Beloved actor and comedian Dick Van Dyke suffered injuries when he was involved in a car crash in Malibu, California.
According to a CNN, Van Dyke, 97, was involved in a car crash in the city of Malibu on the morning of Wednesday, March 15, though news of the collision is only recently being reported. Officers were called to the scene of the accident, which involved only one vehicle–a silver Lexus–that had collided with a gate.
A spokesman for the Malibu Police Department confirmed to CNN that Van Dyke–best known for embodying the roles of Bert the chimney sweep in Disney’s Mary Poppins alongside actress Julie Andrews, and Rob Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show alongside the talented Mary Tyler Moore–suffered injuries when his vehicle, the silver Lexus, collided with the gate. The spokesman also confirmed that the Malibu Fire Department had been notified at the time of the accident, though no other details were available.
Van Dyke has a long and decorated career in Hollywood and on the stage as well. The talented actor and performer won a Tony Award for his role in the musical Bye, Bye Birdie He landed his role on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran on CBS for five years, from 1961 to 1966. His film career was launched with the debut of Disney’s Mary Poppins (1964), and that career got another boost in 1968, when he embraced the role of inventor Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
In 2018, Van Dyke made a silver-screen dancing cameo in Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns starring Emily Blunt. The uber-talented actor has also won four Emmys and one Grammy over the course of his successful career. In 2022, he even starred in a music video released by his wife and her band–Arlene & The Vantastix. And earlier this year, Van Dyke shocked and delighted fans of all ages when it was revealed that he was the Gnome on the prime-time series The Masked Singer on FOX.
Though few details about Van Dyke’s accident have been released, it has been confirmed that the actor’s injuries are considered “minor.” It is not clear at this time what caused the actor’s vehicle to collide with the gate in Malibu. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
