and Barry’s home was one that raised four professional entertainers, each of whom grew up watching their grandfather and father work at the job they would ultimately have.
The Van Dykes are not your typical, tabloid fodder Hollywood family in scandal or headline-making drama. It’s a softer kind of legacy: a family that kept showing up to work together, generation after generation, beginning with a teenage ticket-taker and the girl he married seven years later.
