# Jerry Van Dyke

Jerry McCord Van Dyke (July 27, 1931 – January 5, 2018) was an American actor and comedian. He was the younger brother of Dick Van Dyke.
Van Dyke had a long and successful career mostly as a character actor in supporting and guest roles on popular television series. He made his television acting debut on The Dick Van Dyke Show with several guest appearances as Rob Petrie's brother, Stacey. From 1989 to 1997, he played Luther Van Dam on the popular series Coach.

## Early life

Jerry McCord Van Dyke was born in Danville, Illinois, on July 27, 1931, to Hazel Victoria (née McCord), a stenographer, and Loren Wayne "Cookie" Van Dyke, a salesman. He was of Dutch, English, Irish, and Scottish descent.

## Career
### Early career

Van Dyke pursued a stand-up comedy career while still in Danville High School and was already a veteran of strip joints and nightclubs when he joined the United States Air Force Tops In Blue in 1954 and 1955. During the mid-1950s, Van Dyke worked at WTHI-TV in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Jerry Van Dyke Show, which included future CBS News Early Show news anchor Joseph Benti, Nancee South and Ben Falber, was popular fare. In the service, he performed at military bases around the world, twice winning the All Air Force Talent Show.
Following his first guest appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show and two others on CBS's The Ed Sullivan Show, CBS made him a regular on The Judy Garland Show. He was also given hosting chores on the 1963 game show Picture This. In that same year, movie audiences saw him in supporting roles in McLintock!, Palm Springs Weekend and The Courtship of Eddie's Father.

### Television career

In 1963 Van Dyke was cast on an episode of GE True, hosted by Jack Webb. When The Judy Garland Show was unsuccessfully revamped, Van Dyke left the program. He turned down the offer to play Gilligan on Gilligan's Island, a role which instead went to Bob Denver. He appeared as a guest star in one episode of The Andy Griffith Show. He also appeared in a 1964 episode of The Cara Williams Show. Van Dyke finally accepted the lead role of attorney David Crabtree in My Mother the Car (1965), the misadventures of a man whose deceased mother Gladys (voiced by Ann Sothern) is reincarnated as a restored antique car. Though the series was a commercial failure, Van Dyke continued to work steadily in supporting television and film roles through the rest of the decade.
He starred in another short-lived situation comedy Accidental Family (1967) as widowed comedian Jerry Webster who buys a farm to raise his son while he is not away on professional tours. Well received by critics, Van Dyke was upset when NBC scheduled the show for Fridays at 9:30pm, sandwiched between the poorly-rated Star Trek and filler documentaries, known as the Friday night death slot, leading to the show's failure.
He was also featured in Love and Kisses (1965) and as Andy Griffith's co-star in Angel in My Pocket (1969).
During the 1970s, Van Dyke returned to stand-up comedy. He spent much of the decade touring Playboy Clubs around the country and headlining venues in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, Summerfest in Milwaukee, and in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He returned to television for guest appearances on Love, American Style and Fantasy Island. In 1973 he portrayed Wes Callison, Children's Comedy Writer, on the season three episode "But Seriously, Folks" on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He also had roles in The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Duffy Moon (1976) and 13 Queens Boulevard (1979). Also in 1989 he appeared as a panelist in the pilot for the revival of Match Game, hosted by Bert Convy.
In 1988, Van Dyke made a guest appearance on Scott Baio's sitcom Charles in Charge as Jamie Powell's health teacher Mr. Merkin. In 1989, he began portraying beloved, yet befuddled, assistant coach Luther Van Dam on the long-running series Coach. For this role, Van Dyke received four Emmy Award nominations from 1990 through 1994 for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series".

### Later career

In 1995, Van Dyke appeared in a series of Hardee's commercials to promote the Big Hardee, then in the late 1990s acted as the spokesperson for Big Lots. He had a recurring role on Yes, Dear as Big Jimmy, the father of Jimmy Hughes. He made a guest appearance on a September 2008 episode of My Name Is Earl and in 2010 he made an appearance on the second-season episode, "A Simple Christmas" of the television series, The Middle, playing Frankie's father, Tag Spence. He returned in "Thanksgiving III" in November 2011, "Thanksgiving IV" in November 2012, "From Orson with Love" in May 2013, "Thanksgiving V" in November 2013. and "Flirting with disaster" in March 2015. Van Dyke also played the object of Maw Maw's affections on the 18th episode of the first season of Raising Hope. In a December 2013 episode of The Millers he played Bud Miller, father to Margo Martindale's character, Carol. In his final television role in April 2015, he reprised his role as Frankie's father on The Middle, along with real-life brother Dick Van Dyke playing his character's brother.

## Personal life

Van Dyke was married twice and had three children with first wife Carol: Jerri Lynn, Kelly Jean, and Ronald. Kelly Jean died by suicide in 1991, following struggles with substance abuse.
Jerry and his second wife, Shirley, lived on an 800-acre (324-hectare) ranch near Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Van Dyke was an avid poker player and announced a number of poker tournaments for ESPN in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was also a four-string banjo player with several performances on The Dick Van Dyke Show to his credit.

## Death

On January 5, 2018, Van Dyke died at his Hot Spring County, Arkansas, ranch from heart failure at the age of 86. He had been in declining health after a car accident two years earlier.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1963 | The Courtship of Eddie's Father | Norman Jones | |
| 1963 | Palm Springs Weekend | Biff Roberts | |
| 1963 | McLintock! | Matt Douglas Jr. | |
| 1965 | Love & Kisses | Freddy | |
| 1969 | Angel in My Pocket | Emery | |
| 1987 | Death Blow: A Cry for Justice | Bernard Blackwell | |
| 1988 | Run If You Can | Brian | |
| 1992 | To Grandmother's House We Go | Harvey 'Harv' | TV movie |
| 1997 | Annabelle's Wish | Grandpa Baker | TV movie |
| 1997 | Merry Christmas, George Bailey | Uncle Billy | TV movie |
| 2001 | Surviving Gilligan's Island | Himself | TV movie |
| 2011 | Moon Ring | Darrell | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1962-1965 | The Dick Van Dyke Show | Stacey Petrie | 4 episodes |
| 1962 | The Ed Sullivan Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1962 | G.E. True | Corporal Bailey | Episode: "The Handmade Private" |
| 1962 | The Andy Williams Show | Himself | Episode: "Tammy Grimes/Jerry Van Dyke" |
| 1963 | The Garry Moore Show | Himself | Episode: "Dorothy Loudon, Keely Smith, Jerry Van Dyke" |
| 1963 | Picture This | Host | 12 episodes |
| 1963-1964 | The Judy Garland Show | Himself | 9 episodes |
| 1964 | Perry Mason | James Douglas | Episode: "The Case of the Woeful Widower" |
| 1964 | The Hollywood Palace | Himself | Episode: "1.15" |
| 1964 | The Cara Williams Show | Carter Devereaux III | Episode: "Cara Fiddles While Her Hero Burns" |
| 1965 | The Andy Griffith Show | Jerry | Episode: "Banjo Playing Deputy" |
| 1965-1966 | My Mother The Car | Dave Crabtree | 30 episodes |
| 1967 | That Girl | Howie | Episode: "Leaving the Nest Is for the Birds" |
| 1967 | Vacation Playhouse | George/Goggle's Father | 2 episodes |
| 1967-1968 | Accidental Family | Jerry Webster | 16 episodes |
| 1967 | Kraft Music Hall | Himself | Episode: "How the West Was Swung" |
| 1968 | Good Morning World | Jerry Carroll | Episode: "Partner, Meet My Partner" |
| 1968 | Gomer Pyle: USMC | Jerry Ball | Episode: "Gomer and the Night Club Comic" |
| 1968 | Dick Van Dyke | Himself | Special |
| 1970-1971 | Love, American Style | Dwayne Barone/Gordon/John Pettidrew | 3 episodes |
| 1970 | Headmaster | Jerry Brownell | 14 episodes |
| 1972-1973 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Wes Callison | 2 episodes |
| 1973 | The New Dick Van Dyke Show | Mickey Preston | Episode: "Big Brother is Watching You" |
| 1976 | ABC Afterschool Special | Mr. Finley | Episode: "The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Cosmic Moon" |
| 1976 | Van Dyke and Company | Dick Van Dyke (voice) | Episode: "1.3" |
| 1978-1981 | Fantasy Island | Mr. Brennan/Fred Cooper | 2 episodes |
| 1979 | 13 Queens Boulevard | Steven Winters | 9 episodes |
| 1980 | House Calls | Dr. Duane Kellogg | Episode: "The Dead Beat" |
| 1982 | The Love Boat | Norman Quigley | Episode: The Groupies/The Audition/Doc's Nephew" |
| 1983 | Newhart | Roy Herzog | Episode: "You're Homebody 'til Somebody Loves You" |
| 1986 | Fresno | Tucker Agajanian | Miniseries |
| 1988 | Coming of Age | Shopkeeper | Episode: "The Sopwith Pup" |
| 1988 | Charles in Charge | Mr. Merken | Episode: "The Blackboard Bungle" |
| 1989-1997 | Coach | Luther Van Dam | 199 episodes |
| 1997 | The Drew Carey Show | Luther Van Dam | Episode: "Drew Gets Married" |
| 1997 | Grace Under Fire | Luther Van Dam | Episode: "Vegas" |
| 1997-1998 | You Wish | Grandpa Max | 10 episodes |
| 1998 | Teen Angel | Jerry Beauchamp | 6 episodes |
| 1998 | The New Addams Family | The Burglar | Episode: "Halloween with the Addams Family" |
| 1999 | Diagnosis: Murder | Stacy Sloan | Episode: "Sleeping Murder" |
| 2001-2005 | Yes, Dear | Big Jimmy Hughes | 7 episodes |
| 2004 | The District | Judge Beers | Episode: "The Black Widow Maker" |
| 2004 | The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited | Stacey Petrie | TV special |
| 2005 | Committed | Walker | Episode: "The Snap Out of It Episode" |
| 2008 | My Name Is Earl | Jerry | Episode: "Stole an RV" |
| 2010-2015 | The Middle | Tag Spence | 8 episodes |
| 2011 | Raising Hope | Mel | Episode: "Cheaters" |
| 2013 | The Millers | Bud | Episode: "Carol's Parents are Coming to Town" |