Dick Van Dyke to Appear in Daytime Soap Opera

Dick Van Dyke is set to make his first-ever appearance in a soap opera, and fans of the 97-year-old actor won’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

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Credit: People

Dick Van Dyke has done it all. In the 1960s, he was the star of a hilarious sitcom alongside Mary Tyler Moore. In 1964, Van Dyke starred alongside the uber-talented Julie Andrews in Disney’s Mary Poppins, a story adapted from a tale by P. L. Travers, to which Walt Disney finally acquired the rights. (That story is the basis for Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks.) More recently, Van Dyke appeared on Season 9 of The Masked Singer on the FOX Network, surprising the audience and judges when it was revealed that he was the superstar in the gnome costume.

Credit: Metro UK

Now, according to Access, the legendary actor, now 97 years young, is set to appear as a guest star on an upcoming episode of Days of Our Lives. 

Per People Magazine:

[Van Dyke] is set to play what Access described as “a mystery man with amnesia.” Reacting to his role, Van Dyke told the outlet, “I have played old men before, but comedy old men. [This is the] first time I have ever just played my 97-year-old self.”

To prepare for his part, the Mary Poppins actor said he watched some soap operas to get the perfect delivery down — especially for those intense moments that require a bit of dramatic flair.

“Some of the people have been doing it for 20 years,” Van Dyke said. “That’s all the homework I can do, watch one and see how they do it. The other thing, you have to hold, ‘duh duh,’ there’s the sting of music, and we’ve said something exciting.”

Credit: Do You Remember?

New episodes of Days of Our Lives are available on the Peacock streaming platform at 6 a.m. ET weekdays.