Dan Aykroyd Canadian Actor Known for Ghostbusters

Dan Aykroyd, born 1 July 1952 in Ottawa, is a Canadian actor. He is recognised for appearances in Ghostbusters (1984) and The Blues Brothers (1980).

Early life

He studied at Carleton University (sociology, criminology); St. Pius X High School; and St. Patrick's High School.

Career

Records list Saturday Night Live (1975) as his earliest screen credit. In the 1980s, he appeared in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984, as cameo at the airport) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989). The 2000s brought Pearl Harbor (2001, as Captain Harold Thurman) and 50 First Dates (2004). His 2010s credits include Pixels (2015) and Ghostbusters (2016). During the 2020s, he worked on Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021, as Ray Stantz) and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024, as Ray Stantz).

In all, 79 films and 6 TV series appear in his credits from 1975 to 2024. Comedy is the most frequent genre among his listed titles (20), followed by drama (15) and science fiction (9). Of his 11 titles with worldwide box-office figures on record, Pearl Harbor (2001) has the highest, at $449 million. He is also credited as director on Nothing but Trouble, and writer on 8 titles, including Ghostbusters II.

Bill Murray appears in ten of his listed titles, including Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) and All You Need Is Cash (1978). Other co-stars who recur in his credits are Sigourney Weaver (four titles) and Adam Sandler (four titles). John Landis directed five of his titles on record, among them Trading Places (1983) and Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). Ivan Reitman is credited as director on three of them, including Evolution (2001).

The records also show one album, Have Love Will Travel (2003). Antz and Yogi Bear are listed among his notable work.

Recognition

Dan Aykroyd received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 1977 for Saturday Night Live. Further recognition came with the Canada's Walk of Fame (2002) and a Great Immigrants Award (2007). He has also been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1990 for Driving Miss Daisy. His awards record shows 6 wins and 10 nominations.

Personal life

He has been married to Donna Dixon since 1983. He is the father of Vera Sola, and has 3 children in total.