Before arriving in Hollywood, Dick Dial attended OU in Oklahoma City, was a champion Golden Glove boxer, and briefly, attended the Art Institute of Chicago.

At the height of his TV/film career, he was interviewed by host Mike Douglas, who called him "Thee Hollywood Stuntman". His extensive work has been either acting with or doubling such legendary actors: John Wayne, Elvis Presley, Henry Fonda, Robert Duvall, Lloyd Bridges, Sidney Poitier, Charlton Heston,Charles Bronson, George Peppard, James Coburn, Lorne Greene, Rodney McDowell, and the list goes on.

In his down time, he was an avid "A" ranked tennis player, a competitive sailor, and an artist. He was known for his humorous caricatures of celebrities and friends. Many of his well-known drawings were hung for years, in his close friend, John Leon's, restaurant La Scala Malibu and La Scala Presto. He drew cartoons of political satire or everyday humor for publications such as the LA Times. His oil paintings were considered gallery quality but unfortunately, they were never shown. Sadly, majority of his paintings can only be seen in photos since many of them have disappeared. His daughter, DuPree Dial, is hoping many of his pieces still exist and would greatly appreciate any information that someone might have regarding them. His signature was "Dial" in the bottom right-hand corner.