Barry Van Dyke Wife, Children, Family, Height, Net Worth, Is He Dead?

Quick Facts

Barry Van Dyke is an American actor, writer and director. As an actor, he is best known for his role in the crime/medical drama series Diagnosis: Murder (1993-2001). On the show, Barry Van Dyke played the role of Detective Steve Sloan, the son of Dr Mark Sloan (played by his real-life father Dick Van Dyke).

Apart from his starring role, the multitalented actor also took on some behind-the-scenes roles for some episodes of Diagnosis: Murder. When the show ended in 2001, the actor went on to work on the made-for-TV Murder 101 film series (2006-2008).

Biography

The multitalented actor was born Barry Wayne Van Dyke on July 31, 1951, in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the second son of the legendary Hollywood entertainer Dick Van Dyke and his first spouse, . His parents got divorced way back in the 1980s. His mother Margie Willett passed on in 2008.

The actor has 3 siblings, an older brother and 2 younger sisters. His brother Christian Van Dyke as well as his sisters Stacy Van Dyke and Carrie Beth Van Dyke also have a few acting credits. Indeed all his siblings gave acting a shot, however, Barry was the only one who went the whole nine yards.

Born to a man considered to be Hollywood royalty, Barry Van Dyke made his TV debut in 1962 on an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show, a sitcom which was headlined by his father. After that, he took a long hiatus from TV pending the completion of his high school education. Upon graduation, Barry returned to acting as an extra on the well-acclaimed sitcom The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971-1974). He had his college education at Pierce Junior College in Los Angeles where he majored in Theater Arts.

As a young rising actor, he made guest appearances on several TV shows including Gemini Man (1976), Wonder Woman (1977) and The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove (1979). In 1980, the actor joined the main cast of the short-lived sci-fi series Galactica 1980. He was also on the main cast of Gun Shy (1983) and Airwolf (1987). He featured in popular 80s TV series such as Magnum P. I. (1983), The Dukes of Hazzard (1983) and The Redd Foxx Show (1986).

Barry Van Dyke landed his first major role working alongside his father on the short-lived sitcom The Van Dyke Show (1988). He eventually got his big break when he landed the main role of Detective Steve Sloan in the series Diagnosis: Murder (1993-2001), one of his most notable roles till date. The actor alongside his world-famous father featured in all 8 seasons of the long-running series.

Barry Van Dyke went ahead to feature alongside his father in the Hallmark telefilm series Murder 101 (2006-2008).

Barry Van Dyke’s Wife

Barry Van Dyke is currently married to Marey Van Dyke (née Carey). The duo met when Barry was just a teenager working at a movie theatre. They got married 7 years after that in 1974.

Barry and his wife Mary have 4 children together: 3 sons Carey, Shane and Wes and a daughter named Taryn. The Van Dykes are really a dynasty of actors and entertainers as these set of Van Dykes have also ventured into showbiz.

Children, Family

The actor’s first son Carey Wayne Van Dyke was born on February 25, 1976, in Los Angeles, California. He is an actor and a writer. As an actor, he featured in several characters on Diagnosis: Murder alongside his father and grandfather. His writing credit includes the 2012 horror film Chernobyl Diaries.

Shane Van Dyke is the second son of Barry Van Dyke. He was born on August 28, 1979. He is also an actor, writer and film director. He is the writer and director of the 2010 adventure film Titanic II, in which he also starred. Shane Van Dyke also has the writing credits of Chernobyl Diaries (2012) alongside his brother Carey Wayne.

Wesley “Wes” Van Dyke was born on October 22, 1984. He is a successful artist and also an actor. His acting credits include Diagnosis Murder (1993), Murder 101 (2006) and a small role in Titanic II (2010).

His only daughter Taryn Elizabeth Van Dyke was born on June 1, 1986. She is a kindergarten teacher. However, she has a few acting credits including Diagnosis Murder (1993) and Murder 101: College Can Be Murder (2007).

Is He Dead?

The answer to the above question is a big no. Barry Van Dyke is still very much alive and well. However, the Van Dyke dynasty lost one of their own in January 2018. Barry’s uncle Jerry Van Dyke passed on on January 5, 2018. He was best known for his role as Luther Van Dam on the long-running ABC sitcom Coach (1989-1997). Other than the loss of his uncle, all other death rumours about Barry Van Dyke are mere hoaxes.

Net Worth

Barry Van Dyke has an estimated net worth of $3 million. This is a fairly reasonable amount of wealth for a man who has put in several decades of hard work into his trade. Much of this sum, as expected, was earned through his acting career as well as his occasional behind-the-scenes roles.

Height

Height: 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.