TV Legend Dick Van Dyke to Guest Star on Days of Our Lives!
Jack Ori
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Days of Our Lives is no stranger to hiring prominent name actors.
Sometimes people make a name for themselves on the soap before hitting the big time, such as when Days of Our Lives alum Charlotte Ross joined the cast of NYPD Blue. Other times, Days of Our Lives hires well-known actors such as Marla Gibbs as recurring characters.
And now, Days of Our Lives has scored its biggest guest appearance yet -- Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke!
At 97, Van Dyke is one of Hollywood's oldest and best-known actors. Whether you know him as the ottoman-tripping Rob Petrie from the 1950s Dick Van Dyke show, movies such as Mary Poppins, or his long-running cozy mystery series Diagnosis: Murder, you're sure to have seen him SOMEWHERE.
He shows no signs of slowing down, having recently appeared on The Masked Singer. And now he can add a soap opera appearance to his lengthy resume.
According to an interview with Access Hollywood, Van Dyke will appear in one episode of Days of Our Lives as an older man who has forgotten who he is. Van Dyke's character will interact with John and Marlena, but there are no further details available about this storyline.
Marlena is known for hypnotizing people to help them recover lost memories, so she probably will do so for Van Dyke's character.
Usually, these one-off appearances lead to vital information for a different storyline, but it's hard to speculate on what that could be.
This storyline may also be interesting for John Black, who years ago came to Salem with a bad case of amnesia; John and Marlena's relationship began when he mistakenly believed he was her lost husband, Roman Brady.
Since Van Dyke is only slated to appear in one episode as of now, it's not likely he will turn out to be a lost central character. Still, he may have vital information for someone or lost his memory thanks to Megan Hathaway or another villain.
This could be a fantastic opportunity to feature the iconic actor and open up possibilities for a big story, even if it doesn't involve him.
Van Dyke is primarily known as a comedic actor, but that doesn't mean this role won't be serious; he's done dramatic roles as well.
However, this is the first time he has done a soap opera in his long career, leading the actor to quip that this was the first time he was asked to play an old man like himself.
According to Van Dyke, he got this role thanks to his friendship with Drake Hogestyn (John Black).
The two actors work out at the same gym; Van Dkyle jokingly asked Hogestyn to get him a role on his soap opera -- and Hogestyn obliged!
Van Dyke is not the only 97-year-old to appear on Days of Our Lives; Bill Hayes has been on the series since the 1970s and still appears occasionally.
It doesn't appear that Hayes and Van Dyke will share any scenes, but it would be a wonderful surprise if they did. Both are well-known not only as actors but as singers.
Hayes has sung on Days of Our Lives on and off over the years, most often at Christmas time in recent years. And, of course, Van Dyke sang on The Dick Van Dyke Show and in iconic movies such as Mary Poppins, as well as recently on The Masked Singer.
Even if Van Dyke and Hayes don't get to sing together, will there be an opportunity for Van Dyke to use his vocal skills during his guest appearance? Music therapy is beneficial for real-life patients with memory problems, so that would be a perfect excuse to let Van Dyke sing!
Van Dyke's inclusion in Days of Our Lives makes Marla Gibbs the second most famous actor on Days of Our Lives.
Gibbs is a veteran of classic situation comedies such as The Jeffersons and 227, the latter of which she starred in with Days of Our Lives regular Jackee Harry. So Van Dyke's guest appearance continues the trend of veteran comedians visiting the long-running soap opera.
Van Dyke's appearance also is a tribute to Days of Our Lives' continued longevity.
After the long-running soap moved from NBC to Peacock, some viewers wondered if it was the beginning of the end, but it is not only still going strong but has the power to attract well-known talent such as Dick Van Dyke.
Since Days of Our Lives tapes six months in advance, Van Dyke's appearance won't air until late October, giving fans plenty of time to speculate about how it will fit into the storyline.
What do you think, Days of Our Lives fanatics?
Are you excited about Dick Van Dyke's appearance? How do you think his story will fit into the canvas? What do you hope happens?
Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button, and let us know your thoughts!
For more Days of Our Lives chat, check out the latest Days of Our Lives reviews, Days of Our Lives spoilers, and Days of Our Lives Round Table discussions.
Days of Our Lives streams exclusively on Peacock. New episodes drop on weekdays at 6 AM EST / 3 AM PST.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.
