Dick Van Dyke has had several long-term relationships over the course of his seven-decade Hollywood career.
The Mary Poppins star was first married to Margie Willett, before he found love again later in life with Arlene Silver.
Dick is now preparing to celebrate his 100th birthday on December 13, so who is the woman who will be steadfastly by his side on the day?
Scroll on for everything you need to know about Dick’s wife, Arlene.
Who is Dick Van Dyke’s wife?
Arlene is a make-up artist who has worked in the entertainment industry for many years.
In fact, Dick first met Arlene backstage at the SAG Awards back in 2006, and they formed a close friendship.
Arleene admitted she was unsure who he was when they first met, and had to ask him, “Weren’t you in Mary Poppins?”
“He has so much work I can’t believe I missed it,” she told Huffington Post.
At the time, Dick was in a long-term relationship with Michelle Triola, and their relationship remained strictly professional for many years.
After Michelle died in 2009, Arlene became a support for Dick, visiting him to bring food, and things then became romantic between them.
“She was such a support, I fell in love,” Dick told PEOPLE in 2013.
When did Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver get married?
In February 2012, Dick and Arlene tied the knot in a private ceremony in Malibu.
They had been dating for six years before they exchanged vows in the low-key ceremony, which took place on a Leap Day.
How old is Dick Van Dyke’s wife?
Arlene is 54 years old and was born on September 21, 1971, whereas Dick is turning 100 on December 13, 2025.
Dick and Arlene have a 46-year age gap, but the actor has insisted that it has never been an issue in their relationship.
“We don’t feel the age gap. I’m emotionally immature, and Arlene is very wise for her age, so we meet in the middle,” he previously told The Guardian.
In fact, Dick even went as far as to argue that Arlene has always been much more mature than him.
“We thought [the age gap] might be [a problem] in some regard, to some extent, but it hasn’t really,” he told PEOPLE in November 2025.
“I’m infantile to start with. I think I’m about 13, so that’s been a problem and she’s quite mature for her age, so I don’t think we haven’t had any problem with age at all.”
Dick has previously gushed that she keeps him “happy” every single day, and said they bonded over their love of singing and dancing.
He has also described her as the “love of his life” and said Arlene has kept him young and active over the years.
“Without question, our ongoing romance is the most important reason I have not withered away into a hermetic grouch,” he told The Sunday Times.
How many times has Dick Van Dyke been married?
Before tying the knot with Arlene, Dick had been married once before, to Margie Willett.
They first met as teenagers when they were growing up in Danville, Illinois, and started dating when Dick was 20 and Margie was 18.
Dick previously told how they were “too broke to get married”, but managed to find a way around that.
A radio producer offered to pay for their wedding and honeymoon if they tied the knot on his show, so that’s exactly what they did.
They exchanged vows in the unconventional ceremony on a radio show called Bride and Groom on February 12, 1948.
“We exchanged our vows in front of a minister and two radio microphones while 15 million people listened,” Dick previously told The Guardian.
Dick has described Margie as “earthy and artistic” and said she didn’t like the spotlight of Hollywood.
However, their relationship came with its difficulties, with Dick explaining how they were both dealing with substance abuse.
“Our addictions were symptomatic of deeper problems in our relationship, and we were drifting apart,” he told The Guardian.
Amid their difficulties, Dick had an affair with his secretary, Michelle Triola.
“I was drawn into a relationship. I was involved with a woman other than my wife. It was unbelievable. I was writhing in guilt. By 1976, I had to do something. I needed to be honest,” he wrote in his memoir My Lucky Life In And Out Of Show Business.
Dick and Margie ultimately divorced in 1984 following a long separation.
Margie died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, with Dick admitting he lost “a part of herself” when she passed away.
What happened to Dick Van Dyke’s partner, Michelle Triola?
Dick and Michelle remained in a relationship for decades after they had an affair before his separation from his first wife, Margie.
They were in a committed relationship for 35 “very happy” years, but decided not to get married.
Dick previously told how they had discussed the topic, but he “could never get her to put a date in the diary”.
Shortly after Dick’s first wife, Margie, died, Michelle was diagnosed with lung cancer.
“When she asked if she was going to die, I pretended I didn’t know — the hardest acting I have ever done,” Dick told The Guardian of the heartbreaking time.
Michelle died on October 30, 2009, at their home in Malibu, California, at the age of 76.
Does Dick Van Dyke have any children?
Dick welcomed four children with his first wife, Margie.
They share two sons, Christian, 75, and Barry, 74, and two daughters, Stacy, 69, and Carrie, 63.
Margie also tragically miscarried twins before their first child, Christian, was born in 1950.
Dick’s four children have gone on to start families of their own, and he now has seven grandchildren and even more great-grandchildren.
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