Dan Aykroyd
| Dan Aykroyd | |
|---|---|
Aykroyd in 2009
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| Born |
Daniel Edward Aykroyd July 1, 1952 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian American |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, producer, screenwriter, musician, businessman |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouse(s) | Donna Dixon (m. 1983) |
| Children |
3 Comedy career |
| Medium | Film, television, stage |
| Genres | Sketch comedy, improvisational, musical comedy |
| Notable works and roles | Original "Not Ready For Prime Time Player" on SNL Elwood Blues in The Blues Brothers Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters |
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Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd (born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, producer, screenwriter, musician and businessman. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on Saturday Night Live (1975-1979). A musical sketch he performed with John Belushi on SNL, The Blues Brothers, turned into an actual performing band and then a highly successful 1980 film, also called The Blues Brothers. He conceived and starred in Ghostbusters (1984), which spawned a sequel (Ghostbusters II) and eventually an entire media franchise. In 1990, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the 1989 film Driving Miss Daisy. He starred in his own sitcom, Soul Man, from 1997–98. Aykroyd is also a successful businessman, having co-founded the House of Blues chain of music venues and the Crystal Head Vodka brand.
Aykroyd was born on Canada Day (July 1), 1952 at Ottawa General Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in Ottawa, Canada's capital, where his father, Samuel Cuthbert Peter Hugh Aykroyd, a civil engineer, worked as a policy adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His mother, Lorraine Hélène (née Gougeon), was a secretary. His mother was of French Canadian descent and his father of English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch and French ancestry. His brother, Peter, is also an actor.
Aykroyd was born with syndactyly, or webbed toes, which was revealed in the film Mr. Mike's Mondo Video and in a short film on Saturday Night Live titled "Don't Look Back In Anger." Aykroyd was raised in the Catholic Church, and until age 17 he intended to become a priest. He attended St. Pius X and St. Patrick's high schools, and studied criminology and sociology at Carleton University, but dropped out before completing his degree. He worked as a comedian in various Canadian nightclubs and ran an after-hours speakeasy, Club 505, in Toronto for several years.
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