The success of his older brother Dick Van Dyke opened doors for him particularly with a recurring role as Rob Petrie's brother on The Dick Van Dyke Show, frequent stand up appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and a regular on The Judy Garland Show.
The younger Van Dyke could have attained stardom as Gilligan on Gilligan's Island and as Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, but he turned down both roles much to the delight of both Bob Denver and Don Knotts. Van Dyke would star in My Mother The Car which would air on NBC during the 1965-1966 season. Considered among the worst shows in the history of television, My Mother The Car did considerable damage to Van Dyke's career.
Van Dyke spent the 1970's and 1980's working as stand up comedian and doing occasional guest TV spots. The 1990's would prove to be Van Dyke's best decade when he was cast as Luther Van Dam in the hit ABC sitcom Coach starring Craig T. Nelson. Van Dyke would receive four Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Van Dam.
Following the end of Coach, Van Dyke became a fixture on the celebrity poker scene and made recurring appearances on the sitcoms Yes, Dear and The Middle.
Last night, someone on Twitter was talking to me about this December 1975 appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and decided to make a point of watching it. And now he's gone. I'm glad I watched. R.I.P.
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