Jerry Van Dyke

Jerry Van Dyke – Danville, Illinois, July 27, 1931 - d. Hot Springs, Arkansas, January 5, 2018) – Actor, comedian, and musician (banjo player). Known to many as Dick Van Dyke’s younger brother, Jerry Van Dyke got his start on television with Terre Haute’s WTHI-TV in the 1950s. He spent another period of time in Indiana earlier in his life when his family lived in Crawfordsville from 1938 to 1940. He spent the remainder of his childhood in Danville, Illinois, where he attended high school. Although he turned down the title role in Gilligan’s Island, he has acted on numerous television shows since the 1960s and is best known for playing Luther Van Dam on Coach from 1989 to 1997. In fact, his work on Coach earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for four consecutive years (1990-1993). Throughout his career, he has also worked as a stand-up comic, his full-time occupation from the early 1970s into the 1980s. In addition to his self-deprecating humor, banjo playing figures prominently in his stage act. He also played the part of a banjo player in a recurring role on the Dick van Dyke Show, on which he played the brother of his real-life brother.