Dick Van Dyke credits THIS major change for reaching 100

Dick Van Dyke admits shocking truth about his smoking past

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Published December 08, 2025
Dick Van Dyke credits THIS major change for reaching 100

Dick Van Dyke opened up about his past struggles to quit smoking.

On November 30, the 99-year-old actor hosted a high tea at his residence in California to raise funds for his The Van Dyke Endowment of the Arts and the Dick Van Dyke Museum.

During the event, Van Dyke opened up about his relationship with Walt Disney and his smoking addiction.

Gushing over the pioneering animator, who died of lung cancer in 1966, Van Dyke said, "He was a wonderful guy. He just smoked too much! Doggone."

Van Dyke, who is known for his role as Mr. Dawes Jr. in Disney’s 1964 Mary Poppins, his son Barry chimed in to note that his father "never smoked too much."

The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star rebutted the claim, saying, “I smoked a lot, actually!"

He went on to say, "I think I was probably in my 50s before it dawned on me that I had an addictive personality."

“If I liked something, I was going to overdo it," he noted.

As Van Dyke nears his 100th birthday, he admitted that adapting to a healthy lifestyle has played a major role in his it make him reach his milestone birthday.

"So I got rid of booze and cigarettes and all that stuff, which is probably why I'm still here," he admitted.

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