Although best known for iconic roles in films such as Mary Poppins and Night At The Museum, Dick Van Dyke once came close to being cast as one of cinema’s most famous spies.
In a conversation with Today on Tuesday, November 18, the 99-year-old acting icon shared this surprising tidbit about his career.
During the interview with host Al Roker, Van Dyke, whose career spans over seven decades, was asked about a longstanding rumor: “Is it true you could have almost become James Bond?”
Van Dyke quickly confirmed, “I almost did,” before explaining how the opportunity eluded him.
He recounted that after Sean Connery left the Bond series, producer Albert Broccoli approached him with the role. Van Dyke humorously questioned, “[Producer] Albert Broccoli came to me and said, ‘Would you like to be Bond?’ And I said, ‘Have you heard my British accent?’ Click!”
Despite the humorous recollection referencing his infamous Cockney accent in Mary Poppins, Van Dyke revealed that he had the option to take on the role. However, he felt it might not align with the image that his fans had come to expect.
At the time, Van Dyke’s work primarily consisted of family-friendly entertainment, and he was concerned about alienating his audience by taking on a more intense, action-focused role.
He admitted that “audiences may not have accepted it from me.”
Nonetheless, Van Dyke acknowledged that portraying the iconic spy would “have been a great experience.”
Van Dyke began his career in the 1940s, but it was his 1959 Broadway debut in The Girls Against the Boys that set the stage for some of his most memorable achievements.
Starting in 1960, he took on the role of Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie and starred in his own sitcom, The Dick Van Dyke Show, which aired from 1961 to 1966.
His stellar Hollywood career included movies like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins, and Divorce American Style, among others.
By 1970, Van Dyke had become a household name and continued to entertain audiences through both film and television over the past 50 years. Even as he approaches his 100th birthday, he remains as active as ever.
“I don’t want to,” he told Roker. “I mean, it’s my hobby. It’s my life. I love it.”