Entertainment
Dick Van Dyke, 95, is hoping for a knighthood as he sets sights on getting props from the Queen
Dick Van Dyke is continuing to delight us all with his upbeat attitude, and has now suggested that he’d love a knighthood as the next achievement in his remarkable career.
The Hollywood legend was recently made a prestigious Kennedy Center honouree for his lifetime of contributions to American culture.
With his trademark smile in place, and looking dapper in black tie, the 95-year-old musicals veteran stole the show on the red carpet.
The Mary Poppins star has been on sparkling form in answering questions about his latest honour, showing great humour when telling journalist Roger Friedman that he was ‘circling the drain’ when it came to life.
And now, when asked about what was next for him, Dick responded: ‘I think the next thing is a knighthood.’
Strictly speaking, as a non-British citizen, Dick cannot be bestowed with the title ‘Sir’ officially – however, he can join the ranks of honorary knights and dames and affix KBE to his name.
Dick would be in an exclusive group, which includes members Steven Spielberg, Bill Gates and Angelina Jolie in this respect.
According to The Mirror, he said of his award: ‘Recognition from your peers is always icing on the cake. How did I get to a Kennedy award?
‘I never trained or did anything. I just enjoyed myself.’
That’s certainly true, given his appearances in classic films, as well as his own television show and lead role in the 90s action-comedy-mystery-medical-crime drama series (yup) Diagnosis: Murder.
The triple threat also joked about his age again, saying he was ‘happy to be anywhere’, having just turned 95.
He continued: ‘Had I known I’d live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.’
We beg to differ with Dick’s suggestion that he hasn’t taken good care of himself, as his career spans well over 70 years.
The star even made a return to the Mary Poppins franchise in 2018, 54 years after the original, portraying Mr Dawes Jr in Mary Poppins Returns.
He was also recently spotted handing out money to jobseekers waiting in line in Malibu to secure employment, despite being at high risk of coronavirus.
If that spirit of generosity, coupled with a fantastic career, can’t get you a knighthood then we don’t know what will.
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