Dan Aykroyd Biography

The Canadian-American actor Dan Aykroyd was born in 1952 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Aykroyd grew up in a religious household, and was so influenced by his experiences in the Catholic Church that for most of his youth he aspired to enter the priesthood. However, his focus shifted to the academic studies of sociology and then criminology while at Carleton University, and it was during this time at a student that he began to take the stage as a comedian at various nightclubs around the Toronto area.

Aykroyd joined the Second City comedy troupe in Toronto in 1973, which ultimately led to his first job as a writer for Saturday Night Live. Within a matter of weeks, it became clear that Dan’s talents would make him a strong cast member, and so he joined the original cast (known as the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players”) for the show’s first season. Dan Aykroyd remained with the show for its first four seasons, becoming famous for his unique impersonations of such public figures as: Julia Child, Jimmy Carter, Rod Serling, and Richard Nixon. His co-hosting of the Weekend Update segment on the show became famous for his catchphrase, “Jane, you ignorant slut.” Ultimately, his work on SNL earned him his first Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series.

From Saturday Night Life, Dan Aykroyd went on to become a highly successful actor, for both comedic roles and dramatic roles, ultimately earning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film Driving Miss Daisy (1989.) Aykroyd is also most famous as half of the “Blues Brothers” act, alongside the late John Belushi. Other notable film appearances by Dan Aykroyd include: Ghostbusters (1983), Spies Like Us (1985), Caddyshack 2 (1988), Sneakers (1993), Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), 50 First Dates (2004), and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007.)

Most recently, Dan Aykroyd served as one of the executive producers for the re-boot of the Ghostbusters franchise; the new Ghostbusters arrived in 2016 and featured an all-female cast. Aykroyd is also scheduled to narrate the documentary Defend-Conserve-Protect in the coming year.