At 100 years old, Dick Van Dyke has lived long enough to know that the best things in life don’t always follow expectations — and his marriage to Arlene Silver is a perfect example.
Speaking exclusively to People at Dick & Arlene Van Dyke Present Vandy Camp, the legendary actor shared that many doubted his relationship with Silver, now 54, would last. Thirteen years into their marriage, Van Dyke says the skepticism couldn’t have been more wrong.
“We get along so well,” he said simply, explaining the foundation of their enduring bond.
“We just care about each other so much,” Silver added warmly.
Van Dyke smiled as he recalled the early doubts. “Everybody said it wouldn’t work,” he admitted. Silver laughed beside him, noting, “It’s kind of eerie how well it works. People the same age don’t always last.”
Their connection, built on mutual respect and unwavering support, has become a defining part of Van Dyke’s later years. Silver credits her husband with giving her confidence and encouragement.
“He’s made me feel like I can do anything,” she said.
“And you can,” Van Dyke replied without hesitation.
The actor also reminisced about the moment they first met — a memory that still surprises him.
“I never said hello to a strange girl in my life. I was too scared,” he recalled. But something about Silver changed that. “I was backstage at a show, and she walked by. For some reason, I just jumped up and said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick.’ There was just something about her — and I was right.”
The couple’s shared values were on full display at Vandy Camp, an event that Silver described as a reflection of their relationship: supportive, joyful, and rooted in community.
“We’re very supportive of each other,” she said. “This event brings all of that together in one place.”
Held in Malibu, California, the gathering doubled as a fundraiser benefiting the Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation Community Brigade. For the couple, the setting felt personal.
“We love being home,” Silver explained. “Malibu is our favorite place — our house especially. This feels like inviting people into our home.”
Despite recent challenges, including damage to their home from the Franklin fire, Silver expressed gratitude.
“In the grand scheme of things, we were very lucky,” she said.
Van Dyke, ever the optimist, added with a grin, “And I’m seven months from a hundred.”
The couple first crossed paths at the SAG Awards in 2006, where Silver was working as a makeup artist. After collaborating on several projects, their friendship blossomed into romance, and they married in 2012.
More than a decade later, Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver continue to defy expectations — not by trying to prove anyone wrong, but simply by loving each other well.
And at 100 years old, Van Dyke’s message is clear: sometimes, the most lasting love stories are the ones no one saw coming.
