Barry Van Dyke
Barry Van Dyke is an American actor. He is the second son of actor and entertainer Dick Van Dyke and Margie Willett, and the nephew of Jerry Van Dyke. He has often worked with his father. He is best known to audiences as Lieutenant Detective Steve Sloan, a homicide detective and the son of Dr. Mark Sloan on Diagnosis: Murder. In the show, the characters' relatives were frequently played by real-life family members.
Biography
Barry Van Dyke was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Dick Van Dyke and his first wife, Margie Willett.Van Dyke's television debut was as Florian, a violin-toting nine-year-old in "The Talented Neighborhood" episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show alongside big brother Christian. However, his father advised him to wait before pursuing a show business career. Van Dyke later told a reporter, "He wanted me to have my childhood. He told me that if I still wanted to act after I graduated high school, then it would be OK."
Later, he worked as a gofer on his father's television series, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, which debuted in 1971 and aired until 1974. While working on that show, he secured a part as an extra.
He worked with his father again in the short-lived series The Van Dyke Show and then the long-running series Diagnosis: Murder, which aired from 1993 to 2001. In both series, he had major roles. He also wrote and directed several episodes of Diagnosis: Murder. After Diagnosis: Murder ended, Barry appeared in the Murder 101 television films, again alongside his father.
Barry Van Dyke also appeared in many other television shows over the course of his long career. His other television work includes a starring role in Galactica 1980 as Lieutenant Dillon, and appearances in Remington Steele; The Love Boat; Magnum, P.I.; The Dukes of Hazzard; as Ace Combat Pilot and former M.I.A. soldier St. John Hawke in the final season of Airwolf; The A-Team; Gun Shy; Murder, She Wrote; Mork & Mindy; and The Redd Foxx Show.