Jerry Van Dyke

Jerry Van Dyke was an American comedian and actor.

Following his first guest appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show and two others on The Ed Sullivan Show, CBS made him a regular on The Judy Garland Show. When the Garland show was unsuccessfully revamped, Van Dyke left the program. He turned down the offer to play Gilligan on Gilligan's Island, a role which went instead to Bob Denver. He rejected as well an offer to replace Don Knotts as Sheriff Andy Taylor's deputy on The Andy Griffith Show.

Van Dyke finally accepted the lead role of attorney David Crabtree in the short-lived sitcom, My Mother the Car, the misadventures of a man whose deceased mother Gladys (voiced by Ann Sothern) is reincarnated as a restored antique car. Although the series was a commercial failure, Van Dyke continued to work steadily in supporting television and film roles through the rest of the decade.

During the 1970s, Van Dyke returned to his roots as a stand-up comedian. He spent much of the decade touring Playboy Clubs around the country and headlining venues in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, and in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In 1989, Van Dyke began portraying Luther Van Dam, a beloved, yet befuddled assistant coach on the long-running series Coach. For this role, he received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

In his final TV role in April 2015, he reprised his role as Frankie's father on The Middle, guesting along with real-life brother Dick Van Dyke to play brothers.

Jerry Van Dyke died January 5, 2018, in Malvern, Arkansas. He was 86.