Dan Aykroyd

Dan Aykroyd

Aykroyd in February 2009
Birth name Daniel Edward Aykroyd
Born (1952-07-01) July 1, 1952
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Medium Film, television, stage
Years active 1968–present
Genres Sketch comedy, improvisational, musical comedy
Spouse Donna Dixon (m. 1983)
Children 3
Notable works and roles

Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, (born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and musician. He is known for being an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on Saturday Night Live (1975–79), as Elwood Blues of The Blues Brothers (with John Belushi), and as Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989).

He is also an entrepreneur, having co-founded the music venue chain House of Blues in 1992, and the vodka brand Crystal Head Vodka in 2007.

In 1990, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the 1989 film Driving Miss Daisy.

Early life

Aykroyd was born on July 1, 1952, at the Ottawa General Hospital[1] in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.[2] He grew up in the Canadian 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.[2][3] His mother was of French Canadian descent and his father of English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, and French ancestry.[4][5][6] His brother, Peter, also became a comedy actor. Aykroyd was born with syndactyly, or webbed toes, which was revealed in the movie Mr. Mike's Mondo Video and in a short film on Saturday Night Live titled "Don't Look Back In Anger."[7] He was also born with heterochromia – his right eye is blue and his left eye is brown.

Aykroyd was raised in the Catholic Church, and until age 17 he intended to become a priest.[8] 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.

Aykroyd developed his musical career in Ottawa, particularly through his regular attendances at Le Hibou, a club that featured many blues artists. He describes these influences as follows:

...there was a little disco club there called Le Hibou, which in French means 'the owl.' And it was run by a gentleman named Harvey Glatt, and he brought every, and I mean every, blues star that you or I would ever have wanted to have seen through Ottawa in the late '50s, well I guess more late '60s sort of, in around the Newport jazz rediscovery. I was going to Le Hibou and hearing James Cotton, Otis Spann, Pinetop Perkins, and Muddy Waters. I actually jammed behind Muddy Waters. S.P. Leary left the drum kit one night, and Muddy said 'anybody out there play drums? I don't have a drummer.' And I walked on stage and we started, I don't know, Little Red Rooster, something. He said 'keep that beat going, you make Muddy feel good.' And I heard Howlin' Wolf (Chester Burnett). Many, many times I saw Howlin' Wolf. As well as The Doors. And of course Buddy Guy, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. So I was exposed to all of these players, playing there as part of this scene to service the academic community in Ottawa, a very well-educated community. Had I lived in a different town I don't think that this would have happened, because it was just the confluence of educated government workers, and then also all the colleges in the area, Ottawa University, Carleton, and all the schools—these people were interested in blues culture.[9][10]

Aykroyd's first professional experience, which he gained at the age of 17, was as a member of the cast of the short-lived Canadian sketch comedy series The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour with Lorne Michaels, among others.[11] He was a member of the Second City comedy troupe in 1973 in both Toronto and Chicago.[12]

Saturday Night Live

Aykroyd gained fame on the American late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live. He was originally hired, and paid $278 a week, as a writer for the show, but became a part of the cast before the series premiered. The original cast was referred to on the show as "The Not Ready For Prime Time Players". Aykroyd was the youngest member of the cast, and appeared on the show for its first four seasons, from 1975 to 1979. He brought a unique sensibility to the show, combining youth, unusual interests, talent as an impersonator and an almost lunatic intensity. Guest host Eric Idle, of Monty Python, said that Aykroyd's ability to write and act out characters flawlessly made him the only member of the SNL cast capable of being a Python.[13]

He was known for his impersonations of celebrities like Jimmy Carter, Vincent Price, Richard Nixon, Rod Serling, Tom Snyder, Julia Child, and others. He was also known for his recurring roles, such as Beldar, father of the Coneheads family; with Steve Martin, Yortuk Festrunk, one of the "Two Wild and Crazy Guys" Czech brothers; sleazy late-night cable TV host E. Buzz Miller and his cousin, corrupt maker of children's toys and costumes Irwin Mainway (who extolled the virtues and defended the safety of the "Bag-o-Glass" toy, perhaps the retail leader of the "Bag-o" series of toys); Fred Garvin – male prostitute; and high-bred but low-brow critic Leonard Pinth-Garnell. He also co-hosted the Weekend Update segment for one season with Jane Curtin, coining the famous catchphrase "Jane, you ignorant slut" during point-counterpoint segments.

Aykroyd's eccentric talent was recognized by others in the highly competitive SNL environment: when he first presented his famous "Super Bass-O-Matic '76" sketch, a fake T.V. commercial in which a garish, hyper-pitchman touts a food blender that turns an entire bass into liquid pulp, "to [other writers and cast members] the 'Bass-O-Matic' was so exhilaratingly strange that many remember sitting and listening, open-mouthed ... Nobody felt jealous of it because they couldn't imagine writing anything remotely like it."[14]

While Aykroyd was a close friend and partner with fellow cast member John Belushi and shared some of the same sensibilities, Aykroyd was more reserved and less self-destructive. In 1977, he received an Emmy Award for writing on SNL; he later received two more nominations for writing and one for acting. In Rolling Stone Magazine's February 2015 appraisal of all 141 SNL cast members to date, Aykroyd was ranked fifth (behind Belushi, Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey, and Mike Myers). "Of all the original [SNL] greats, Aykroyd is the least imitated," they wrote, "because nobody else can do what he did."[15]

In later decades, Aykroyd made occasional guest appearances and unannounced cameos on SNL, often impersonating the American politician Bob Dole. He would also bring back past characters including Irwin Mainway and Leonard Pinth-Garnell. During some guest appearances he resurrected The Blues Brothers musical act with frequent host John Goodman in place of Belushi. He became the second member of the original cast to host SNL in May 2003 when he appeared in the season finale. During his monologue, he performed a musical number with James Belushi similar to the Blues Brothers, but neither Aykroyd nor Belushi donned the famous black suit and sunglasses. On March 24, 2007, Aykroyd appeared as a crying fan of American Idol finalist Sanjaya Malakar (played by Andy Samberg) during Weekend Update. On February 14, 2009, he appeared as U.S. House Minority leader John Boehner. Aykroyd also made a surprise guest appearance, along with many other SNL alumni, on the show of March 9, 2013.

The Blues Brothers

Main article: The Blues Brothers
Blues Brothers - stencil graffiti at Staromiejska Street in Szczecin, Poland

Aykroyd was a close friend of John Belushi. According to Aykroyd, it was their first meeting that helped spark the popular Blues Brothers act. When they met in a club Aykroyd frequented, he played a blues record in the background, and it stimulated a fascination with blues in Belushi, who was primarily a fan of heavy rock bands at the time. Aykroyd educated Belushi on the finer points of blues music and, with a little encouragement from then-SNL music director Paul Shaffer, it led to the creation of their Blues Brothers characters.

Backed by such experienced professional R&B sidemen as lead guitarist Steve Cropper, sax man Lou Marini, trumpeter Alan Rubin and bass guitarist Donald "Duck" Dunn, the Blues Brothers proved more than an SNL novelty. Taking off with the public as a legitimate musical act, they performed live gigs and in 1978 released the hit album Briefcase Full of Blues (drawn from the fact that Aykroyd, as "Elwood Blues," carried his blues harmonicas in a briefcase that he kept handcuffed to his wrist, in the manner of a CIA courier; Belushi originally carried the key to those handcuffs). Briefcase Full of Blues eventually sold 3.5 million copies, and is one of the highest-selling blues albums of all time.[9] The band was much further popularized in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, which Aykroyd co-wrote.

Early in the incarnation of the Blues Brothers, Belushi joined the Grateful Dead on stage on April 2, 1980, for a rendition of "Good Morning Little School Girl" at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey that coincided with the Dead's appearance on SNL that weekend. Belushi sang the part usually carried by the late band member Ron "Pigpen" McKernan.

Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles was a regular haunt for the original Blues Brothers in the early days of the band. Belushi and Aykroyd became fixtures at the recording studio, while fellow Blues Brother Steve Cropper called Cherokee his producing home. Whenever they needed a bass player, they were joined by another Blues Brother, Donald "Duck" Dunn. During this time, Cropper, along with producing partner and Cherokee owner Bruce Robb, worked on a number of music projects with the two comedians/musicians, including Belushi's favorite band, Fear, and later Aykroyd's movie Dragnet.

The Blues Brothers Band continues to tour today, both with and without Aykroyd. The band features original members Cropper and Marini, along with vocalist Eddie Floyd. Aykroyd sometimes performs as Elwood, along with Belushi's younger brother Jim Belushi, who plays "Brother Zee" on stage. They are most frequently backed by The Sacred Hearts Band.[16]

Other film and television work

Aykroyd (right) on the set of The Great Outdoors, 1987

Concurrent with his work in Saturday Night Live, Aykroyd played the role of Purvis Bickle, lift operator at the fictitious office block 99 Sumach Street in the CBC Television series Coming Up Rosie.

After leaving Saturday Night Live, Aykroyd starred in a number of films, mostly comedies, with uneven results both commercially and artistically. His first three American feature films all co-starred Belushi. The first, 1941 (1979), directed by Steven Spielberg, was a box office disappointment. The second, The Blues Brothers (1980), which he co-wrote with director John Landis, was a massive hit. The third, Neighbors (1981) had mixed critical reaction but was another box-office hit.

One of his best-received performances was as a blueblood-turned-wretch in the 1983 comedy Trading Places, in which he co-starred with fellow SNL alumnus Eddie Murphy as well as Jamie Lee Curtis.

In the early 1980s, Aykroyd began work on a script for the film that eventually became Ghostbusters, inspired by his fascination with parapsychology. The script initially included a much greater fantasy element, including time travel, but this was toned down substantially through work on the script with Harold Ramis (who became a co-writer) and director Ivan Reitman. Aykroyd originally wrote the role of Dr. Peter Venkman with Belushi in mind, but rewrote it for Bill Murray after Belushi's death. Aykroyd joked that the green ghost, later known as "Slimer," was "the ghost of John Belushi" and was based on Belushi's party animal personality. Ghostbusters was released in 1984 and became a huge success for Aykroyd, who also appeared as one of the lead actors; the film earned nearly US$300 million on a US$30 million budget.

Aykroyd's next major film role was in the 1985 spy comedy film Spies Like Us, which like The Blues Brothers was co-conceived and co-written by Aykroyd, and directed by Landis. Aykroyd had again intended for Belushi to be the other lead in the film; the part was instead given to SNL alumnus Chevy Chase. The film was intended as an homage to the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road to ..." movies of the 1940s to 1960s. Bob Hope made a cameo appearance in the film.

1987 saw the release of Dragnet, which Aykroyd co-starred in (with Tom Hanks) and co-wrote. The film was both an homage and a satire of the previous Dragnet series, with Aykroyd playing Sgt. Joe Friday as a police officer whose law-and-order attitude is at odds with modern sensibilities.

Aykroyd appeared in five films released in 1988, all of them critical and commercial failures.

A sequel to Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, was released in 1989; Aykroyd and the other co-creators were reluctant to make another Ghostbusters film but succumbed to pressure from the film's studio, Columbia Pictures.[17] The film, though it was considered inferior to the original, was another big hit, earning US$215 million.

Aykroyd was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 1989's Driving Miss Daisy. He was the second SNL cast member to be nominated for an Oscar, the first being Joan Cusack.

Aykroyd in Santa Monica, California for a documentary about Ghostbusters

Aykroyd's directorial debut was 1991's Nothing but Trouble starring Demi Moore, Chevy Chase, John Candy and Aykroyd, sporting a bulbous prosthetic nose. The film was a critical and box office flop. Aykroyd's other films in the 1990s were mostly similarly poorly-received, including Coneheads (also based on a Saturday Night Live skit), Exit to Eden, Blues Brothers 2000, and Getting Away with Murder, all of which were poorly received. Two exceptions were Tommy Boy (1995), which starred SNL alumni David Spade and Chris Farley, in which Aykroyd played the role of Ray Zalinsky, and Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), in which Aykroyd had a well-received role as a rival hit man.

In 1994, Aykroyd made a guest appearance in an episode of the sitcom The Nanny as a refrigerator repairman. In 1997, he starred as an Episcopal priest in the ABC sitcom Soul Man which lasted two seasons.

In 2001, he starred in the Woody Allen film The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. Most of his film roles since then have tended to be small character parts in big-budget productions, such as a signals analyst in Pearl Harbor and a neurologist in 50 First Dates.

In 2009, Aykroyd and Ramis wrote and appeared in Ghostbusters: The Video Game, which also featured Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, William Atherton, and Brian Doyle-Murray.

In 2010, he played the voice of the title character, Yogi Bear, in the live-action/CGI-animated-film Yogi Bear. That same year, Aykroyd and Chevy Chase guest starred in the Family Guy episode "Spies Reminiscent of Us", an homage to Spies Like Us.

Aykroyd appeared in two February 2011 episodes of CBS's The Defenders, which starred Jim Belushi.[18] He also appeared on Top Chef Canada as a guest judge.[19]

In 2015 he appeared in a State Farm insurance commercial along with Jane Curtin, as the Coneheads, talking to "Jake", a State Farm agent.

Aykroyd is one of the producers of Ghostbusters, a long-discussed "reboot" of the Ghostbusters franchise, which is due for release in 2016. Aykroyd will have a cameo appearance in the film, along with many of the rest of the original Ghostbusters cast.[20][21]

Other musical endeavors

Aykroyd participated in the recording of "We Are the World" in 1985.

Aykroyd wrote the liner notes for fellow Ottawa born blues musician JW-Jones' album Bluelisted in 2008.

He also hosts the nationally syndicated radio show "Elwood's BluesMobile", formerly known as House of Blues Radio Hour, under his Blues Brothers moniker Elwood Blues.[22]

Business ventures

In 1992, Aykroyd and Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Isaac Tigrett founded the House of Blues, a chain of music venues, with the mission to promote African-American cultural contributions of blues music and folk art. Many other notable music and Hollywood personalities helped to finance it at its start. It began as a single location in Cambridge, Massachusetts, although other locations quickly followed, starting with a venue in New Orleans in 1994. In 2004 House of Blues became the second-largest live music promoter in the world, with seven venues and 22 amphitheaters in the United States and Canada. It was bought by Live Nation in 2006.

In 2007, Aykroyd and artist John Alexander founded Crystal Head Vodka, a brand of high-end vodka known for its distinctive skull-shaped bottle and for being filtered through Herkimer diamond crystals.[23]

Aykroyd is also part owner of several wineries in the Niagara region and the company that distributes Patrón tequila in Canada.[24][25]

Charitable works

In 2009, Aykroyd contributed a series of reminiscences on his upbringing in Canada for a charity album titled Dan Aykroyd's Canada.

Aykroyd helped start the Blue Line Foundation, which is redeveloping flood-damaged lots in New Orleans and helping first responders buy them at reduced prices. Coastal Blue Line LLC, hopes to eventually rebuild 400 properties in New Orleans.[26]

Personal life

Aykroyd is a permanent resident of the United States although he maintains his Canadian citizenship. Aykroyd was briefly engaged to Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher. He proposed to her on the set of The Blues Brothers (1980), in which she appeared as a spurned girlfriend of John Belushi's Jake Blues who was trying to kill both brothers. The engagement ended when she reconciled with her former boyfriend, musician Paul Simon.

In 1983, he married actress Donna Dixon, with whom he starred in the movies Doctor Detroit (1983), on whose set they first met, Spies Like Us (1985) and The Couch Trip (1988). They have three daughters, Danielle, Stella and Belle. He maintains his Canadian roots as a longtime resident of Sydenham, Ontario, with his estate on Loughborough Lake.

Aykroyd described himself (in a radio interview with Terry Gross) as having Tourette syndrome that was successfully treated with therapy when he was a preteen, as well as mild Asperger's.[27][28] (At the time, Asperger's did not exist as a term.)

He is a former reserve commander for the police department in Harahan, Louisiana, working for Chief of Police Peter Dale. Aykroyd would carry his badge with him at all times.[29]

He is also an Honorary Member of the Hinds County Sheriff's Department's Reserves in Hinds County, Mississippi. He supports the Reserves with a fundraiser concert along with other Blues and Gospel singers in the State of Mississippi.

Friendship with John Belushi

In an appearance on the Today show, Aykroyd referred to himself and John Belushi as "kindred spirits." In the biography "Belushi," Aykroyd claims that Belushi was the only man he could ever dance with.

Aykroyd and Belushi were scheduled to present the Academy Award for Visual Effects in 1982, but Belushi died only a few weeks prior to the ceremony. Though devastated by his friend's death, Aykroyd presented the award alone, remarking from the stage: "My partner would have loved to have been here to present this, given that he was something of a visual effect himself."

Aykroyd was openly hostile to the 1989 film Wired, a biopic of Belushi (which featured Aykroyd as a character), and has since refused to work with anyone involved in the film. He had actor J.T. Walsh fired from the film Loose Cannons after Walsh had already done two days of filming, after finding out that Walsh had been in the cast of Wired.[30]

Beliefs

Aykroyd considers himself a Spiritualist, stating that:

I am a Spiritualist, a proud wearer of the Spiritualist badge. Mediums and psychic research have gone on for many, many years.... Loads of people have seen spirits, heard a voice or felt the cold temperature. I believe that they are between here and there, that they exist between the fourth and fifth dimension, and that they visit us frequently.[31]

His great-grandfather, a dentist, was a mystic who corresponded with author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on the subject of Spiritualism, and who was a member of the Lily Dale Society.[31]

Other than Spiritualism, Aykroyd is also interested in various other aspects of the paranormal, particularly UFOlogy. He is a lifetime member of and official Hollywood consultant for the Mutual UFO Network. Along these lines, he served, from 1996 to 2000, as "host" of Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, which claimed to describe cases drawn from the archives of "The Office Of Scientific Investigation And Research." In 2005, Aykroyd produced the DVD Dan Aykroyd: Unplugged on UFOs.[32] Aykroyd is interviewed for 80 minutes by UFOlogist David Sereda discussing in depth many aspects of the UFO phenomenon, and reveals specifically that they are blue, not green, but appear that way because of a filter.[33]

On September 29, 2009, Peter Aykroyd Sr., Dan's father, published a book entitled A History of Ghosts. This book chronicled the family's historical involvement in the Spiritualist Movement, to which Aykroyd readily refers. Aykroyd wrote the introduction and accompanied his father on a series of promotional activities, including launches in New York and Toronto, appearances on Larry King Live, Coast to Coast AM and various other public relations initiatives. Aykroyd also read the introduction for the audio version of the book.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1977 Love at First Sight Roy
1979 Mr. Mike's Mondo Video Jack Lord Priest/ himself
1941 Sgt. Frank Tree
1980 Blues Brothers, TheThe Blues Brothers Elwood J. Blues Also writer
1981 Neighbors Vic
1982 It Came from Hollywood Himself
1983 Doctor Detroit Clifford Skridlow/Doctor Detroit
Trading Places Louis Winthorpe III
Twilight Zone: The Movie Passenger/ Ambulance Driver
1984 Ghostbusters Dr. Raymond Stantz Also writer
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Art Weber Cameo appearance
Nothing Lasts Forever Buck Heller
1985 Into the Night Herb
Spies Like Us Austin Millbarge Also writer
1987 Dragnet Sgt. Joe Friday
1988 Couch Trip, TheThe Couch Trip John W. Burns, Jr.
Great Outdoors, TheThe Great Outdoors Roman Craig
Caddyshack 2 Capt. Tom Everett
She's Having a Baby Roman Craig Uncredited cameo
My Stepmother Is an Alien Steven Mills
1989 "Liberian Girl" Cameo Music video by Michael Jackson
Driving Miss Daisy Boolie Werthan
Ghostbusters II Dr. Raymond Stantz Also writer
1990 Loose Cannons Ellis Fielding
Masters of Menace Johnny Lewis
1991 My Girl Harry Sultenfuss
Nothing but Trouble Alvin Valkenheiser Also writer and director
1992 Chaplin Mack Sennett
Sneakers Mother
This Is My Life Arnold Moss
1993 Coneheads Beldar Conehead Also writer
1994 Century of Cinema, AA Century of Cinema Himself Documentary
Exit to Eden Fred Lavery
My Girl 2 Harry Sultenfuss
North Pa Tex
1995 Canadian Bacon OPP Officer Uncredited
Casper Dr. Raymond Stantz Uncredited
Random Factor, TheThe Random Factor Dexter Voice role
Tommy Boy Ray Zalinsky, "The Auto Parts King"
1996 Rainbow Sheriff Wyatt Hampton
Celtic Pride Jimmy Flaherty
Feeling Minnesota Det. Ben Costikyan
My Fellow Americans President William Haney
Getting Away with Murder Jack Lambert
Sgt. Bilko Colonel John T. Hall
1997 Grosse Pointe Blank Grocer
1998 Antz Chip Voice role
Blues Brothers 2000 Elwood J. Blues Also writer/producer
Susan's Plan Bob
1999 Diamonds Lance Agensky
2000 House of Mirth, TheThe House of Mirth Gus Trenor
Loser Dad
Stardom Barry Levine
2001 Curse of the Jade Scorpion, TheThe Curse of the Jade Scorpion Chris Magruder
Evolution Governor Lewis
Frank Truth, TheThe Frank Truth Himself Documentary
On the Nose Dr. Barry Davis
Pearl Harbor Capt. Thurman
2002 Crossroads Pete Wagner
Unconditional Love Max Beasly
2003 Bright Young Things Lord Monomark
2004 Christmas with the Kranks Vic Frohmeyer
Shortcut to Happiness Julius Jenson
50 First Dates Dr. Joseph Keats
Intern Academy Dr. Cyrill Kipp
2007 I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry Captain Phineas Tucker
2008 War, Inc. Mr. Vice President
2010 Yogi Bear Yogi Bear Voice role
2012 The Campaign Wade Motch
The Ultimate Sacrifice Narrator
2014 Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return Scarecrow Voice role
Tammy Don
Get On Up Ben Bart
2015 Pixels 1982 Championship MC
2016 Ghostbusters Taxi Driver Cameo appearance; in post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1974 Gift of Winter, TheThe Gift of Winter Goodly / Rotten / Maple Voice role
1975 Coming Up Rosie Purvis Bickle
1975–79 Saturday Night Live Various
1976 Beach Boys: It's OK, TheThe Beach Boys: It's OK Cop Also writer
1978 All You Need Is Cash Brian Thigh
1986–91 Real Ghostbusters, TheThe Real Ghostbusters Creator
1990 Dave Thomas Comedy Show, TheThe Dave Thomas Comedy Show Various Episode 1.2
It's Garry Shandling's Show Boolie Shandling Episode: "Driving Miss Garry"
The Earth Day Special Vic's Buddy
1991 Tales from the Crypt Captain Mulligan Episode: "Yellow"
1994 Nanny, TheThe Nanny Repair Man Episode: "Sunday in the Park with Fran"
1995 Kesley Grammar Salutes Jack Benny Himself Special
1996–
2000
Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal Host 88 episodes
1997 Arrow, TheThe Arrow Crawford Gordon Also creative consultant
1997 Home Improvement Rev. Mike Walker Episode: "Losing My Religion"
Soul Man Rev. Mike Weber 25 episodes
2001 Earth vs. the Spider Det. Insp. Jack Grillo Movie
History's Mysteries Narrator Episode: "The Children's Crusade"
2002 According to Jim Danny Michalsky 5 episodes
2009 Family Guy Himself Episode: "Spies Reminiscent of Us"
X-Play Himself Episode: "Quit Givin' Me the Bug Eye, Valkyrie"
2011 Defenders, TheThe Defenders Judge Max Hunter 2 episodes
2013 Behind the Candelabra Seymour Heller Movie

Video games

Year Title Voice role Notes
2009 Ghostbusters: The Video Game Ray Stantz Also writer
2010 Yogi Bear: The Video Game Yogi Bear
2015 Lego Dimensions Ray Stantz Archive sound

Guest appearances on SNL

Date Episode No. Host/ Musical guest Role(s)
February 13, 1988 13.11 Justine Bateman/ Terence Trent D'Arby Bob Dole
May 15, 1993 18.20 Kevin Kline/ Willie Nelson and Paul Simon
March 25, 1995 20.16 John Goodman/ The Tragically Hip Bob Dole, Elwood Blues, Irwin Mainway, Tom Snyder, Rush Limbaugh, Robert Stack, miner
February 7, 1998 23.14 John Goodman/ Paula Cole Bob Dole, Elwood Blues, Irwin Mainway, Ernesto
September 26, 1998 24.1 Cameron Diaz/ The Smashing Pumpkins Yortuk Festrunk
November 3, 2001 27.4 John Goodman/ Ja Rule Dr. Keith Vester, Elwood Blues, Leonard Pinth-Garnell
February 2, 2002 27.12 Britney Spears Mormon, Judge Lindenwell
March 8, 2003 28.14 Queen Latifah/ Ms. Dynamite Bob Dole
May 17, 2003 28.20 Aykroyd/ Beyoncé Andrew Card, Patrick Fitzpatrick, Donnie "The Finger" Dabinski, biker, Esteban, chief science officer, Butch, Sam Elliott
March 24, 2007 32.16 Peyton Manning/ Carrie Underwood Himself
February 14, 2009 34.16 Alec Baldwin/ The Jonas Brothers John Boehner
March 9, 2013 38.16 Justin Timberlake Himself, Yortuk Festrunk

Accolades

Aykroyd's star on Canada's Walk of Fame

In 1977, Aykroyd received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series for his collaborative work on Saturday Night Live. In 1994, he received an honourary Doctor of Literature degree from Carleton University. In 1998, Aykroyd was made a Member of the Order of Canada. He was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2002.[34]

Awards and nominations
Year Association Category Work Result
1977 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Writing in a Comedy – Variety or Music Series
(shared with the other writers)
Saturday Night Live Won
1978–79 Saturday Night Live Nominated
1978 Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program Saturday Night Live Won
1989 Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor Driving Miss Daisy Nominated

See also

References

  1. "Want Ads/Births". The Ottawa Evening Journal. July 1, 1952. p. 12.
  2. 1 2 "Dan Aykroyd Biography (1952–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  3. Aykroyd, Peter H. (1992). The anniversary compulsion: Canada's centennial celebration, a model mega-anniversary. Dundurn Press Ltd. pp. ix. ISBN 1-55002-185-0.
  4. "The First Church of Dan Aykroyd". Webcitation.org. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  5. Current biography yearbook 1992. New York: H.W. Wilson Company. p. 32. ISSN 0011-3344. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  6. "Biography for Dan Aykroyd". IMDb. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  7. "Don't Look Back In Anger". Snltranscripts.jt.org. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  8. "The religion of Dan Aykroyd, actor, comedian". Adherents.com. September 20, 2005. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  9. 1 2 Roger Gatchet (18 May 2007). "Still on a mission from God: interview with Dan Aykroyd". www.austinsound.net. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  10. This recollection of Aykroyd is subject to challenge. Some assert that it was Ottawa artist Arthur II who joined the band to play drums and that, at best, Aykroyd was a member of the audience. Aykroyd's recollection as to who actually played at Le Hibou is also questionable as Pinetop Perkins never appeared, and Howlin' Wolf appeared once.[citation required]
  11. "Dan Aykroyd Biography". Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  12. "Our Alumni". The Second City. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  13. "Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live". SNL. 2005-02-20. NBC.
  14. Hill and Weingrad p. 143
  15. Rolling Stone, issue 1229, February 26, 2015, p. 32.
  16. Karen (January 28, 2011). "Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts". Jimbelushi.ws. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  17. Klady, Leonard (May 17, 1987). "Ghostly Movie". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  18. "Dan Aykroyd to Reunite with Jim Belushi on The Defenders.". TVGuide.com. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  19. "TV Highlights: Dan Aykroyd on 'The Defenders'; Dina Lohan on '20/20'; 'Gold Rush: Alaska' finale". The Washington Post. February 18, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  20. "Sony Plans New ‘Ghostbusters’ Film With Russo Brothers, Channing Tatum & ‘IM3′ Scribe Drew Pearce". Deadline. March 9, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  21. "Reitman, Aykroyd Team For ‘Ghostcorp'; Expanding "GHOSTBUSTERS" Franchise". Fangoria. March 9, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  22. "TheBluesmobile.com". TheBluesmobile.com. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  23. "Crystal Head Vodka".
  24. "Dan Aykroyd". Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  25. Sharp, Annette (October 11, 2013). "Dan Aykroyd's displeasure crystal clear to observer". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  26. Eliot Kamenitz / The Times Picayune. "Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd launches home building project for first responders". Nola.com. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  27. Terry Gross (interviewer) and Dan Aykroyd (guest) (November 22, 2004). "Comedian --and Writer --Dan Aykroyd". Fresh Air. Event occurs at 29:50. NPR. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  28. Ewing, Sarah (December 9, 2013). "'I have Asperger's - one of my symptoms included being obsessed with ghosts': Under the microscope with Dan Aykroyd". Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  29. CISNMike (February 14, 2007). "Dan Aykroyd Shows his Badge". Youtube.com. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  30. Easton, Nina J.; Mathews, Jack (April 13, 1989). "Another Chapter in the Strange Odyssey of 'Wired'". Los Angeles Times.
  31. 1 2 Aykroyd, Dan (April 18, 2009). "Psychic News". Psychic News Issue #4001.
  32. Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs (2005) at the Internet Movie Database
  33. "UFORC News Service: Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs". Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  34. "Canada's Walk of Fame Inducts Dan Aykroyd". Canada's Walk of Fame.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dan Aykroyd.
Preceded by
Jane Curtin solo
Weekend Update anchor
1977–1978
Succeeded by
Jane Curtin with Bill Murray
Preceded by
Position inaugurated
MTV Video Music Awards host
1984 (co-host with Bette Midler)
Succeeded by
Eddie Murphy
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