Dick Van Dyke on 46-Year Age Gap With Wife: "It Works So Well"

Against All Odds

Love stories in Hollywood often come with plot twists, but few are as heartwarming — and enduring—as the one between Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver. Thirteen years after tying the knot, the couple says their bond is only growing stronger.

At 99 years old, Van Dyke, the beloved star of The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Poppins, is just months away from turning 100. His wife, Arlene Silver, 53, is a singer and former makeup artist. Despite a 46-year age gap, the couple is defying expectations — and proving that connection matters more than numbers.

The pair recently appeared at their second Vandy Camp charity event in Malibu, where they opened up to People magazine about their marriage and the joy they continue to find in one another.

“Everybody said it wouldn’t work,” Van Dyke admitted, reflecting on the doubts many voiced early on in their relationship.

Their paths first crossed in 2006 at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where Silver was working behind the scenes. Van Dyke, still grieving the loss of his longtime partner Michelle Triola, found an unexpected spark. What began as a spontaneous “Hi, I’m Dick” turned into something neither of them could have predicted.

Their romance began in earnest a few years later, rooted not in glitz but in small, meaningful gestures — like Silver bringing Van Dyke food after long days at work. As he tells it, that simple act of care helped him fall in love again.

Now, more than a decade into marriage, they speak of each other with the warmth and ease of a couple who truly get each other. Silver says their age difference hasn’t been a barrier at all. In fact, it’s one of the things that makes their relationship so special.

“We just care about each other so much,” she told People — a sentiment that seems to sum up their whole dynamic.

In an industry where relationships often flicker and fade, Van Dyke and Silver offer something refreshingly rare: a love that’s steady, supportive, and still full of surprises.