Dan Aykroyd was born Daniel Edward Aykroyd on July 1, 1952, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His mother, Lorraine worked as a secretary, and his father, Samuel (who actually went by his middle name “Peter”), was an author and civil engineer who was a policy advisor under Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s administration.
Dan was born with webbed feet and was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome at the age of 12 and Asperger’s syndrome in the early 1980s. He was raised in a Catholic household and had planned on becoming a priest, but changed his mind at 17. Aykroyd attended St. Pius X High School and St. Patrick’s High School before studying sociology and criminology at Carleton University. He dropped out of college before earning his degree and performed comedy at Canadian nightclubs; he joined the Second City comedy troupe in 1973 and ran a speakeasy called Club 505.
Aykroyd is best known for being one of the original cast members of “Saturday Night Live” and for playing the iconic role of Ray Stantz in the “Ghostbusters” franchise. He is also a member of The Blues Brothers, which began as a “Saturday Night Live” sketch featuring Dan and John Belushi, and evolved into a touring band; their 1978 album “Briefcase Full of Blues” went double platinum, selling 3.5 million copies. Aykroyd co-founded the House of Blues concert venue/restaurant chain in 1992 and launched Crystal Head Vodka with $600,000 in 2007; the vodka is sold in crystal skull-shaped bottles, and the company’s revenue topped $80 million by 2018. The Blues Brothers got their own movie in 1980, and John Goodman replaced the late John Belushi in the 1998 sequel, “Blues Brothers 2000.” Dan also co-starred with Belushi in “1941” (1979) and “Neighbors” (1981), and he had planned on co-starring with him in “Ghostbusters,” (which Aykroyd began writing in the early 1980s), but after he died of a drug overdose in 1982, Dan rewrote the part of Peter Venkman for Bill Murray. The 1984 film grossed $295.7 million worldwide and led to a 1989 sequel, a 2016 reboot (in which Aykroyd had a cameo as a cab driver), and an animated series (“The Real Ghostbusters,” which ran from 1986 to 1991). He reprised his role in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” which was released in 2021.
In 1983, Dan co-starred with Eddie Murphy in “Trading Places,” then wrote and starred in “Spies Like Us” (1987) and “Dragnet” (1987). He then appeared in 1989’s “Driving Miss Daisy,” 1991’s “Nothing But Trouble” (which he also directed), 1993’s “Coneheads,” and 1995’s “Tommy Boy.” In 1996, Aykroyd began hosting “Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal,” which was created by his brother and ran until 2000. He also starred on ABC sitcom “Soul Man” from 1997 to 1998, playing a widowed priest. Dan has appeared in more than two dozen films in the 2000s, including “Evolution” (2000), “50 First Dates” (2004), “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry” (2007), and “Tammy” (2014).
Dan was engaged to Carrie Fisher, his co-star in “The Blues Brothers,” in 1980, but she left him for former boyfriend Paul Simon. Aykroyd married actress Donna Dixon on April 29, 1983, and they have 3 daughters together: Danielle (born in November 1989), Belle (born in June 1993), and Stella (born in April 1998). Dan was close friends with John Belushi, calling him both a brother and a kindred spirit, and he was devastated by his death.
Dan Aykroyd was born Daniel Edward Aykroyd on July 1, 1952, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His mother, Lorraine worked as a secretary, and his father, Samuel (who actually went by his middle name “Peter”), was an author and civil engineer who was a policy advisor under Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s administration.
Dan was born with webbed feet and was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome at the age of 12 and Asperger’s syndrome in the early 1980s. He was raised in a Catholic household and had planned on becoming a priest, but changed his mind at 17. Aykroyd attended St. Pius X High School and St. Patrick’s High School before studying sociology and criminology at Carleton University. He dropped out of college before earning his degree and performed comedy at Canadian nightclubs; he joined the Second City comedy troupe in 1973 and ran a speakeasy called Club 505.
Aykroyd is best known for being one of the original cast members of “Saturday Night Live” and for playing the iconic role of Ray Stantz in the “Ghostbusters” franchise. He is also a member of The Blues Brothers, which began as a “Saturday Night Live” sketch featuring Dan and John Belushi, and evolved into a touring band; their 1978 album “Briefcase Full of Blues” went double platinum, selling 3.5 million copies. Aykroyd co-founded the House of Blues concert venue/restaurant chain in 1992 and launched Crystal Head Vodka with $600,000 in 2007; the vodka is sold in crystal skull-shaped bottles, and the company’s revenue topped $80 million by 2018. The Blues Brothers got their own movie in 1980, and John Goodman replaced the late John Belushi in the 1998 sequel, “Blues Brothers 2000.” Dan also co-starred with Belushi in “1941” (1979) and “Neighbors” (1981), and he had planned on co-starring with him in “Ghostbusters,” (which Aykroyd began writing in the early 1980s), but after he died of a drug overdose in 1982, Dan rewrote the part of Peter Venkman for Bill Murray. The 1984 film grossed $295.7 million worldwide and led to a 1989 sequel, a 2016 reboot (in which Aykroyd had a cameo as a cab driver), and an animated series (“The Real Ghostbusters,” which ran from 1986 to 1991). He reprised his role in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” which was released in 2021.
In 1983, Dan co-starred with Eddie Murphy in “Trading Places,” then wrote and starred in “Spies Like Us” (1987) and “Dragnet” (1987). He then appeared in 1989’s “Driving Miss Daisy,” 1991’s “Nothing But Trouble” (which he also directed), 1993’s “Coneheads,” and 1995’s “Tommy Boy.” In 1996, Aykroyd began hosting “Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal,” which was created by his brother and ran until 2000. He also starred on ABC sitcom “Soul Man” from 1997 to 1998, playing a widowed priest. Dan has appeared in more than two dozen films in the 2000s, including “Evolution” (2000), “50 First Dates” (2004), “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry” (2007), and “Tammy” (2014).
Dan was engaged to Carrie Fisher, his co-star in “The Blues Brothers,” in 1980, but she left him for former boyfriend Paul Simon. Aykroyd married actress Donna Dixon on April 29, 1983, and they have 3 daughters together: Danielle (born in November 1989), Belle (born in June 1993), and Stella (born in April 1998). Dan was close friends with John Belushi, calling him both a brother and a kindred spirit, and he was devastated by his death.
