Julie Andrews gives lovely tribute to 'Mary Poppins' co-star Dick Van Dyke at Kennedy Center Honors

7 June 2021, 14:55

Dick Van Dyke was celebrated in this year's Kennedy Center Honors in the US, with the legendary actor receiving a tribute from his Mary Poppins co-star Julie Andrews.

The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual awards ceremony given to people in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.

For the 2021 event, Dick Van Dyke was honoured alongside country music icon Garth Brooks, actress Debbie Allen, singer Joan Baez and violinist Midori.

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Throughout the two-hour special aired in the US this week and hosted by Gloria Estefan, this year's guests were celebrated by the likes of Bradley Cooper, John Travolta, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tracee Ellis Ross.

Paying tribute to Van Dyke's many talents, the 95-year-old's celebration featured various singing, dancing and messages from past co-stars.

His Bye Bye Birdie castmate Chita Rivera described him as "pure joy," while Lin-Manuel Miranda, who acted with Van Dyke in Mary Poppins Returns, said: "Spend five minutes with Dick Van Dyke and you're more alive than you were before."

His Mary Poppins co-star Julie Andrews described the entertainer as "endlessly kind, wildly imaginative, insanely talented and hilariously funny."

She also looked back on their friendship of over 50 years, comparing her friend to Mary Poppins herself: "Although in truth, I think that Dick is as magical as she is."

The Sound of Music icon added that like his role of Bert, Van Dyke is "an artist, a one-man band, a profound philosopher, a high-stepping showman, and spreader of charm."

She signed off: "Every day is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious with you, Dick."