Margie Willett is popularly known as the first wife of the American actor Dick Van Dyke who became popular mainly after appearing in the series Diagnosis Murder in the 1990s.
She has been a public figure not just because of her husband but also for her sweet nature and calm appearance. She had less interest in Hollywood and kept her life and profession private as much as possible. Marie Willett and Dick Van Dyke’s marriage was quite unusual. Read the complete article to learn about Margie and her life.
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Margie Willett Childhood
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Margie Willett is a native of Danville, the USA, and was born in the year 1927. This is where she met Dick for the first time. Not much information is available about her childhood and education.
She met Dick in 1947 when he was only 20 years old. It was the time when Dick was not a celebrity. After a month of dating, Margie and Dick got engaged, and the couple moved to Los Angeles.
However, they were too broke to organize a wedding on their own. This was when an American radio show producer offered to sponsor their wedding and honeymoon. But in return, they had to get married during a live broadcast of his radio show- Bride and Groom.
Margie Willett and Dick Van Dyke’s Wedding
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Finally, on 12th February 1948, they tied their knot on a live radio show. While The Guardian was interviewing Dick, he stated that they exchanged their vows in front of the minister and two radio microphones while 15 million people listened! And back then, they were not even popular.
After their marriage, they couldn’t afford a house and lived in a car for a while before Van Dyke became popular. The couple also suffered from addiction. Margie was addicted to drugs and her husband Dick to alcohol. According to media reports, both were admitted to the same rehabilitation center for treatment.
Kids of Margie Willett
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Margie Willett had four children with her husband, van Dyke. Their son barry chose his father’s profession and became an actor and is quite popular in his profession. Presently he is married to Marry. Barry has four kids with Marry: Carey, Taryn, Shane, and Wes.
Margie has a daughter named Carrie Beth. She is also an actress and appeared in her father’s show along with her siblings.
Margie’s third child, Christian, is also an actor. He was a part of the Hollywood Goes to a World premiere and the Dick Van Dyke Show of his father’s. He had a beautiful daughter with his wife, Caroline A. Heller. Unfortunately, his daughter died of Reye’s Syndrome.
Margie Willett also has a daughter Stacy who is an actress. She played a significant role in Diagnosis Murder: Town Without Pity and in her father’s show, The New Dick Van Dyke Show. Margie also suffered a miscarriage and lost her twin babies.
Divorce and Dick’s Affairs
While married to Margie, Dick had an extramarital affair with his agent’s secretary, Michelle Triola. He kept his affair secret for a significant amount of time until one day. He felt overwhelmed, and out of guilt, he confessed everything to Margie.
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This became the reason for Margie’s and Dick’s divorce. Followed by the divorce, Margie never married again, whereas; Dick fell in love with actress Triola when they met in 2006. Margie was his girlfriend for 35 years, but they were never officially married. In 2009, Triola died of Lung Cancer.
After Triola, he had affairs with his makeup artist- Arlene Silver. Eventually, they got married on 29th February 2012. In an interview, Dick stated that he was moved by Arlene’s beauty and fell in love. While she used to work as his makeup artist, they became good friends and eventually lovers.
He married Arlene at a Chapelnear his house in Malibu. It is so contrasting that during his first marriage to Margie, he had nothing but, yet Margie chose to marry him. Whereas, during his second marriage, he had gained enough popularity and money that he had a lavish wedding in Malibu.
Dick’s second wife is 46 years younger than him. His wife is 49 years old, yet they are happily married. In an interview with The Guardian, Dick stated that they do not feel any gap. He is emotionally immature, balanced by Arlene, who is very wise for her age.
Nature of Margie Willett
Margie Willett is a very simple and down-to-earth woman. She has no fantasies regarding Hollywood. Her hair was always cut short with very basic makeup. People were unaware of the fact that she was the wife of Dick Van Dyke. For years people used to think of her as his sister or mother!
She was so private in her life that after Dick and Margie were divorced, Margie chose to stay away from the media and lived an ordinary life. And even after her divorce, she never had any other relationship in her life.
Death of Margie Willett
After Margie divorced Dick, news about her was very rare. She chose a private life away from the media. It is not known if she dating someone after her marriage. But according to some media reports, she preferred to stay single.
She passed away in 2008 due to pancreatic cancer. Then, she was 81 years old. Her death has deeply affected her ex-husband Dick Van Dyke. In an interview, he said that her passing away felt like losing a part of him. He was much attached to Margie as she supported Dick during his career’s most crucial and difficult time.
It worsened for Dick in the consecutive year. His long-time girlfriend Triola also passed away due to Lung cancer. This was when Dick realized he never had a partner looking out for him.
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Summary
Margie Willett was a celebrity wife with extraordinary nature. She chose a private life and tried to give her children a private life away from media attention to let them live normal lives like others. Even after her divorce, she chose to stay single and deviated her life away from fame and popularity.
