hollywood: Jerry Van Dyke

Sunday, 1 July 2012

Jerry Van Dyke

He has that same genuine likability factor, owns that same trademark lantern jaw and is just as appealing and gifted as his older brother, Dick Van Dyke, but, for decades, Jerry Van Dyke had to bear the brunt of his brother's overwhelming shadow. Van Dyke was born in Danville, Illinois in 1931 to Loren (nickname “Cookie”) and Hazel (née McCord) Van Dyke. He is of Dutch descent on his father's side and of English and Scottish descent on his mother's side. His mother is a Mayflower descendant.Van Dyke began his stand-up comedy career while still in high school in Danville, and was already a veteran of strip joints and nightclubs when he joined theAir Force Tops In Blue in 1952. During the mid-Fifties,