Did Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore Ever Date in Real Life?
Before starring in her self-titled ’70s TV series, Mary Tyler Moore found fame on The Dick Van Dyke Show. In The Mary Tyler Moore Show, every male character became enthralled with 30-year-old divorcée Mary Richards, and it’s easy to see why. The beautiful actor’s captivating screen presence kept her show going for seven seasons. In the ’60s, Moore and Dick Van Dyke played a happily married couple in his eponymous sitcom. But did Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore ever date in real life?
Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore played husband and wife
The Dick Van Dyke Show followed Van Dyke’s character, Rob Petrie, the head writer of a comedy/variety show. The sitcom gave viewers an inside look at how the fictional The Alan Brady Show works, from how it was written and produced to how it made it on the air.
The Dick Van Dyke Show had two main settings: Rob’s work life and home life. Many scenes dealt with his professional circle, including colleagues Buddy, Sally, and Mel. Other scenes showed Rob’s personal life with his wife Laura and son Ritchie in New Rochelle, New York.
The Petries’ neighbors Jerry Helper and Millie Helper appeared occasionally. And the show’s creator, Carl Reiner, played Alan Brady, for whom the fictional show is named. Most of the characters in The Dick Van Dyke Show were based on real people, as Reiner sourced inspiration from his time as head writer on Your Show of Shows.
Van Dyke’s character, Rob, was based on Reiner himself, but Reiner refuted claims that Alan Brady was based on Your Show of Shows star Sid Caesar, claiming the character to be a combination of Jackie Gleason and Milton Berle. Moore’s character, Laura Petrie, had a distinctive look that mirrored then-First Lady Jackie Kennedy’s style.
Despite his huge crush on her, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore never dated
Van Dyke and Moore spent five seasons playing husband and wife, so it’s only natural some sparks would eventually fly, especially given their close friendship and onscreen chemistry. In his memoir My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business, Van Dyke revealed that although he was unsure he and Moore could pass as spouses, he thought she was “perfect.”
“Her nose was perfect, as was she. Everyone loved Mary. What wasn’t to love? I adored her from the moment we were introduced. I think both of us had each other at hello,” the Mary Poppins star wrote.
Van Dyke also recalled the moment he realized he had a crush on Moore. “A funny thing happened that second season when Mary and I went back to work,” he said. “We couldn’t stop giggling when we were around each other.” Van Dyke said he didn’t know what to make of that encounter until a therapist friend pointed it out to him.
Despite his crush on his co-star, both couldn’t pursue their feelings because they were married to other people. The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang actor wrote in his book that had the circumstances been different, he and Moore would have dated.
What is the actor doing now?
Mary Tyler Moore died on January 25, 2017, at 80, from cardiac arrest complicated by pneumonia.
But at 96, Dick Van Dyke is still working in showbiz. He played Mr. Dawes Jr. in the 2018 live-action film Mary Poppins Returns. In 2020, he voiced Hopscotch the Sasquatch in the comedy/drama series Kidding. And soon, Van Dyke will star in the upcoming movie Capture the Flag, a comedy about a group of military veterans, according to IMDb.
