Dick Van Dyke's 4 Children: All About Christian, Barry, Stacy and Carrie Beth

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty

Dick Van Dyke’s legacy extends far beyond his iconic role as Bert in the Disney classicMary Poppins. He also welcomed four children, Christian, Barry, Stacy and Carrie Beth, with late ex-wifeMargie Willett, to whom he wasmarried for 36 years.

“They all turned out great, I’m happy to say,” Dick toldUSA Todayin 2011. “Not a horse thief in the bunch.”

According to Barry, Dick was plenty of fun off-camera, too. “He was a terrific father,” theGalactica 1980star said in an appearance onBorn Famousin 1987. “He was very much a child in a man’s body and was attuned to us all the time. … He gave me great things: How to make the right choices, how to be your own person. Those things meant enough to me that I am gladly and proudly passing them on to my children.”

Still, Dick told the publication that his kids turned out to be “truly admirable,” adding, “Margie did the work, but I will take some credit.”

The Emmy winner is a grandpa to at least seven grandchildren and a great-grandfather of several more. On Father’s Day 2023, Dickgushed about his growing family.

“I never realized when I was first having kids what I was starting. But, I’m amazed and grateful to have lived long enough to spend Father’s Day with some of my kids, grandchildren AND great grandchildren!! All wonderful, non-toxic people!!” he wrote on Instagram.

Ahead of his 99th birthday in December 2024, Dick and his “big family” filmed a special extended directors’ cut music video for Coldplay’s single “All My Love." His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren gathered around the actor at his home in Malibu, Calif., asChris Martinsang in the background.

Here’s everything to know about Dick Van Dyke’s four children: Christian, Barry, Stacy and Carrie Beth.

Christian Van Dyke, 74

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The oldest Van Dyke child, Christian, was born on May 13, 1950. He started showbiz early, making his acting debut on Jan. 31, 1962, onThe Dick Van Dyke Showas a finger-snapping, fedora-wearing youngster named Frankie.

Unlike his famous father, however, Christian didn’t stay in Hollywood for long. He attended Occidental College in Los Angeles before heading to Arizona State University to earn a law degree, according toCascade Business News.

After graduating, Christian practiced law in Oregon, serving as deputy district attorney in Corvallis, assistant attorney general in Salem and district attorney in Marion County. He even worked as corporate counsel for Nike and later as vice president of marketing at Patagonia.

Christian became a dad in 1974, when then-wife Caroline Heller gave birth to a daughter named Jessica Lee. In April 1987, Jessica died at the age of 13. TheAssociated Pressreported that she had contracted chicken pox and suffered complications from Reye’s syndrome, which causes swelling in the brain and liver.

The couple had at least two other children, including a son and a daughter.

As for his own father, Christian still looks out for his dad: Dick told theGuardianin 2016 that his son “had doubts” about his marriage to makeup artistArlene Silver, who is 46 years his junior, but eventually came around. “After we exchanged our vows in 2012, he said, ‘Dad, I get it,’ " Dick recalled.

As of 2017, Christian was living in Bend, Oregon.

Barry Van Dyke, 73

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The second of Dick and Margie’s children, actor Barry Van Dyke, was born on July 31, 1951. He was passionate about his father’s business and stuck with the field long after his 1961 appearance onThe Dick Van Dykeshow at 9 years old.

Despite his early interest in the craft, however, he wasn’t a child actor, as Dick made his son wait until he was older to pursue a career in acting. “He wanted me to have my childhood. He told me that if I still wanted to act after I graduated high school, then it would be okay,” Barry told theLos Angeles Timesin 1994.

Raised in Mandeville Canyon and Encino, California, Barry recalled moving around a lot as a child. “You were always the new kid,” he said onBorn Famous.

He also did poorly in school. “He was not a good student,” Dick recalled of his son in the same interview. “He got in trouble in school only because he didn’t do his homework.”

As a teenager, Barry worked at a local movie theater, where he met his future wife, Mary Carey, at the age of 16. He later had a job as a gofer onThe New Dick Van Dyke Show, holding cue cards and gaining production experience. He told theL.A. Timesthat his father also helped him get an agent, which enabled him to land jobs as an extra and in small parts in films and shows, likeGalactica 1980,AirwolfandCasino.

In 1974, he and Mary tied the knot. The pair share four children: sons Carey, Shane and Wes and daughter Taryn. “He’s an incredible father. An absolutely incredible father, much better than I was,” Dick said onBorn Famous. “He is devoted to the family, that’s his primary interest, his priority.”

Barry’s big acting break came in 1993, when he joined his father’s seriesDiagnosis: Murder, starring as detective Steve Sloan. “It’s an easy role for me to fall into,” he told theL.A. Times. “My dad pretty much plays himself. You’re seeing the real him. All that warmth and humanity really comes across. So I tend to play myself. So their relationship is pretty much ours.”

The dynamic duo also starred in the Hallmark film seriesMurder 101. “I’d work with him any time,” Barry said in 1987. “[He is] the best to work with, very creative. … He set a fine example.”

Barry most recently starred in 2019’sHeavenly Deposit. He is also a grandfather: Carey has several children, including Ava, Gracie and Jane, with his first wife Anne Coolbaugh; Shane welcomed a son named Kayden with wifeJulie Schreinerin October 2021; and Wes has two children, Kyla Mae and Conor, with wife Aisling.

Carey and Shane, both actors and writers, wrote the spec script that was later developed into 2022’sDon’t Worry Darling.

Stacy Van Dyke, 69

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Like her big brothers, Stacy Van Dyke, born around 1955, appeared on screen alongside her famous father in roles like Sally onThe New Dick Van DykeShowand Carol Hilton onDiagnosis: Murder.

In the 1970s, Stacy was performing at the Windmill Dinner Theater in the performing group the Barnstormers, according toPhoenix Theater History. In July 1979,theArizona Republicreported that Stacy married Mike Breen, a musician who was also part of the group. Little else is known of Stacy’s personal life, however, as she has largely stayed out of the public eye.

Carrie Beth Van Dyke, 63

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Carrie Beth Van Dyke is the youngest of Dick’s children. Born on Oct. 18, 1961, she was the last of her siblings to appear onThe New Dick Van DykeShow, starring in two series episodes in the early ’70s.

Carrie has lived much of her life out of the limelight. In 1983, she married an actor and musician named Kevin McNally, who would later appear on 19 episodes ofDiagnosis: Murder. The couple also met while working at the Windmill Dinner Theater. In 2015, McNally published a song onSoundCloudcalled “Searching Your Eyes”; he shared that he wrote and recorded the song when he and Carrie first began dating. The song also features her sister Stacy and Stacy’s husband Breen.

The couple later moved to L.A. and welcomed two children. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in 2008.

source: people.com