Dan Aykroyd facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dan Aykroyd
CM OOnt
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Aykroyd in 2009
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| Born |
Daniel Edward Aykroyd
July 1, 1952 |
| Citizenship |
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| Education | Carleton University |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Donna Dixon
(m. 1983; sep. 2022) |
| Children | 3, including Vera Sola |
| Relatives | Peter Aykroyd (brother) |
Daniel Edward Aykroyd is a famous Canadian and American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was born on July 1, 1952.
He became well-known as one of the first cast members of the TV show Saturday Night Live (SNL). He was on the show from 1975 to 1979. During his time on SNL, he created many memorable characters. He also won an Primetime Emmy Award for his writing on the show in 1977.
Aykroyd is most famous for playing Elwood J. Blues in The Blues Brothers (1980) and Blues Brothers 2000 (1998). He also played Dr. Raymond "Ray" Stantz in the hit movies Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989). He has continued to play Dr. Stantz in other Ghostbusters projects.
He has appeared in many other comedy films like Trading Places (1983), Spies Like Us (1985), and The Great Outdoors (1988). He also showed his serious acting skills in Driving Miss Daisy (1989), which earned him an Academy Award nomination. Besides acting, Aykroyd is also a successful businessman. He helped start the House of Blues music venues and the Crystal Head Vodka brand.
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Early Life and Interests
Dan Aykroyd was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on July 1, 1952. His father, Samuel Aykroyd, was a civil engineer and worked for Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His mother, Lorraine Hélène Marie, was a secretary. Dan's family has roots from different European countries. His brother, Peter Aykroyd, was also an actor.
Dan went to high school in Ottawa. He later studied criminology and sociology at Carleton University but left before finishing his degree. Before becoming famous, he worked as a comedian in nightclubs in Canada. He also ran a private club called Club 505 in Toronto.
Aykroyd loved blues music from a young age. He often went to a club called Le Hibou in Ottawa. There, he saw many famous blues artists perform. He even got to play drums with the legendary Muddy Waters one night! He says that being exposed to so much blues music in Ottawa really shaped his career.
His first professional acting job was at age 17 on a Canadian comedy show called The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour. He also joined the famous The Second City comedy group in Toronto and Chicago in 1973.
Career Highlights
Becoming a Star on Saturday Night Live
Dan Aykroyd became very famous on the American late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). He was first hired as a writer for the show. But he quickly became one of the main cast members, known as "The Not Ready For Prime Time Players." He was the youngest member of the original cast. He appeared on the show for its first four seasons, from 1975 to 1979.
Aykroyd brought a unique energy to SNL. He was great at impersonating celebrities like Jimmy Carter and Julia Child. He also created many popular characters. These included Beldar, the father of the Coneheads family, and Yortuk Festrunk, one of the "Two Wild and Crazy Guys" from Slovakia. He also played E. Buzz Miller, a late-night TV host, and Irwin Mainway, a toy maker.
One of his most famous sketches was "Super Bass-O-Matic '76." In this fake commercial, he played a super-enthusiastic salesman showing a blender that could turn a whole fish into liquid. Other writers and cast members thought the sketch was incredibly strange and brilliant. Aykroyd said the idea came from seeing his aunt blend a fish to make soup when he was 12.
In 1977, he won an Primetime Emmy Award for his writing on SNL. He was nominated for more awards later for both writing and acting. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him as one of the top five SNL cast members of all time. They said, "Of all the original [SNL] greats, Aykroyd is the least imitated, because nobody else can do what he did."
After leaving SNL, Aykroyd often returned for guest appearances. He sometimes played his old characters or impersonated politicians like Bob Dole. He also brought back the Blues Brothers musical act with John Goodman after his friend John Belushi passed away.
The Blues Brothers Phenomenon
Dan Aykroyd and his close friend John Belushi created the famous Blues Brothers act. Aykroyd introduced Belushi to blues music, and they both fell in love with it. With encouragement from SNL's music director, Paul Shaffer, they created their characters: Elwood Blues (Aykroyd) and Jake Blues (Belushi).
They formed a real band with talented R&B musicians. The Blues Brothers became more than just an SNL skit. They performed live concerts and released a hit album in 1978 called Briefcase Full of Blues. This album sold 3.5 million copies, making it one of the best-selling blues albums ever.
The band became even more popular with the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, which Aykroyd helped write. A sequel, Blues Brothers 2000, was released in 1998. In this movie, John Goodman joined as Belushi's replacement.
The Blues Brothers Band still tours today, sometimes with Aykroyd as Elwood. Belushi's younger brother, Jim Belushi, often performs as "Brother Zee."
Other Film and TV Roles
After SNL, Aykroyd starred in many films, mostly comedies. His first three movies after SNL were with John Belushi. The Blues Brothers (1980) was a huge success. He also had a well-received role in the 1983 comedy Trading Places with Eddie Murphy and Jamie Lee Curtis.
In the early 1980s, Aykroyd started writing a script for a movie about ghosts. This became the hit film Ghostbusters. He was very interested in ghosts and the paranormal, which inspired the story. He originally wrote the role of Dr. Peter Venkman for Belushi, but after Belushi's passing, he rewrote it for Bill Murray. Aykroyd joked that the green ghost, "Slimer," was like "the ghost of John Belushi." Ghostbusters was released in 1984 and was a massive success, earning nearly $300 million. Aykroyd also starred in the film as Dr. Raymond Stantz.
His next big film was the 1985 spy comedy Spies Like Us, which he also co-wrote. He had planned for Belushi to be the other lead, but the role went to SNL friend Chevy Chase. In 1987, Aykroyd co-starred with Tom Hanks in Dragnet, a movie that honored and made fun of the old Dragnet TV series.
In 1989, a sequel to Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, was released. It was another big hit. That same year, Aykroyd was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the dramatic film Driving Miss Daisy.
Aykroyd also directed the 1991 film Nothing but Trouble. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he appeared in many other films, often in supporting roles. Some of these include My Girl (1991), Sneakers (1992), Tommy Boy (1995), and Grosse Pointe Blank (1997).
He also had roles in TV shows like The Nanny (1994), Soul Man (1997–1998), and According to Jim (2002–2009). In 2010, he voiced the character of Yogi Bear in the Yogi Bear movie.
Aykroyd continued to be involved in the Ghostbusters franchise. He was an executive producer for the 2016 Ghostbusters movie and had a cameo in it. He also returned as Dr. Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024).
Business Ventures
Beyond entertainment, Dan Aykroyd is also a successful businessman. In 1992, he co-founded the House of Blues with Isaac Tigrett. This chain of music venues aimed to host all kinds of music, especially blues. Many famous musicians and Hollywood stars helped fund the project. The first House of Blues opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts. By 2004, it was the second-largest live music promoter in the world.
In 2007, Aykroyd and artist John Alexander started Crystal Head Vodka. This brand is known for its unique skull-shaped bottle. Aykroyd also owns parts of several wineries in Canada and a company that distributes Patrón tequila in Canada.
Charitable Work
Dan Aykroyd has also used his fame to help others. In 2009, he shared stories about growing up in Canada for a charity album called Dan Aykroyd's Canada. He also helped start the Blue Line Foundation. This foundation works to rebuild properties in New Orleans that were damaged by floods. It helps first responders buy these homes at lower prices. Aykroyd is also a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.
Personal Life
Dan Aykroyd was briefly engaged to actress Carrie Fisher. They met while filming The Blues Brothers. On April 29, 1983, he married actress Donna Dixon. They met on the set of the movie Doctor Detroit and appeared in several other films together. They have three daughters, including Danielle, who is known as the musician Vera Sola. In April 2022, they announced they were separating but would remain legally married.
Aykroyd still lives in Sydenham, Ontario, Canada, on his estate by Loughborough Lake. He has also become an American citizen.
In 2004, Aykroyd shared that he was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome (TS) as a child. He said that therapy helped him manage it. In 2015, he mentioned that he believes he has Asperger syndrome, which he self-diagnosed based on his own traits.
Aykroyd has a passion for the outdoors, geology, and paleontology. He has joined Canadian paleontologist Philip J. Currie on dinosaur digs. The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in Wembley, Alberta, even named its theater the Aykroyd Family Theatre to recognize his support.
Friendship with John Belushi
Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi were very close friends. Aykroyd described them as "kindred spirits." He once said that Belushi was the only person he could ever dance with. They were supposed to present an Academy Award together in 1982, but Belushi passed away just weeks before the ceremony. Aykroyd presented the award alone, saying, "My partner would have loved to have been here to present this, given that he was something of a visual effect himself."
Aykroyd was very critical of the 1989 film Wired, which was a movie about Belushi's life. He felt the film did not show Belushi's life accurately. Along with Belushi's family and friends, he boycotted the movie.
Beliefs and Interests
Aykroyd considers himself a Spiritualist. He believes that spirits exist between different dimensions and visit us. His great-grandfather, a dentist, was also a mystic who was interested in Spiritualism.
Besides Spiritualism, Aykroyd is also very interested in the paranormal, especially UFOlogy. He is a lifetime member and Hollywood consultant for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), an organization that studies UFOs. From 1996 to 2000, he hosted a TV show called Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, which claimed to show real cases of paranormal events. In 2005, he produced a DVD called Dan Aykroyd: Unplugged on UFOs.
In 2009, Dan's father, Peter Aykroyd Sr., published a book called A History of Ghosts. This book talked about the family's history with the Spiritualist movement. Dan wrote the introduction for the book and helped his father promote it.
Awards and Honors
In 1977, Aykroyd won an Primetime Emmy Award for his writing on Saturday Night Live. In 1994, he received an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from Carleton University. In 1999, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada, which is one of Canada's highest honors. He was also inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2002. In 2017, he became a member of the Order of Ontario for his contributions as an entertainer.
Images for kids
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Aykroyd in 2009
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Aykroyd (right) on the set of The Great Outdoors, 1987
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Aykroyd as a guest MTV VJ in 1982
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Bottle of Crystal Head vodka
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Aykroyd's star on Canada's Walk of Fame
See also
In Spanish: Dan Aykroyd para niños
