HEALTHDick Van Dyke, 100, Credits Quitting Alcohol and Smoking for Longevity
Dick Van Dyke reflected on his move to quit smoking and drinking.
Jan. 1 2026, Published 10:00 p.m. ET
Dick Van Dyke celebrated his 100th birthday on December 13.
The beloved Mary Poppins star recently shared the secrets behind his remarkable longevity, and they revolve around two simple choices: quitting alcohol and smoking.
Speaking at a Vandy High Tea event at his Malibu home on November 30, Van Dyke reflected on his life choices and how they contributed to his current health.
He revealed, “I smoked a lot, actually! 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.”
Dick Van Dyke credited his long life to quitting alcohol and smoking.
The actor recalled his experiences working with Walt Disney, who sadly passed away from lung cancer in 1966. Van Dyke noted that Disney “smoked too much,” a health risk he chose to avoid in his own life.
He added, “So I got rid of booze and cigarettes and all that stuff, which is probably why I’m still here.”
The legendary star said he realized in his 50s that he had an addictive personality.
This isn’t the first time the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star has opened up about his battle with addiction. In 1972, he admitted himself to a hospital for alcoholism, noting that quitting smoking “was twice as hard.”
On the “Really No Really” podcast in 2023, he explained, “It was much worse than the alcohol. I’m still chewing the nicotine gum.”
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The comedian explained that giving up cigarettes was harder than giving up alcohol.
Age may be catching up with him — he recently discussed the challenges of aging in a heartfelt essay for the Sunday Times.
He admitted, “It’s frustrating to feel diminished in the world, physically and socially,” as he navigates the day-to-day limitations of growing older. “Like my old characters, I am now a stooper, a shuffler and a teeterer. I have feet problems and I go supine as often as is politely possible.”
Despite these setbacks, Van Dyke embraces life with a youthful spirit. “My sight is so bad now that origami is out of the question,” he joked. “I have trouble following group conversations and complain frequently about my hearing aids, though I would never refer to them as ear trumpets. I’m not that old.”
The actor admitted that aging brought new physical challenges.
He remarked on his resilient attitude, stating, “I’ve made it to 99 in no small part because I have stubbornly refused to give into the bad stuff in life: failures and defeats, personal losses, loneliness and bitterness, the physical and emotional pains of aging. That stuff is real but I have not let it define me.”
For Van Dyke, life has been one big adventure.
“Instead, for the vast majority of my years, I have been in what I can only describe as a full-on bear hug with the experience of living. Being alive has been doing life — not like a job but rather like a giant playground,” he said.
