This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (June 2010)

Robert Henry Dicke (May 6, 1916 – March 4, 1997) was an American physicist who made important contributions to the fields of astrophysics, atomic physics, cosmology and gravity.^{[citation needed]}

Biography[link]

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Dicke completed his bachelor's degree at Princeton University and his doctorate, in 1939, from the University of Rochester in nuclear physics. During the Second World War he worked in the Radiation Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he worked on the development of radar and designed the Dicke radiometer, a microwave receiver. He used this to set a limit on the temperature of the microwave background radiation, from the roof of the Radiation Laboratory, of less than 20 kelvins.

In 1946, he returned to Princeton University, where he remained for the rest of his career. He did some work in atomic physics, particularly on the laser and measuring the gyromagnetic ratio of the electron. An important contribution to the field of Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer was his prediction of the phenomenon called Dicke narrowing^[1] (aka collisional narrowing): When the mean free path of an atom is much smaller than the wavelength of one of its radiation transitions, the atom changes velocity and direction many times during the emission or absorption of a photon. This causes an averaging over different Doppler states and results in an atomic linewidth that is much narrower than the Doppler width. Dicke narrowing occurs at relatively low pressures in the millimeter wave and microwave regions (where it is used in atomic clocks to improve precision). Dicke narrowing is analogous to the Mössbauer effect for gamma rays.

He spent the remainder of his career developing a program of precision tests of general relativity using the framework of the equivalence principle. With Carl H. Brans, he developed Brans-Dicke theory of gravitation,^[2] an equivalence-principle violating modification of general relativity inspired by Paul Dirac's large numbers hypothesis and Mach's principle. A highlight experiment was the classic test of the equivalence principle by Roll, Krotkov and Dicke,^[3] a factor of 100 more accurate than previous work. He also made measurements of solar oblateness^[4] which were useful in understanding the perihelion precession of Mercury's orbit, one of the classical tests of general relativity.

Dirac had noted that the gravitational constant G is very roughly equal to the inverse age of the universe (in certain 'natural' units), and had concluded that G must vary to maintain this equality. Dicke^[5] realized that Dirac's relation could be a selection effect: fundamental physical laws connect G to the lifetime of what are called main sequence stars, such as our Sun, and these stars, according to Dicke, are necessary for the existence of life. At any other epoch, when the equality did not hold, there would be no intelligent life around to notice the discrepancy. This was the first modern application of what is now called the weak anthropic principle.

In the early 1960s, work on Brans-Dicke theory led Dicke to think about the early Universe, and with Jim Peebles he re-derived the prediction of a cosmic microwave background (having allegedly forgotten the earlier prediction of George Gamow and co-workers). Naturally, Dicke, with David Todd Wilkinson and Peter G. Roll immediately set about building a Dicke radiometer to search for the radiation, but they were famously scooped^[6] by the accidental detection made by Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson (also using a Dicke radiometer), who were working at Bell Labs just a few miles from Princeton. Nevertheless, Dicke's group made the second clean detection, and their theoretical interpretation of Penzias & Wilson's results^[7] showed that theories of the early universe had moved from pure speculation into well-tested physics.

Dicke (1970)^[8] gave an interesting argument that the universe must have very nearly the critical density of matter needed to stop it expanding forever. Standard models of the universe pass through stages dominated by radiation, matter, curvature etc. Transitions between stages are very special cosmic times which a priori could differ by many orders of magnitude. Since there is a non-negligible amount of matter, either we are coincidentally living close to the transition to or from the matter-dominated stage, or we are in the middle of it; the latter is preferred since the coincidences are highly unlikely (an application of the Copernican principle). This implies a negligible curvature, so the universe must have almost critical density. This has been called the "Dicke coincidence" argument.^[9] In fact it gives the wrong answer, since we seem to be living at the time of transition between the matter and dark energy stages. An anthropic explanation of the failure of Dicke's argument was given by Weinberg.^[10]

Robert Dicke is also responsible for developing the lock-in amplifier, which is an indispensable tool in the area of applied science and engineering. Some believe^[who?] that Robert Dicke deserved a Nobel Prize just for the invention of such a powerful and ubiquitous device. Many of Dicke's experiments capitalize on lock-in in some way or another.^{[citation needed]}

In 1970, Dicke was awarded the National Medal of Science.^[11] In 1973 he was awarded the Comstock Prize in Physics from the National Academy of Sciences.^[12]

Marriage and family life[link]

Dicke married Annie Currie in 1942. Annie, of Scottish descent, was born in Barrow-in-Furness in England in 1920 and as a young girl immigrated to Rochester, NY, via Australia and New Zealand, of which Annie had very fond memories. To her dying day, Annie would state that Australia was nice but New Zealand was Utopia.

At the beginning of World War II Robert was asked to assist the war effort by applying his skills to the development of radar with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Therefore, this is where they began their married life. During this time, Annie became friends with a number of the wives of other professors working on similar projects. However due to security concerns none of them knew what their husbands' work entailed and could never discuss it.

At the end of the war, Robert and Annie moved to Princeton, New Jersey where Robert was on the faculty at Princeton University. Robert died there March 4, 1997. Annie continued to live in Princeton until 2002. For the last years of her life she lived in Hightstown, New Jersey at Meadow Lakes Retirement Community until her death in 2005.

They had one daughter, Nancy born in 1945, and two sons, John born in 1946 and James born in 1953. At the time of Robert's death they had six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

References[link]

• Kuhn J. R., Libbrecht K. G., Dicke R. H. (1988). "The surface temperature of the sun and changes in the solar constant". Science 242 (4880): 908. Bibcode 1988Sci...242..908K. DOI:10.1126/science.242.4880.908. 
• Williams J. G., Dicke R. H., Bender P. L., Alley C. O., Currie D. G., Carter W. E., Eckhardt D. H., Faller J. E., Kaula W. M. et al. (1976). "New test of the equivalence principle from lunar laser ranging". Phys. Rev. Lett. 36: 551. Bibcode 1976PhRvL..36..551W. DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.36.551. 
• Peebles P. J. E., Dicke R. H. (1968). "Origin of the Globular Star Clusters". Astrophys. J. 154: 891. Bibcode 1968ApJ...154..891P. DOI:10.1086/149811. 
• Dicke R. H. (1962). "Mach's Principle And Invariance Under Transformation Of Units". Phys. Rev. 125: 2163. Bibcode 1962PhRv..125.2163D. DOI:10.1103/PhysRev.125.2163. 

Bibliography[link]

• Dicke, RH (1981 Apr). "Seismology and geodesy of the sun: Low-frequency oscillations". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78 (4): 1989–1993. Bibcode 1981PNAS...78.1989D. DOI:10.1073/pnas.78.4.1989. PMC 319267. PMID 16592998. //www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=319267 
• Dicke, RH (1981 Mar). "Seismology and geodesy of the sun: Solar geodesy". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78 (3): 1309–1312. Bibcode 1981PNAS...78.1309D. DOI:10.1073/pnas.78.3.1309. PMC 319117. PMID 16592985. //www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=319117 
• Dicke, RH (1974-04-26). "The Oblateness of the Sun and Relativity". Science 184 (4135): 419–429. Bibcode 1974Sci...184..419D. DOI:10.1126/science.184.4135.419. PMID 17736508 
• Dicke, RH (1967-08-25). "Solar Models". Science 157 (3791): 960. Bibcode 1967Sci...157..960D. DOI:10.1126/science.157.3791.960. PMID 17792834 
• Dicke, RH (1962-11-09). "The Earth and Cosmology: The earth may be affected by the distant matter of the universe through a long-range interaction". Science 138 (3541): 653–664. Bibcode 1962Sci...138..653D. DOI:10.1126/science.138.3541.653. PMID 17829699 
• Dicke, RH (1959-03-06). "New Research on Old Gravitation: Are the observed physical constants independent of the position, epoch, and velocity of the laboratory?". Science 129 (3349): 621–624. Bibcode 1959Sci...129..621D. DOI:10.1126/science.129.3349.621. PMID 17735811 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Robert H. Dicke

• National Academy of Sciences biography
• BAAS 29 (1997) 1469, obituary
• A Look at the Abandoned Contributions to Cosmology of Dirac, Sciama and Dicke (arxiv:0708.3518)
• Oral History interview transcript with Robert Dicke 2 May 1983, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives
• Oral History interview transcript with Robert Dicke 18 June 1985, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2011)

Dick Van Dyke
Van Dyke in December 2007
Born	Richard Wayne Van Dyke (1925-12-13) December 13, 1925 (age 86) West Plains, Missouri, U.S.
Residence	Malibu, California
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor, comedian, producer, writer, singer
Years active	1955–present
Home town	Danville, Illinois
Television	The Dick Van Dyke Show Diagnosis: Murder
Spouse	Margie Willett (1948–1984) (divorced), 4 children Arlene Silver (2012–present)[1]
Partner	Michelle Triola (1976–2009) (her death)
Children	Christian Van Dyke Barry Van Dyke Carrie Beth Van Dyke Stacy Van Dyke
Relatives	Jerry Van Dyke (brother) Shane Van Dyke (grandson)
Awards	Disney Legend (1998)

Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke and father of Barry Van Dyke. Van Dyke starred in the films Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the TV series The Dick Van Dyke Show and Diagnosis: Murder. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.^[2]

Life and career[link]

Early and personal life[link]

Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri, to Loren (nickname "Cookie") and Hazel (born McCord) Van Dyke, but he grew up in Danville, Illinois. He is the older brother of actor Jerry Van Dyke, who is best known for his role on the TV series Coach. His grandson, Shane Van Dyke, is also an actor, and directed Titanic II. He is of Dutch descent on his father's side, and his mother was a descendant of Mayflower passenger Peter Browne from England.^[3]

During World War II, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps where he became a radio announcer and served in Special Services entertaining troops in the Continental United States.^[4] While Van Dyke appeared at the Chapman Park Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, he and the former Margerie Willett were married on the radio show Bride and Groom in 1948.^[5] They had four children: Christian (Chris), Barry, Carrie Beth, and Stacy.^{[citation needed]} They divorced in 1984 after a long separation. He lived with longtime companion Michelle Triola for more than 30 years until her death in 2009.^[6][7] Van Dyke's son Barry Van Dyke and grandsons Shane Van Dyke and Carey Van Dyke are also actors; both of these last two, along with other Van Dyke relations and grandchildren, appeared in various episodes of the long-running series Diagnosis: Murder. All of Van Dyke's children are married, and he has seven grandchildren. His son Chris was district attorney for Marion County, Oregon in the 1980s.^[8] In 1987, his granddaughter Jessica Van Dyke died from Reye's syndrome,^[9] which drove him to do a series of television commercials to raise public awareness of the danger of aspirin to children. In 2010, he said he had once been rescued from drifting out to sea and possible death by a pod of dolphins.^[10]

On February 29, 2012, Van Dyke married make-up artist Arlene Silver, 40. They had met six years previously at the SAG awards.^[1]

Radio and stage career[link]

During the late 1940s, Van Dyke was a radio DJ in Danville, Illinois. In 1947, Van Dyke was persuaded by Phil Erickson to form a comedy duo with him called "Eric and Van—the Merry Mutes."^[11] The team toured the West Coast nightclub circuit, performing a mime act and lip synching to old 78 records. They brought their act to Atlanta, Georgia, in the early 1950s and performed a local television show featuring original skits and music called "The Merry Mutes".^[12]

In November 1959, Van Dyke made his Broadway debut in The Girls Against the Boys. He then played the lead role of Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie, which ran from April 14, 1960 to Oct 7, 1961. In a May 2011 interview with Rachael Ray, Van Dyke noted that when he auditioned for a smaller part in the show he had no dance experience, and that after he sang his audition song he did an impromptu soft-shoe out of sheer nervousness. Gower Champion, the show's director and choreographer, was watching, and promptly went up on stage to inform Van Dyke he had the lead. An astonished Van Dyke protested that he could not dance, to which Champion replied "We'll teach you". That musical won four Tony awards including Van Dyke's Best Featured Actor Tony, in 1961.^[13] In 1980, Van Dyke appeared as the title role in The Music Man on Broadway.^{[citation needed]}

Television career[link]

Dick Van Dyke and Carol Burnett in 1977

Dick Van Dyke's start in television was with WDSU-TV New Orleans Channel 6 (NBC), first as a single comedian and later as emcee of a comedy program.^[14] Van Dyke's first network TV appearance was with Dennis James on James' Chance of a Lifetime in 1954. He later appeared on The Phil Silvers Show in the 1957–1958 season. He also appeared early in his career on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom and NBC's The Polly Bergen Show. During this time a friend from the Army was working as an executive for CBS television and recommended Van Dyke to that network. Out of this came a seven-year contract with the network.^[5] During an interview on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! program, Van Dyke said he was the anchorman for the CBS morning show during this period with Walter Cronkite as his newsman.^[15]

Van Dyke starred in the situation comedy The Dick Van Dyke Show on CBS from 1961 to 1966, in which he portrayed a comedy writer named Rob Petrie. Originally the show was supposed to have Carl Reiner as the lead but CBS insisted on recasting and Reiner chose Van Dyke to replace him in the role.^[5] Complementing Van Dyke was a veteran cast of comic actors including Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Jerry Paris, Ann Morgan Guilbert, and Carl Reiner (as Alan Brady), as well as television newcomer Mary Tyler Moore, who played Rob's wife, Laura Petrie. Van Dyke won three Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and the series received four Emmy Awards as Outstanding Comedy Series^[16].

From 1971 to 1974, Van Dyke starred in an unrelated sitcom called The New Dick Van Dyke Show in which he starred as a local television talk show host. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance but the show was less successful than its predecessor,^[17] and Van Dyke pulled the plug on the show after just three seasons.^[18] In 1973, Van Dyke voiced his animated likeness for the October 27, 1973 installment of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "Scooby-Doo Meets Dick Van Dyke," the series' final first-run episode. The following year, he received an Emmy Award nomination for his role as an alcoholic businessman in the television movie The Morning After (1974). Van Dyke revealed after its release that he had recently overcome a real-life drinking problem. That same year he guest-starred as a murdering photographer on an episode of Columbo. Van Dyke returned to comedy in 1976 with the sketch comedy show Van Dyke and Company, which co-starred Andy Kaufman^[19] and Super Dave Osborne. Despite being canceled after three months, the show won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety Series.^[20] When Carol Burnett's main foil, Harvey Korman, quit Burnett's long-running variety series in 1977 Van Dyke took his place. This was the first time he had ever played second banana on television and there were few comic sparks between Van Dyke and Burnett. He left after three months. For the next decade he appeared mostly in low-rated TV movies.^{[citation needed]} One exception was an atypical role as a murdering judge on the first episode of the TV series Matlock in 1986 starring Andy Griffith. In 1989, he guest-starred on the NBC comedy series The Golden Girls portraying a lover of Beatrice Arthur's character. This role earned him his first Emmy Award nomination since 1977.^[21]

His film work affected his TV career: the reviews he received for his role as D.A. Fletcher in Dick Tracy led him to star first as the character Dr. Mark Sloan in an episode of Jake and the Fatman, then in a series of TV movies on CBS that became the foundation for his popular television drama Diagnosis: Murder. The series ran from 1993 to 2001 with son Barry Van Dyke co-starring in the role of Dr. Sloan's son Lieutenant Detective Steve Sloan. Also starring on the same show was a familiar daytime soap actress, Victoria Rowell, as Dr. Sloan's pathologist/medical partner, Dr. Amanda Bentley, and an unfamiliar character actor and lifelong Van Dyke fan, Charlie Schlatter, in the role of Dr. Sloan's handsome, resident student, Dr. Jesse Travis.^[22] Van Dyke continued to find television work after the show ended, including a dramatically and critically successful performance of The Gin Game, produced for television in 2003 that reunited him with Mary Tyler Moore. In 2003 he portrayed a doctor on Scrubs. A 2004 special of The Dick Van Dyke Show titled The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited was heavily promoted as the first new episode of the classic series to be shown in 38 years. Van Dyke and his surviving cast members recreated their roles; the program was roundly panned by critics. In 2006 he guest-starred as college professor Dr. Jonathan Maxwell for a series of Murder 101 mystery films on the Hallmark Channel.

Film career[link]

Dick Van Dyke in the 1964 film Mary Poppins.

Van Dyke began his film career by playing the role of Albert J. Peterson in the film version of Bye Bye Birdie (1963). Despite his unhappiness with the adaptation—its focus differed from the stage version—^[23] the film was a success. That same year, Van Dyke was cast in two roles: as the chimney sweep Bert, and as Mr. Dawes Senior, the chairman of the bank in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins (1964). For his scenes as the chairman, he was heavily costumed to look much older, and was credited in that role as "Nackvid Keyd" (at the end of the credits, the letters unscramble into "Dick Van Dyke"). Van Dyke's attempt at a cockney accent has been decried as one of the worst accents in film history, cited as an example by actors since as an example of how not to sound. In a 2003 poll by Empire magazine of the worst-ever accents in film, he came in second.^[24][25] According to Van Dyke, his accent coach was Irish, who "didn't do an accent any better than I did."^[26][27] Still, Mary Poppins was successful upon release and its enduring appeal has made it one of the most famous films of all time. "Chim Chim Cher-ee", one of the songs that Van Dyke performed in Mary Poppins, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the Sherman Brothers, the film's songwriting duo.

Many of the comedy films Van Dyke starred in throughout the 1960s were relatively unsuccessful at the box office, including What a Way to Go!, Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N., Fitzwilly, The Art of Love, Some Kind of a Nut, Never a Dull Moment, and Divorce American Style. But he also starred (with his native accent, despite the English setting) in the successful musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), which co-starred Sally Ann Howes and featured songs by the Sherman Brothers, and choreography by Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood. The Sherman Brothers, Breaux, and Wood were also songsmiths and choreographers for Mary Poppins.

In 1969, Van Dyke appeared in the comedy-drama The Comic, written and directed by Carl Reiner. Van Dyke portrayed a self-destructive silent-film era comedian who struggles with alcoholism, depression, and his own rampant ego. Reiner wrote the film especially for Van Dyke, who often spoke of his admiration for silent film era comedians such as Charlie Chaplin and his hero Stan Laurel.^[28] Twenty-one years later in 1990, Van Dyke, whose usual role had been the amiable hero, took a small but villainous turn as the crooked D.A. Fletcher in Warren Beatty's film Dick Tracy. Van Dyke returned to motion pictures in 2006 with Curious George as Mr. Bloomsberry and as villain Cecil Fredericks in the Ben Stiller film Night at the Museum.^[29] He reprised the role in a cameo for the sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian but it was cut from the film. It can be found in the special features on the DVD release.

Other projects[link]

At the 40th Emmy Awards Rehearsal, August 1988

Van Dyke received a Grammy Award in 1964, along with Julie Andrews, for his performance on the soundtrack to Mary Poppins.^[30] In 1970 he published Faith, Hope and Hilarity: A Child's Eye View of Religion a book of humorous anecdotes based largely on his experiences as a Sunday School teacher.^[31] Van Dyke was principal in "KXIV Inc." and owned 1400 AM KXIV in Phoenix (later KSUN) from 1965 to 1985. KXIV was at one time an applicant for an FM station in the same area.^{[citation needed]}

As an a cappella enthusiast, Van Dyke has sung in a group called "The Vantastix" since September 2000. The quartet has performed several times in Los Angeles as well as on Larry King Live, The First Annual TV Land Awards, and sung the national anthem at three Los Angeles Lakers games including a nationally televised NBA Finals performance on NBC. Van Dyke was made an honorary member of the Barbershop Harmony Society in 1999.^[32]

Van Dyke became a computer animation enthusiast after purchasing a Commodore Amiga in 1991. He is credited with the creation of 3D-rendered effects used on Diagnosis: Murder and The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited. Van Dyke has displayed his computer-generated imagery work at SIGGRAPH, and continues to work with LightWave 3D.^[33][34] In 2010, Van Dyke appeared on a children's album titled Rhythm Train, with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and singer Leslie Bixler. Van Dyke raps on one of the album's tracks.^[35]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

*Note: Although he is not seen in the regular release of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Dick van Dyke's work can be seen in the "Deleted Scenes" section of the film's DVD, along with Bill Cobbs and Mickey Rooney.

Television[link]

Other works[link]

Stage[link]

• The Girls Against the Boys (November 2, 1959 – November 14, 1959)
• Bye Bye Birdie (April 14, 1960 – October 7, 1961) (left the show when it moved to the Shubert Theatre)
• The Music Man (June 5, 1980 – June 22, 1980) (Revival)
• Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (guest star from January 24, 2006 – January 26, 2006)

Albums[link]

• Bye Bye Birdie (Original Cast Album) (1960)
• Bye Bye Birdie (Soundtrack) (1963)
• Songs I Like By Dick Van Dyke (with Enoch Light & his Orchestra/Ray Charles Singers) (1963)
• Put on a Happy Face (with Dick Van Dyke and The Vantastix) (2008)
• Rhythm Train (with Leslie Bixler and Chad Smith) (2010)

Books[link]

• Van Dyke, Dick (1967). Altar Egos. F. H. Revell Co.. LCCN 67-28866. 
• Van Dyke, Dick (1970). Ray Parker. ed. Faith, hope and hilarity. Phil Interlandi (drawings). Garden City, New York: Doubleday. LCCN 70-126387. 
• Van Dyke, Dick (2011). My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business. Crown Archetype. ISBN 978-0-307-59223-1. LCCN 2010-43698.  (Van Dyke's memoir)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dick Van Dyke

• Dick Van Dyke at the Internet Broadway Database
• Dick Van Dyke at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Dick Van Dyke in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Dick Van Dyke in Danville, Ill and Crawfordsville, Ind. — PDF Article
• At the Museum of Broadcast Communications
• "Remembering the Van Dyke Show"
• Dick Van Dyke -Disney Legends profile (requires Flash)
• Dick Van Dyke talks about his career for the Archive of American Television Arts and Sciences (requires Flash)
• Empire - The Worst British Accents Ever - Number 11 - Dick Van Dyke singing in Mary Poppins (1964) (requires Flash)