Dick Van Dyke is a living legend, and there aren’t enough awards in the world to properly honor the icon of screens big and small. But unfortunately, despite reports to the contrary over the weekend, a Primetime Emmy in 2024 won’t be one of them.
Van Dyke did not personally win an Emmy at the Creative Arts awards this weekend, which means he didn’t break any records as the oldest Primetime Emmy winner ever. The confusion comes from the fact that a special about Van Dyke — CBS’ “Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic,” did win an Emmy. And photos from the ceremony showed Van Dyke holding a statue. But it wasn’t his.
“Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic” won the Emmy for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded) at this weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys. But here’s the technicality: Van Dyke was not credited as a producer on the special, so he was not eligible to be listed as a nominee or winner.
That means reports that Van Dyke broke Norman Lear’s record and became the oldest Emmy Award winner ever at 98 years old are inaccurate. The record still holds for Lear, who was 98 (but a few months younger than Van Dyke is now) in 2020 when he won the Emmy for outstanding variety special (live) for “Live in Front of a Studio Audience.”
Here are the credited producers who did win for “Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic”: Exec producers Craig Plestis, Chris Wagner, Clara Plestis, Ashley Edens, Deena Katz, and Arlene Van Dyke; as we wll as supervisiong producer Stephanie Wagner; producers Brittany Cherry and Ariel Kubit; and line producer Chelsea Gonnering.
And yes, that means Van Dyke’s wife Arlene did win an Emmy as an exec producer. So even if the superstar didn’t, a statue is heading home to their house.
Van Dyke has won four Primetime Emmys over the years, most recently in 1977 in the outstanding comedy-variety or music series category, for NBC’s “Van Dyke and Company.” He also won Emmys for acting in “The Dick Van Dyke Show” in 1964, 1965 and 1966. And in 1995, he was inducted into the TV Academy’s Hall of Fame.
The star did break a record earlier this year, however, at the 2024 Daytime Emmys, winning in the outstanding guest performer in a drama series category (for “Days of Our Lives”), making him the oldest winner ever for that competition.
