Margie Willett was an American actress who was best known as the ex-wife of famed actor Dick Van Dyke. She grew raised in Illinois and met Van Dyke there, where they dated for about a month before becoming engaged. The pair married in Los Angeles in 1948. They didn’t have enough money for their wedding because it was before Van Dyke became famous and wealthy. A charitable radio producer on whose show they agreed to marry financed their wedding and honeymoon. Before her husband became famous, life was extremely difficult for the newlyweds, as they both struggled to make ends meet. They both struggled with addiction at one point and sought treatment at the same rehab facility. Margie Willet was not a fan of show business and liked to stay out of the spotlight. In 1984, their more than three-and-a-half-decade marriage came to an end after welcoming four children. Van Dyke’s infidelity was the cause of their divorce. She never remarried after her divorce and died of pancreatic cancer in 2008.
Ascend to Fame
In 1947, Margie Willett met Dick Van Dyke in Danville, Illinois, where she grew up. It was long before Van Dyke became wealthy and well-known. They got engaged after only a month of dating and relocated to Los Angeles to marry. The pair married on February 12, 1948, during a live broadcast of the radio show ‘Bride and Groom,’ which was sponsored by the show’s producer. They were too broke to even pay for their own wedding, so when the show producer offered to pay for their wedding provided they agreed to marry on his show, they accepted. Their honeymoon was also paid for by the same gracious producer.
They couldn’t afford a house, so they had to live in their car for a period until Van Dyke’s well-known career began. The couple struggled with addiction while they were married. Her husband was addicted to booze and she was addicted to pharmaceutical medicines. They were both treated at the same rehabilitation facility. Margie Willett was married to a Hollywood actor, but she avoided the spotlight and preferred to keep her personal life private.
Personal & Family Life
Margie Willett was born in Danville, Illinois, in the United States in 1927 as Marjorie Willett. She grew up in Illinois and met Van Dyke there. She was an extremely quiet person, with little information about her parents, siblings, schooling, or personal life available.
Barry Van Dyke, Carrie Beth Van Dyke, Stacy Van Dyke, and Christian Van Dyke were her four children with Van Dyke. She had a miscarriage and lost twins in the early years of their relationship. She stayed away from the media and the spotlight so that her children could have a normal childhood.
Van Dyke’s extramarital romance with his agent’s assistant, Michelle Triola, started the turbulence in their marriage. They maintained their affair a secret until Van Dyke became overwhelmed with shame and told his wife about it in 1976. Triola was sued by her former live-in lover and actor Lee Marvin, and he gave her a six-figure sum. Margie Willet and Dick Van Dyke’s marriage was further strained as a result of this, and the couple divorced on May 4, 1984.
She never remarried after her divorce and vanished from the public eye. Barry Van Dyke, her son, followed in his father’s footsteps and became an actor. Dick Van Dyke married Triola after his divorce, and after she died in 2009, he remarried Arlene Silver, a considerably younger make-up artist. Shane, Carey, Taryn, Wes, and Jessica Van Dyke were Willet’s grandchildren, and Alex, Ava, Gracie, Jane, and Mia Van Dyke were his great-grandchildren.
Margie Willet died in 2008 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007.
Estimated Net Worth
Margie had no access to social media, therefore no one knew her financial worth or salary. Willet would have been able to live a lavish lifestyle because to her husband Dick’s $30 million fortune.