Entertainment
Hollywood icon, 98, reveals short-term memory struggles – but no retirement plans-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro
The big screen legend has opened up about their future.
![Hollywood icon, 98, reveals short-term memory struggles – but no retirement plans-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SEI_206964467-393a.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024)
Dick Van Dyke has revealed his struggles with short-term memory (Picture: Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock)
Dick Van Dyke has insisted he has no plans to retire from acting, despite having struggles with his short-term memory.
The 98-year-old Hollywood icon has enjoyed a seven-decade career across film,stage and TV with legendary performances in the likes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins.
In 2018, he played bank manager Mr. Dawes Junior in Mary Poppins Returns, having starred as Bert and Mr. Dawes Senior in the original 1964 classic.
However, when asked how he felt returning to the beloved franchise, he admitted he doesn’t really have any memories of being back.
‘I have to be honest, I can’t remember,’ he candidly told Deadline. ‘I really can’t.’
Dick explained that he can easily remember a lot from early in his career, but his short-term memory has declined as he approaches his 100th birthday in December 2025.
Dick starred with Julie Andrews in 1964’s Mary Poppins (Picture: Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock)
In 2018, he was back for Mary Poppins Returns (Picture: Walt Disney Co/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)
He said: ‘I can’t remember what I had for breakfast… but my long-term memory is only getting better.’
Still, he’s keeping busy and is still acting, having being nominated for a Daytime Emmy award for his guest spot in longrunning US show Days of Our Lives.
‘I’ve just done my first soap opera,’ he beamed. ‘Never done that before! I played an old guy, of course, in a wheelchair. My wife played my attendant.’
The veteran actor admitted he’d love to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Cary Grant and Gregory Peck by going on tour with a ‘one-man show’ to share stories from his life.
He added: ‘I think it’d be fun.’
Dick is fondly remembered for roles like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Picture: Everett/REX/Shutterstock)
Despite taking joy in what he refers to as his ‘play’ – not work – Dick doesn’t see himself as a legend or icon in the same way his adoring fans do around the world.
That said, he can still see the impact he’s had, and he recalled a recent trawl through Facebook when he saw a toddler in a nappy ‘trying to imitate’ one of his dances from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
‘He had the moves! I just almost cried. Sixty years later, a little baby trying to dance like me,’ he shared. ‘I’m on my third generation now of kids who are writing to me.’
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