What happened to the cast of “The Dick Van Dyke Show”? Inside the stars' lives after the classic sitcom
What happened to the cast of “The Dick Van Dyke Show”? Inside the stars' lives after the classic sitcom
Will HarrisWed, May 6, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC
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Morey Amsterdam, Richard Deacon, Dick Van Dyke, Rose Marie, and Mary Tyler Moore on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'
Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty
It’s been almost 60 years since The Dick Van Dyke Show's Rob Petrie first tripped over that ottoman in his New Rochelle, N.Y., living room, and people are still laughing.
It isn’t just the titular star’s gift for physical comedy that makes it a classic, although there’s little question that he’s a legend in this field. There’s also the remarkably realistic vibe between Rob and his wife, Laura (Mary Tyler Moore); the loving relationship they have with their son, Ritchie (Larry Mathews); and the nonstop barrage of jokes at Rob’s workplace, The Alan Brady Show.
Created by Carl Reiner, The Dick Van Dyke Show is one of those true ageless sitcoms that can still earn just as many laughs now as it did when it debuted in the fall of 1961. While only Van Dyke and Mathews are still with us, the whole cast became TV icons as part of this one series.
Here’s what Van Dyke, Moore, and the rest of the crew did after the series went off the air in 1966.
01 of 09
Dick Van Dyke (Rob Petrie)
Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie; Van Dyke at the Daytime Emmys in 2024
Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty; Stewart Cook/Getty
Rob Petrie is the guy every aspiring comedy writer wanted to be — and not just because they think they could end up with a wife who looks like Mary Tyler Moore. Like the man who played him, Rob is a nice, charming guy who loves to laugh and does everything possible to make others follow suit.
Dick Van Dyke was already a Broadway star by the time his self-titled sitcom premiered thanks to Bye Bye Birdie, a performance he reprised for the 1963 movie adaptation. He also filmed his beloved role in Mary Poppins (1964) during the series’ run. When the show ended, he headlined another family classic, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968).
Van Dyke went on to lead the acclaimed Diagnosis Murder through eight seasons and five TV movies as the mystery-solving Dr. Mark Sloan.
In 2006, he took on the role of Dr. Jonathan Maxwell and did four Murder 101 TV movies for the Hallmark Channel. And, of course, he made a very well-received cameo in Mary Poppins Returns (2018).
He hasn’t acted in front of the camera since an Emmy-winning 2023 arc on Days of Our Lives, but Van Dyke, who is 100 years old as of this writing, continues to bring smiles to people's faces with his public appearances.
02 of 09
Mary Tyler Moore (Laura Petrie)
Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie; Moore in New York City in 2012
Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty; Walter McBride/Corbis via Getty
It’s arguable that Laura was the first TV wife to be viewed as a sex symbol, and the reason why can be summed up in two words: Capri pants.
Mind you, Mary Tyler Moore had gotten viewers hot and bothered from her first regular (if anonymous) role. She was Sam, secretary for the title character on Richard Diamond, Private Detective, during which her legs were the only part of her that viewers ever saw. Her voice did the rest.
Moore’s gift for comedy carried on after Dick Van Dyke, of course, with The Mary Tyler Moore Show becoming one of the biggest sitcoms of the ’70s. She won four Emmys for the hit series, then went on to score an Academy Award nomination for the Oscar-winning Ordinary People (1980), one of her rare forays onto the big screen.
The New York native maintained her decorated TV career for years afterward, earning Emmy nods for First, You Cry (1978),Heartsounds (1984), and Lincoln (1988). She won for Stolen Babies (1993).
Although she tried and failed to replicate the success of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Moore was always a welcome and popular guest star. Her final TV appearance reteamed her with Betty White on an episode of Hot in Cleveland.
The iconic actress had one son, who died in 1980. Moore died in 2017 at the age of 80 from cardiac arrest complicated by pneumonia. She was survived by her husband, cardiologist Robert Levine. They had been married since 1983.
03 of 09
Morey Amsterdam (Buddy Sorrell)
Morey Amsterdam as Buddy Sorrell; Amsterdam in 1994
Credit: CBS via Getty (2)
As the sarcastic, wisecracking Buddy, Morey Amsterdam was regularly paired with Rose Marie, who played fellow comedy writer Sally Rogers. And that makes perfect sense: Rose Marie was the one who recommended Amsterdam for the role.
A former vaudevillian, Amsterdam was popular enough at the dawn of television that he had his own show from 1948 to 1950, after which he split his time between nightclub gigs and guest roles on TV series both comedic (The Phil Silvers Show) and dramatic (Gunsmoke). That trend continued once Dick Van Dyke concluded its five-season run.
He reteamed with Rose Marie for his final TV appearance in a 1996 episode of Caroline in the City, His other small-screen gigs over the years include episodes of Fantasy Island, Herman’s Head, and Cybill.
Amsterdam was 87 when he died of a heart attack in 1996. He was survived by his wife of 47 years, Kay Patrick.
04 of 09
Rose Marie (Sally Rogers)
Rose Marie as Sally Rogers in 1961, and at the Paley Center in 2013
Credit: CBS via Getty; Vincent Sandoval/WireImage
Although she stood out in a big way as the brassy Sally, Rose Marie actually started her career as a child performer in vaudeville. She became a radio star and moved on to film, starring in a series of shorts and a film with W.C. Fields (1933’s International House).
After several years of nightclub work, the New York native got back in front of the camera, both in film (Top Banana and The Big Beat) and episodes of Gunsmoke and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. But it was The Dick Van Dyke Show that revived her career in a big way — and landed her three Emmy nominations for good measure.
When the series ended, she scored a regular role on The Doris Day Show for two seasons and became a prominent guest star and game show panelist for years afterward. She was even the subject of a 2017 documentary, Wait for Your Laugh.
Rose Marie died of natural causes at age 94 in 2017.
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05 of 09
Larry Mathews (Ritchie Petrie)
Larry Mathews as Ritchie; Mathews at the Hollywood Museum in 2016
Credit: CBS via Getty; Tara Ziemba/Getty
Larry Mathews’ career as an actor pretty much started and ended with the role of Rob and Laura’s son, Ritchie… not that there’s anything wrong with that.
During that run, he booked an episode of The Dick Powell Theater, and in 2011 he appeared in a short film called A Day in the Life of Plain Jen.
After the series concluded, Mathews left acting, graduated from UCLA, and worked as an account executive. Still, he remains proud of the series and regularly discusses the show and his fond memories of it.
06 of 09
Richard Deacon (Mel Cooley)
Richard Deacon as Mel Cooley; Deacon in 1982
Credit: CBS via Getty; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
As Mel, producer of The Alan Brady Show, Richard Deacon spent five seasons sparring with Morey Amsterdam. This came after he’d spent the majority of the 1950s making ends meet with small roles in films, from Invaders from Mars (1953) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) to The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) and Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955).
Deacon made his mark in comedy with a recurring role on Leave it to Beaver as Lumpy’s dad, after which came The Dick Van Dyke Show.
The Philadelphia native returned to the life of a guest star for the majority of his subsequent TV career, but also appeared in several live-action Disney films and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963). You can also catch him in oddities like Piranha (1978) and The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood (1980).
Deacon died of an apparent heart attack in 1984 at the age of 62.
07 of 09
Ann Morgan Guilbert (Millie Helper)
Ann Morgan Guilbert as Millie Helper; Guilbert in Los Angeles in 2011
Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection; Angela Weiss/Getty
When Ann Morgan Guilbert joined the cast as Laura’s bestie and neighbor, Millie, she had precisely one TV role under her belt: Steve Douglas’ neighbor on an episode of My Three Sons.
After playing Millie for 61 episodes, she became a regular TV guest star, appearing in shows ranging from Adam-12 and Dragnet to I Dream of Jeannie and Maude. Her later sitcom highlights included Cheers, Seinfeld, and Home Improvement, followed by Guilbert’s most famous late-career role: Yetta Rosenberg on The Nanny.
The Minneapolis native worked right up until her death, appearing on Modern Family and Grey’s Anatomy. She also had recurring roles on HBO’s Getting On and Life in Pieces.
Guilbert died of cancer in 2016 at the age of 87. She was survived by two children from her first marriage.
08 of 09
Jerry Paris (Jerry Helper)
Jerry Paris as Jerry Helper; Paris in 1981
Credit: CBS via Getty; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Jerry Paris was established as a character actor by the time he secured the role of Rob’s pal and neighbor, Jerry.
He had been acting steadily since 1949, appearing in such classic films as The Wild One (1951), Monkey Business (1952), The Caine Mutiny (1954), and Marty (1955) — not to mention future Airplane! inspiration Zero Hour!
But Paris’ real calling card wound up being behind the camera. He directed 84 episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, turning him into an in-demand TV director. He would later helm more than 200 episodes of Happy Days.
Paris died in 1986 from complications related to a brain tumor. He had three children with his late wife, Ruth Benjamin.
09 of 09
Carl Reiner (Alan Brady)
Carl Reiner as Alan Brady; Reiner at the Paley Center in 2013
Credit: CBS via Getty; Vivien Killilea/WireImage
Although he created the series, Carl Reiner hadn’t planned to appear onscreen as Rob’s persnickety employer, Alan. In fact, he kept it that way for quite some time, instead only appearing in voice cameos or with the back of his head showing. In season 4, however, Reiner finally popped up in front of the camera.
Having worked as a writer on Your Show of Shows and collaborated with Mel Brooks on The 2,000 Year Old Man, Reiner was well-versed in writing comedy. But after The Dick Van Dyke Show, he began a successful career as a film director.
He is best known for his collaborations with Steve Martin; together, the pair made The Jerk (1979), The Man with Two Brains (1982), Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1983), and All of Me (1984).
The 11-time Emmy winner never stopped acting, and made appearances on modern sitcoms like Two and a Half Men, Hot in Cleveland, and The Bernie Mac Show. Today's audiences will likely recognize him for playing suave veteran con artist Saul Bloom in Ocean’s Eleven (2001) and its sequels.
Not satisfied simply with the performing arts, the Bronx native also wrote more than two dozen books during his life.
Reiner, who remained politically active throughout his life, died in 2020 at the age of 98.
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