When SuperAger Dick Van Dyke celebrated his 100th this week (Dec. 13, 2025), it felt less a curtain call than a reminder of how the later years can continue to be a time of creativity, fulfillment— and, of course, laughter.
The iconic comedian—whose long and storied career included Emmys, a Grammy, a Tony and a Lifetime Achievement Honor—became a household name with his hit TV series The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–66). And who among us can forget Van Dyke’s Bert—the cheerful chimney sweep—in Mary Poppins (1964) or his role of Caractacus Potts in the 1968 musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Beloved to multiple generations, Van Dyke’s later career included a successful return to television with the mystery series Diagnosis: Murder(1993–2001), appearances in major films like Mary Poppins Returns (2018), and numerous acclaimed guest roles and honors well into his late 90s. In fact, last year, at the age of 98, he became the oldest winner of a Daytime Emmy, for a guest role on the soap “Days of Our Lives.”
And if that’s not enough, he recently penned 100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life. When talking about the book, he told ABC News, “Well, I had a few more things I wanted to say. I wanted to pass down some of my Wisdom to the younger generations.”
Van Dyke’s recent media interviews and 100 Rules for Living to 100 read as variations on a familiar theme: Longevity is not a single “hack,” but is often the sum of your mindset and Lifestyle choices. (Not surprisingly, his tips align closely with the 7 A’s of SuperAging in our books!)
1) Keep moving. Motion is maintenance
In his ABC News interview, Van Dyke says he has no major aches or pains and credits consistent Exercise, noting he goes to the gym three days a week—a habit he says is “good advice for anybody.” His fitness routine mainly consists of swimming laps, strength training, and doing “a lot” of stretching and Yoga.
[Read: The big benefits regular exercise brings to longevity]
2) Train the mind the way you train the body
In an excerpted passage from 100 Rules for Living to 100 reported on by Business Insider, Van Dyke describes activities such as daily crosswords and watching the TV show “Jeopardy!” as a way to “keep sharp.”
[Read: Brain boosters: The science-backed benefits of puzzles and brain games]
3) Choose optimism
In his book, he also writes that reaching 100 is due in part to having “stubbornly refused to give in to the bad stuff in life,” naming loss, loneliness, bitterness, and the various challenges of Aging. Instead, he says, “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.”
[Read: Can you learn how to be an optimist?]
4) Nourish your Relationships
Van Dyke credits his wife, Arlene Silver, with keeping him young, describing her as a source of energy, humor, and support. Science would likely agree. As we reported here, research shows that maintaining strong social connections is key to not only our day-to-day happiness, but healthy aging and longevity.
[Listen: Holding on and letting go: Sustaining friendship in your golden years]
5) Make room for reinvention
While his book focuses on ‘100 rules’, its framing (as described by his publisher) is less a rigid program for living a long life than an accumulation of reflections drawn from both joy and challenge. In other words: you adapt, you revise, you remain in conversation with change. Even now, at 100, Van Dyke talks about future roles he still wants to play, including that of the villainous Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.
[Read: The top 9 myths about aging—and they’re all debunked by science!]
A new documentary about his life, “Dick Van Dyke: 100th Celebration” was released to mark the actor’s new centenarian status. While hitting the 100 years old milestone is certainly cause for celebration, Van Dyke maintains he is not done. “The funniest thing is, it’s not enough. A hundred years is not enough. You want to live more, which I plan to,” he told ABC.
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