Dick Van Dyke Returns to the Days of Our Lives ?
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After decades and decades of revisions, false starts, fake dads and misplaced identities, last fall, Days of Our Lives finally put who John’s father is to rest once and for all. It was still Timothy Robicheaux, but he wasn’t the man we thought! Instead of being the terrorist played by Tobin Bell, it turns out he was a kindly amnesiac who had his identity stolen, who was played by none other than Dick Van Dyke.
Sure, it was the umpteenth revision of John’s history, but at least this time it was a good one that gave John’s family, more or less, a happy ending. But it begs the question of whether we’ll ever see Timothy again. It seems a shame for John to finally get a kind, loving father in town and for us to never to see him.
Well, in a recent interview with our sister site Deadline, van Dyke once again reiterated that he’s never planning on retiring — and he was pretty darn excited about his time on Days of Our Lives!
“I’ve just done my first soap opera,” he told Deadline excitedly. “Never done that before! I played an old guy, of course, in a wheelchair. My wife played my attendant.”
His wife, of course, is makeup artist Arlene Silver, whom he married back in 2012 after his longtime partner of over 30 years, Michelle Triola Marvin, passed away. Though she didn’t quite play his attendant, but the cop who brought Van Dyke’s amnesiac John Doe into Salem University Hospital — and whom he flirted incessantly with the whole time!
Timothy is still out there — every now and then since he popped up, the show has made sure to drop a line about John giving his dad a call. And let’s not forget that van Dyke is up for a Daytime Emmy this Friday for his Days of Our Lives turn. (You can check out the full Emmy nominee list here.) We’d love to have him pop up again regardless of what happens, but if he wins an award for his role, it would seem a downright shame if we didn’t get Timothy at least popping up again for a holiday or two.
Because we couldn’t help but notice that the legendary actor didn’t just say he did a soap opera, but that he did his first one! If that means he’s up for more, we’re all in.
Plus while Bill Hayes and Doug may, sadly, be gone, it was a true delight to see him performing a musical number with Van Dyke on screen. It would be a blast to see Timothy and Julie reunite again — and somehow, we have a feeling Susan Seaforth Hayes would love it too! Check out the behind-the-scenes preparation for their number below.
And with van Dyke never looking to retire, hopefully more visits to Salem are still in the cards! For now, though, best of luck to the legendary actor and all those nominated this Friday, and we can’t wait to see what happens next!
