Dick Van Dyke hopes he can travel to Buckingham Palace to be knighted by the Queen. (Paul Morigi / Getty Images)
Dick Van Dyke has received a ton of awards throughout his long and successful career in showbiz – and now he has a knighthood in mind.
The 95-year-old star is branded in film history for appearing in family classics like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
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While accepting his latest Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center for Contribution to American Culture, he told The Mirror that he had another prestigious honor in his sights.
“I think the next one is an accolade,” said the beloved entertainer.
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“I just turned 95 so I’m happy to be everywhere,” he joked at the ceremony at the Kennedy Center. “If I had known that I would live that long, I would have taken better care of myself.”
Van Dyke added: “The recognition from your colleagues is always the icing on the cake. How did I get a Kennedy Prize? I never trained or did anything. I just enjoyed it. “
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If Van Dyke were honored by the Queen, he would become one of many entertainment Americans to win Knighthoods, including Bob Hope and Steven Spielberg.
Recipients cannot refer to themselves as Sir or Dame, but can use the post-nominal letters KBE or DBE.
Dick Van Dyke is still best known for playing Bert the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins. (Silver Screen Collection / Hulton Archive / Getty Images)
Van Dyke’s career began on the radio in the 1940s before moving to the Broadway stage, where he eventually won a Tony Award for Bye Bye Birdie in 1961.
He rose to more mainstream fame as the star of the sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show in the 1960s before moving to the big screen with roles in Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
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He then appeared in the 2018 sequel, Mary Poppins Returns, in which he portrayed the older banker’s son, whom he played under heavy makeup in the original film.
Last year he made a cameo on the Showtime comedy series Kidding with Jim Carrey.
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