Barry Van Dyke was born in Atlanta, where his father, actor Dick Van Dyke, was working as host of a local television variety show. He grew up in New York and in Los Angeles, where he majored in theater arts at Pierce Junior College. He made his acting debut at the age of 9 on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," on the CBS Television Network, and later appeared on CBS's "The New Dick Van Dyke Show," for which he was also a production assistant.

He had regular roles in the series "The Harvey Korman Show," "Battlestar Galactica," "Gun Shy," "Airwolf" and "The Redd Foxx Show." His television film credits include "It Happened at Lakewood Manor," "Stalk the Wild Child" and "The Canterville Ghost," as well as the three Dr. Mark Sloan films: "Diagnosis of Murder," "The House on Sycamore Street" and "A Twist of the Knife," all on the Network. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children. His birth date is July 31.