Dan Aykroyd Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth & Biography

Dan Aykroyd is a Canadian actor, comedian and writer best known as Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters, which he co-wrote, and as Elwood Blues in The Blues Brothers. Born on July 1, 1952, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Aykroyd, 74, was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live and went on to a film career that includes Trading Places, Driving Miss Daisy and My Girl, as well as a successful business career as the co-founder of Crystal Head Vodka.

Quick Facts

Who Is Dan Aykroyd?

Dan Aykroyd is an actor, comedian and writer whose work has shaped American comedy for five decades. As Ray Stantz, the excitable parapsychologist, in Ghostbusters (1984), a film he co-wrote with Harold Ramis, Aykroyd played a man who believes in the supernatural with a sincerity that made the film’s absurd premise work, and the film became one of the most successful comedies of all time. He is also known as Elwood Blues, the straight man to John Belushi’s Jake Blues, in The Blues Brothers (1980), a film that began as a Saturday Night Live sketch and became a cult classic, and as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1979, where he played characters such as Beldar Conehead and the Bass-O-Matic salesman.

Beyond those roles, Aykroyd has shown a wide range. He played Louis Winthorpe III, a wealthy stockbroker who is ruined in a bet, in Trading Places (1983), opposite Eddie Murphy, and he played Boolie Werthan, the son of the title character, in Driving Miss Daisy (1989), a performance that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He starred in My Girl (1991), in Coneheads (1993), and in Ghostbusters II (1989), alongside Bill Murray, his fellow Ghostbusters star. He has also worked as a writer, as a producer, and as a businessman, co-founding the House of Blues chain of music venues and Crystal Head Vodka.

Early Life & Background

Daniel Edward Aykroyd was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the son of Lorraine, a secretary, and Samuel Cuthbert Aykroyd, a civil engineer who worked for the Canadian government. He grew up in Ottawa, where he attended St. Pius X High School and St. Patrick’s High School. He went on to study criminology and sociology at Carleton University in Ottawa, but he left before graduating, and he worked as a comedian in the Second City comedy troupe in Toronto, where he met John Belushi, Gilda Radner and other future Saturday Night Live stars.

He became interested in the paranormal as a child, after reading about ghosts and UFOs, and he has said that his family’s interest in spiritualism influenced his writing of Ghostbusters. He made his acting debut on television, playing in The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour (1970-1971), and he appeared in Saturday Night Live in 1975, as one of the original cast members, known as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. He played in The Blues Brothers, in 1941 (1979), and in Trading Places, which brought him to wide attention as a film actor.

Career

Aykroyd’s career in film includes Love at First Sight (1977), 1941, The Blues Brothers, Neighbors (1981), Trading Places, Ghostbusters, Spies Like Us (1985), Dragnet (1987), Driving Miss Daisy, Ghostbusters II, My Girl, Coneheads, Tommy Boy (1995), Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), and Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), in which he reprised the role of Ray Stantz. He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Driving Miss Daisy, and he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Ghostbusters, alongside Harold Ramis.

On television, Aykroyd has played in Saturday Night Live, in which he was a cast member from 1975 to 1979, and he has made guest appearances in Home Improvement, in The Nanny, and in Soul Man (1997-1998). He married Donna Dixon, an actress and model, in 1983, and they have three daughters together: Danielle, Belle and Stella. He is a co-founder of the House of Blues, a chain of music venues, and of Crystal Head Vodka, a vodka brand that is sold in a distinctive skull-shaped bottle. He is known for his work as a comedian, as a writer, and as a businessman, and for a career that has lasted for more than fifty years.

Facts About Dan Aykroyd

• He co-wrote Ghostbusters (1984) and played Ray Stantz in the film.
• He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1979.
• He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Driving Miss Daisy (1989).
• He co-founded the House of Blues and Crystal Head Vodka.
• He has been married to Donna Dixon since 1983, and they have three daughters together.

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