Inside the Lives of “The Dick Van Dyke Show”'s Cast After the Show Ended 60 Years Ago
Inside the Lives of “The Dick Van Dyke Show”'s Cast After the Show Ended 60 Years Ago
Angela Andaloro, Emily KrauserMon, June 8, 2026 at 4:46 PM UTC
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From left: Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie, Rose Marie as Sally Rogers, Richard Deacon as Mel Cooley and Morey Amsterdam as Buddy Sorrell on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' on Nov. 29, 1961Credit: CBS via Getty -
The Dick Van Dyke Show premiered on Oct. 3, 1961, and concluded its five-season run on June 1, 1966
Created by Carl Reiner, the sitcom starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore as husband-and-wife duo Rob and Laura Petrie
The series won 15 Emmy Awards over its five seasons on CBS
Since The Dick Van Dyke Show went off the air, the show has remained a touchstone in the history of comedy television.
Airing for five seasons on CBS from Oct. 3, 1961, to June 1, 1966, the hit sitcom followed Rob Petrie, a TV comedy writer played by Dick Van Dyke, as he juggled his career and family.
The series won 15 Emmy Awards during its successful run. While its premise was simple, it marked the first time a character's home and work lives both got screen time, rather than focusing on one or the other. The show also marked the breakthrough for Mary Tyler Moore, who portrayed Rob's wife, Laura Petrie.
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- and off-screen, lively characters and both platonic and romantic relationships that were positive, but not without complications viewers could relate to.
To this day, TheDick Van Dyke Show is lauded as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.
"We just knew we had something good because we loved to watch it ourselves, but who would've thought 30 years later that it would still be on the air," Van Dyke told Lee Goldberg in January 1998 during an interview with the Television Academy Foundation.
Here's what happened to the cast of The Dick Van Dyke Show after its series finale.
01 of 09
Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie
From left: Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' in 1961; Dick Van Dyke attends day 1 of the 76th Creative Arts Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 7, 2024Credit: CBS Photo Archive/Getty; JC Olivera/Variety via Getty
After his eponymous sitcom ended, Van Dyke continued to be a mainstay on-screen.
Some of his biggest movies included Mary Poppins (1964), Divorce American Style (1967), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang(1968) and Dick Tracy (1990).
On TV, the Illinois-raised actor portrayed Dick Preston on The New Dick Van Dyke Show from 1971 to 1974 and appeared on a half-season of The Carol Burnett Showin 1977. He also had several guest spots on shows such as The Golden Girls, Matlock, Coach and Scrubs.
In the '80s, he took to Broadway in the revival of TheMusic Man. He also appeared in TV movies before landing his role in Diagnosis: Murder, which ran from 1993 to 2001 and costarred his son Barry Van Dyke. The two also starred on the one-season sitcom The Van Dyke Show in 1988.
From the Night at the Museum films to Hallmark's Murder 101 franchise, Van Dyke continued to charm audiences. Most recently, he was an unofficial consultant on Wandavision, competed on The Masked Singer, had a guest gig on Days of Our Livesand made a 2023 Simpsons cameo.
Van Dyke turned 100 in December 2025. He has four adult children: sons Christian and Barry and daughters Stacy and Carrie Beth — with late ex-wife Margie Willett — to whom he was married for 36 years. Van Dyke has been married to wife Arlene Silver since 2012.
02 of 09
Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie
From left: Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' in 1963; Mary Tyler Moore attends the Broadway Barks! 14 Pet Adoption Event at Shubert Alley in New York City on July 14, 2012Credit: Earl Theisen/Getty; Andy Kropa/Getty
Moore's performance on The Dick Van DykeShow paved the way not just for TV wives but for Moore herself. She followed up her time on the sitcom with her own eponymous program, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, on which she played Mary Richards from 1970 to 1977 and won four Emmys.
She was also hard at work behind the scenes, creating shows such as The Bob Newhart Show, St. Elsewhereand Hill Street Blues, as well as The Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoffs Rhoda, Phyllis and Lou Grant, through her company MTM Enterprises.
Beyond the small screen, Moore delivered an Oscar-nominated performance in the 1980 family drama Ordinary People and won a Tony Award for Whose Life Is It Anyway? on Broadway.
The New York-born actress continued to appear on TV throughout the '90s and '00s, including guest appearances on The Ellen Show, That '70s Show, Hot in Cleveland and Lipstick Jungle.
In her life off-screen, Moore dealt with several health issues: She lived with type 1 diabetes and struggled with alcoholism and had surgery for a meningioma in 2011. She was also a passionate advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In 1995, she published a memoir, After All, in which she dived into her past.
Moore was first married to Richard Tinker from 1955 to 1961. They shared son Richie, who died in a gun accident in 1980 at age 24. She was then married to Grant Tinker from 1962 to 1981.
Her third marriage to Dr. Robert Levine, 18 years her junior, lasted from November 1983 until her death in January 2017. Moore died from complications related to pneumonia. She was 80.
03 of 09
Rose Marie as Sally Rogers
From left: Rose Marie as Sally Rogers on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' in 1965; Rose Marie arrives at the Actors Fund's Looking Ahead Awards at the Taglyan Cultural Complex in L.A. on Dec. 3, 2015Credit: CBS via Getty; Tasia Wells/FilmMagic
Over her five seasons as Sally Rogers, Rose Marie earned two Emmy nominations. She told Vanity Fair in November 2017 that she and costar Morey Amsterdam earned the same salary on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
"I think everybody decided I was the first women's libber because of that show," she told the publication. "I've had many girls tell me, 'Because of you, I became a writer. You gave me the inspiration.' And I'm very proud of that."
The iconic TV, stage and screen actress, who began working in Hollywood at age 3, then moved on to The Doris Day Show, where she portrayed Myrna Gibbons from 1969 to 1971. She would later have a recurring role on S.W.A.T. and star on Fox's Hardball.
Marie also made several guest appearances on shows like The Love Boat,Cagney & Lacey,Mr. Belvedere and Murphy Brown, and voiced roles on The Real Ghostbusters and The Garfield Show, among others. The latter was her final on-screen credit. She reunited with Amsterdam in 1993 on Herman's Head and in 1996 on Caroline in the City.
She was also active in the theater, including costarring with Rosemary Clooney in the cabaret act 4 Girls 4. Later in life, she became active on social media, sharing memories from her career and sharing support during the #MeToo movement.
In her personal life, Marie had one child, daughter Georgiana Marie, with musician Bobby Guy, whom she was married to until his death in 1964, per ABC News.
Marie died in Van Nuys, Calif., in December 2017. She was 94.
04 of 09
Morey Amsterdam as Buddy Sorrell
From left: Morey Amsterdam as Buddy Sorrell on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' in 1962; Morey Amsterdam attends the Box Musical Anthology Party at the Hollywood Yacht Club in Hollywood, Calif., on Sept. 14, 1993Credit: CBS via Getty; Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Morey Amsterdam was best known for playing Rob Petrie's co-worker Buddy Sorrell on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
The same year the sitcom wrapped, he appeared in 1966's Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title. He later worked on the writing team for Your Show of Shows and was a panelist on shows like The Hollywood Squares, Match Game and What's My Line?.
Over the years, he guest-starred on shows such as Adam-12, Vega$, The Love Boat, Fame and Cybill. His final acting role was on a 1996 episode of Caroline in the City.
Amsterdam shared two children: son Gregory and daughter Cathy, with his second wife, Kay Patrick. They were married for more than 50 years, until he died of a heart attack at age 87 in October 1996, the L.A. Times reported.
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05 of 09
Larry Mathews as Ritchie Petrie
From left: Larry Mathews as Ritchie Petrie on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' in 1961; Larry Mathews attends a preview of the Hollywood Museum's 'Child Stars — Then and Now' exhibit in Hollywood, Calif., on Aug. 18, 2016Credit: CBS via Getty; Tara Ziemba/Getty
Larry Mathews was only 5 years old when he was cast as Rob and Laura's son Ritchie. He remained on the sitcom for all five seasons.
"It was always a fun place to be. It felt like you were at home in a family," he shared on the Whine at 9 podcast in June 2014 of his time on the show, adding that being in the midst of comedy greats "was just such a treat. And even as a child, even though I didn't quite grasp it that much, as I grew, it became very evident of what was going on … it was a wonderful experience."
Following his time on The Dick Van DykeShow, the California native acted in local stage productions. He attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and graduated with a major in theatre arts from UCLA.
Mathews only acted on occasion as he got older and didn't appear on-screen again until the 1993 TV movie Chairman's Choice, which costarred Van Dyke. He appeared alongside his remaining costars when The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited aired in 2004, then acted in the 2011 short A Day in the Life of Plain Jen and reprised the role of Ritchie for a 2021 episode of TV Therapy.
The Emmy-nominated actor largely stayed behind the scenes, working in a variety of production and post-production roles. As of 2019, he was vice president of sales for the post-production facility CCI Digital and continued to do voiceover work, per The Hollywood Christmas Parade.
Mathews has been married to his wife Jennifer since 1987; the pair lives in the L.A. area.
06 of 09
Richard Deacon as Mel Cooley
From left: Richard Deacon as Mel Cooley on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' in 1964; Richard Deacon attends a luncheon gathering for television stars at Century Plaza Hotel in L.A. on April 13, 1983Credit: CBS via Getty; Bob Riha, Jr/Getty
Richard Deacon played Mel Cooley, the producer of the fictional Alan Brady Show.
After The Dick Van DykeShow, Deacon had recurring roles on The Pruitts of Southampton and The Beverly Hillbilliesand starred on the NBC sitcom The Mothers-In-Law.
The New York-raised actor, who appeared in over 100 movies and TV shows over the course of his career, also had guest spots on shows such as I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, CHiPs and Trapper John, M.D., as well as in films like 1978's Piranha and 1984's Bad Manners.
In addition to acting, Deacon was a chef. He hosted a syndicated Canadian cooking show and wrote a microwave cookbook, per The New York Times.
Deacon died at his home in West L.A. in August 1984. He was 62.
07 of 09
Ann Morgan Guilbert as Millie Helper
From left: Ann Morgan Guilbert as Millie Helper on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' in 1961; Ann Morgan Guilbert arrives at the Independent Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant and Nominee Brunch at BOA Steakhouse in L.A. on Jan. 15, 2011Credit: CBS via Getty; Angela Weiss/Getty
A prolific television actress, Ann Morgan Guilbert portrayed the quirky and inquisitive neighbor Millie on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Following the sitcom, the Stanford graduate kept busy with appearances on The Andy Griffith Show, Dragnet 1967, I Dream of Jeannie and The Partridge Family, among many others.
In the 1990s, she played Theresa Fannelli on the short-lived The Fannelli Boys and guest-starred on Blossom, Seinfeld and Home Improvement before landing the recurring role as Yetta Rosenberg on The Nanny.
From there, she continued to have guest spots on Happily Divorced, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family and Life in Pieces; the latter marked her last role before her death. She also returned to Broadway in Touch the Names, Play Yourself and A Naked Girl on the Appian Way.
The TV and stage star was married twice, first to George Eckstein, then later to Guy Raymond, who died in 1997. She had two daughters, Nora Eckstein and Hallie Todd.
Guilbert died of cancer in June 2016. She was 87.
08 of 09
Jerry Paris as Jerry Helper
From left: Jerry Paris as Jerry Helper on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' in 1961; Jerry Paris, director of 'Happy Days', is photographed on set in 1981Credit: CBS via Getty; ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Jerry Paris pulled double duty on The Dick Van Dyke Show — he had a recurring role as the Petries' neighbor, dentist Jerry Helper, and directed episodes of the show, winning an Emmy for the latter.
After The Dick Van DykeShow wrapped, Paris focused his talents on directing, working on series like The Partridge Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show,The Odd Couple and Happy Days, the films Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985) and Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986) and several TV movies.
Paris appeared on-screen a few more times, though, mostly on shows and in movies he directed, including Happy Days, Paper Moon, Leo and Loree (1980) and Police Academy 3.
The San Francisco native reunited with Van Dyke on two projects, the 1968 film Never a Dull Moment and episodes of The New Dick Van Dyke Show.
Paris was a father of three. He had two sons, Tony and Andy, and a daughter, Julie.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Paris died of complications from an inoperable brain tumor in March 1986. He was 60.
09 of 09
Carl Reiner as Alan Brady
From left: Carl Reiner as Alan Brady on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' in 1965; Carl Reiner signs copies of his book, 'What I Forgot to Remember', at a Q&A at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Calif., on Sept. 4, 2015Credit: CBS via Getty; Beck Starr/WireImage
Carl Reiner, the mastermind behind 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 making stars of the cast of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Carl collaborated with Steve Martin on four films: The Jerk (1979) — which was the only one Carl directed but didn't co-write — Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), The Man with Two Brains (1983) and All of Me (1984).
A Hollywood comedy legend with 12 Emmy wins and a Grammy, Carl then directed films such as 1977's Oh, God! and 1978's The One and Only.Over the decades, he'd also make countless appearances on the small screen, both guest-starring and appearing as himself, and did some voice acting in more recent years.
Also an accomplished author, Carl penned more than 20 books, many of which were humorous memoirs. He even joined X in 2012, writing in March 2013, "What a boon twitter is to me. I get to follow and enjoy the thoughtful, incisivie [sic] comments my grandson Jake Reiner makes daily."
In 1999, the N.Y.C. native was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. The following year, Carl received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
He was married to Estelle Lebost — the woman who spoke the iconic When Harry Met Sally line — for 64 years until her death in October 2008. They shared three children: sons Lucas and Rob Reiner and daughter Annie Reiner.
Carl died at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif., in June 2020. He was 98.
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