Diagnosis Murder - Talked to Death - 3:00 pm Wednesday, April 1 on Great! Mystery

Dick Van Dyke (Actor) .. Dr Mark Sloan

Born: December 13, 1925 in West Plains, Missouri

Best Known For: Mary Poppins.

Early-life: Richard Wayne Van Dyke was born on December 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri, but was raised in Danville, Illinois. He became interested in show business at an early age after watching Laurel and Hardy movies at his local cinema. Stan Laurel was his hero, and they later became friends. He acted in amateur productions in his teens but, after entering the US Air Force during the Second World War, he ditched plans to become a performer, toyed with the idea of being a minister, then set up an advertising agency.

Career: After his business failed, Van Dyke was a radio announcer for a local station and performed comedy routines. His popularity led to him being signed by CBS. After making his TV acting debut in The Phil Silvers Show, he hosted several long-forgotten game shows before hitting the big time with Broadway hits The Girls Against the Boys and Bye Bye Birdie. That led to The Dick Van Dyke Show, which was a smash hit and ran for five years. Among his other famous projects are Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Van Dyke and Company, and Diagnosis Murder. He continues to act.

Quote: 'I never wanted to be an actor and to this day I don't. I can't get a handle on it. An actor wants to become someone else. I am a song-and-dance man and I enjoy being myself, which is all I can do.'

Trivia: He overcame alcoholism in the 1970s and was a heavy smoker for 50 years.

Victoria Rowell (Actor) .. Dr Amanda Bentley

Barry Van Dyke (Actor) .. Lt Steve Sloan

Charlie Schlatter (Actor) .. Dr Jesse Travis

Regis Philbin (Actor) .. Darren Tate

Kathie Lee Gifford (Actor) .. Mary Montgomery

Todd Susman (Actor) .. Tom Grant

Ian Ogilvy (Actor) .. Larry Duggin

Born: September 30, 1943 in Woking, Surrey

Best Known For: The Return of the Saint.

Early-life: Ian Raymond Ogilvy was born in 1943 in Woking, Surrey. His father was a leading figure in advertising. As a youngster Ogilvy knew he wanted to act, thanks to roles in school plays. After serving an apprenticeship as an assistant stage manager with London's Royal Court Theatre, he went on to study at RADA. His first film, Revenge of the Blood Beast, was directed by his childhood friend Michael Reeves, with whom he also made The Sorcerers and Witchfinder General.

Career: While working in repertory theatre, Ogilvy boosted his CV with a number of appearances in series such as The Avengers and Strange Report, and gained much popularity in Seventies programme Upstairs, Downstairs. He continued to work solidly in film and TV, most notably in I, Claudius. In 1978, he was given the starring role in The Return of the Saint, a show which made him a household name. He moved to America in the 1980s and appeared in a host of TV shows including Melrose Place, Diagnosis Murder and Murder, She Wrote. He also appeared in the movie Death Becomes Her.

Quote: 'It's dumb to have regrets, and in any case, whatever else The Return of the Saint did or didn't do, it made me very well known. For an actor, that is the big thing.'

Trivia: Away from acting, he has enjoyed success with his novels, which have included Loose Chippings, The Polkerton Giant, and Measle and the Wrathmonk.

Mary Frann (Actor) .. Lucy Caruso

Greg Lauren (Actor) .. Freddie Myers

Christian I Nyby II (Director)

Diagnosis Murder: Talked to Death

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Wednesday, April 1 on Great! Mystery (50)

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Talked to Death
Season 5, Episode 18

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