Editing Dan Aykroyd

{{short description|Canadian and American actor (born 1952)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox actor
| name               = Dan Aykroyd
| honorific_suffix   = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|OOnt|size=100%}}
| image              = Dan Aykroyd cropped.jpg
| caption            = Aykroyd in 2009
| birth_name         = Daniel Edward Aykroyd
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1952|7|1}}
| birth_place        = [[Ottawa, Ontario, Canada]]
| citizenship        = {{hlist|Canada|United States}}
| education          = [[Carleton University]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|[[Actor]]|[[comedian]]|[[screenwriter]]|[[Film producer|producer]]}}
| yearsactive        = 1971–present
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Donna Dixon]]|1983|April 29, 2022|end={{abbr|sep.|separated}}}}
| children           = 3, including [[Vera Sola]]
| relatives          = [[Peter Aykroyd]] (brother)
}}

'''Daniel Edward Aykroyd''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|OOnt}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|k|r|ɔɪ|d}} {{respell|AK|royd}}; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer.

Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the [[NBC]] [[sketch comedy]] series ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' from its inception in 1975 until his departure in 1979. During his tenure on ''SNL'', he appeared in a recurring series of sketches, particularly featuring the [[Coneheads]] and [[the Blues Brothers]]. For his work on the show, he received five [[Primetime Emmy Award]] nominations, winning for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series|Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series]] in 1977. After his departure, he has since returned to guest roles.

Aykroyd's most famous roles are as [[The Blues Brothers|Elwood J. Blues]] in ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'' (1980) and ''[[Blues Brothers 2000]]'' (1998) and [[Ray Stantz|Dr. Raymond "Ray" Stantz]] in ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' (1984), and ''[[Ghostbusters II]]'' (1989) (he has reprised his role in various projects within the [[Ghostbusters (franchise)|''Ghostbusters'' franchise]]). He also is known for his comedic roles in ''[[1941 (film)|1941]]'' (1979), ''[[Trading Places]]'' (1983), ''[[Spies Like Us]]'' (1985), ''[[Dragnet (1987 film)|Dragnet]]'' (1987), ''[[The Great Outdoors (film)|The Great Outdoors]]'' (1988), ''[[Nothing but Trouble (1991 film)|Nothing but Trouble]]'' (1991) and ''[[Coneheads (film)|Coneheads]]'' (1993).

In 1990, he was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] for his role as Boolie Werthan in ''[[Driving Miss Daisy]]'' (1989). Other dramatic roles include ''[[Chaplin (film)|Chaplin]]'' (1992), ''[[North (1994 film)|North]]'' (1994) and ''[[Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'' (2001). Aykroyd has done supporting roles in comedy films such as ''[[Tommy Boy (film)|Tommy Boy]]'' (1995), ''[[Grosse Pointe Blank]]'' (1997), ''[[Loser (film)|Loser]]'' (2000), ''[[Evolution (2001 film)|Evolution]]'' (2001), ''[[50 First Dates]]'' (2004),  ''[[I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry]]'' (2007), and ''[[Tammy (film)|Tammy]]'' (2014).

He starred as Reverend Mike Weber, in the sitcom ''[[Soul Man (TV series)|Soul Man]]'' (1997–1998). He has made guest appearances on various television shows including ''[[The Nanny]]'' (1994), ''[[According to Jim]]'' (2002–2009), ''[[Living with Fran]]'' (2006), ''[[The Defenders (2010 TV series)|The Defenders]]'' (2011) and ''[[Workin' Moms]]'' (2017–2023). Aykroyd is also a businessman, having co-founded the [[House of Blues]] chain of music venues and the [[Crystal Head Vodka]] brand.

==Early life==
Aykroyd was born on July 1, 1952, at [[The Ottawa Hospital|Ottawa General Hospital]] in [[Ottawa, Ontario]].<ref>{{cite news |work=[[Ottawa Journal|The Ottawa Evening Journal]] |date=July 1, 1952 |page=12|title=Want Ads/Births}}</ref> His father, Samuel Cuthbert Peter Hugh Aykroyd (1922–2020), a civil engineer, worked as a policy adviser to Canadian Prime Minister [[Pierre Trudeau]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chiang: Top civil servant and philanthropist Peter Aykroyd dies at 98|work=ottawacitizen |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/chiang-aykroyd-obit|access-date=December 9, 2021}}</ref> and his mother, Lorraine Hélène Marie (née Gougeon; 1918–2018), was a secretary.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Remembering the life of Lorraine AYKROYD|url=http://montrealgazette.remembering.ca/obituary/lorraine-aykroyd-1066083273/|access-date=February 10, 2021|website=montrealgazette.remembering.ca}}</ref><ref>[https://www.everhere.com/ca/obituary-sydenham-lorraine-aykroyd-6909441]{{Dead link|date=June 2021}}</ref><ref name=dtl>{{Cite book|last=Aykroyd|first=Peter H.|title=The anniversary compulsion: Canada's centennial celebration, a model mega-anniversary|publisher=Dundurn Press Ltd.|year=1992|page=ix|isbn=1-55002-185-0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Lorraine Hélène Marie Gougeon Aykroyd - Obituaries - Kingston, ON - Your Life Moments|url=http://www.yourlifemoments.ca/sitepages/obituary.asp?oid=1064884|access-date=September 28, 2020|website=www.yourlifemoments.ca}}{{Dead link|date=January 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> His mother was of [[French Canadians|French Canadian]] descent and his father was of English, Scottish, Irish, French, and Dutch ancestry.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C4gYAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Samuel+Cuthbert+Peter+Hugh+Aykroyd%22|title=Current biography yearbook 1992|journal=Current Biography Yearbook: Annual Cumulation|year=1992|publisher=H.W. Wilson Company|page=32|location=New York|issn=0011-3344|access-date=October 22, 2013}}</ref> His paternal ancestor was Englishman Samuel Aykroyd from [[Halifax, Yorkshire]], who emigrated to the United States, eventually settling in [[Upper Canada]] near [[Kingston, Ontario]] in 1810.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Chiang: Top civil servant and philanthropist Peter Aykroyd dies at 98 |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/chiang-aykroyd-obit |access-date= June 12, 2023 |work=[[Ottawa Citizen]] |date=July 9, 2020}}</ref> His brother, [[Peter Aykroyd|Peter]] (1955–2021), was also an actor.

He attended [[St. Pius X High School (Ottawa)|St. Pius X]] and [[St. Patrick's High School (Ottawa)|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 [[nightclub]]s and ran an after-hours [[speakeasy]], Club 505, in Toronto for several years.<ref>{{cite news |last=DeMara |first=Bruce |title=Local Legends: The Queen East 'key club' where the Blues Brothers were born |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2017/07/22/local-legends-the-queen-east-key-club-where-the-blues-brothers-were-born.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 26, 2019 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=July 22, 2017}}</ref>

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

{{blockquote|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 did actually jam 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, [[University of Ottawa|Ottawa University]], [[Carleton University|Carleton]], and all the schools—these people were interested in blues culture.<ref name="AustinSound">{{cite web|url=http://www.austinsound.net/author/roger-gatchet/page/2|title=Still on a mission from God: interview with Dan Aykroyd|author=Roger Gatchet|date=May 18, 2007|publisher=www.austinsound.net|access-date=October 22, 2013|archive-date=October 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023060505/http://www.austinsound.net/author/roger-gatchet/page/2/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>This recollection of Aykroyd is subject to challenge. Some assert that it was Ottawa artist [http://astro.ncf.ca/images/fuzzy6.pdf Arthur II] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706190339/http://astro.ncf.ca/images/fuzzy6.pdf |date=July 6, 2011 }} who joined the band to play drums and that, at best, Aykroyd was a member of the audience.</ref>}}

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Aykroyd,_Dan/Biography|title=Dan Aykroyd profile|website=Starpulse.com|access-date=March 11, 2014|archive-date=March 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311180520/http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Aykroyd,_Dan/Biography/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was a member of the [[The Second City|Second City]] comedy troupe in 1973 in both Toronto and Chicago.<ref name="sc">{{cite web|title=Our Alumni|url=http://www.secondcity.com/history/alumni|publisher=The Second City|access-date=October 22, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091206065654/http://www.secondcity.com/history/alumni|archive-date=December 6, 2009}}</ref>

==Career==
===''Saturday Night Live''===
Aykroyd gained fame on the American late-night comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). He was originally hired, and paid $278 a week (equivalent to $1,603 in 2024), 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 sensibility to the show which combined youth, unusual interests, talent as an [[impersonator]], and a manic intensity. Guest host [[Eric Idle]] of [[Monty Python]] said that Aykroyd's ability to write and act out characters made him the only member of the ''SNL'' cast capable of being a Python.<ref name="snl20050220">{{cite episode|title=Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live|series=''SNL''|network=NBC|airdate=February 20, 2005}}</ref>

He was known for his impersonations of celebrities such as [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Vincent Price]], [[Richard Nixon]], [[Rod Serling]], [[Tom Snyder]], and [[Julia Child]]. 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" brothers from [[Bratislava, Slovakia]]; 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); Fred Garvin, a male prostitute; and high-bred but low-brow critic [[Leonard Pinth-Garnell]]. Aykroyd and [[Jane Curtin]] parodied the Point/Counterpoint segment on the CBS news show ''[[60 Minutes]]'', which featured the liberal [[Shana Alexander]] and the conservative segregationist [[James Kilpatrick]], by portraying the two as hating each another; Aykroyd's first words in response to Curtin's point were, "Jane, you ignorant slut!".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/point-counterpoint-lee-marvin-and-michelle-triola/2846665|title=Point Counterpoint: Lee Marvin and Michelle Triola|date=March 17, 1979|website=Nbc.com|access-date=May 30, 2018}}</ref>

Aykroyd's eccentric talent was recognized by others in the highly competitive ''SNL'' environment; when he first presented his "Super Bass-O-Matic '76" sketch, a fake TV commercial in which a garish, hyper-pitchman (based on [[Ron Popeil]]) touts a [[blender (device)|food blender]] that turns an entire [[striped bass|bass]] into liquid pulp, the other writers and cast members considered the sketch "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."<ref>Hill and Weingrad p. 143</ref> Aykroyd later said that the inspiration for the sketch was seeing his aunt Helene Gougeon (a culinary writer and food columnist in [[Montreal]]) put a bass into a blender in order to make a [[bouillabaisse]] when he was 12 years old.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ware|first=Grahame|date=2010|title=Ackroyd explains the origins of the Bass-O-Matic sketch on SNL|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c06HorsmhjY| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/c06HorsmhjY| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|website=Food Channel}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|author-link=Marc Maron|date=|title=WTF Podcast Episode 1108 Dan Aykroyd, approx 36 minute mark - he saw his Aunt Helen cooking up a bouillabaisse from a fish in a blender - Bass-O-Matic|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgqFuS9T4s4| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122145242/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgqFuS9T4s4| archive-date=January 22, 2021 | url-status=dead|access-date=January 15, 2021|website=YouTube}}</ref>

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. Aykroyd later recalled that, unlike Belushi and others of his peers, he was uninterested in recreational drug use.<ref>"I was never into the powders or pills. I tried it all but didn't like that clenched-teeth feeling. I didn't like the 'I'm a palpitating rabbit and I'm gonna solve the world's problems' feeling either. I drank some beers. I'm still here." Sean O'Hagan, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2003/sep/28/features.review "I'm still haunted by Belushi"], ''The Observer'' September 2003.</ref>

In 1977, he received an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series|Emmy Award]] for writing on ''SNL''; he later received two more nominations for writing and one for acting. In ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}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."<ref>''Rolling Stone'', issue 1229, February 26, 2015, p. 32.</ref>

In later decades, Aykroyd made occasional guest appearances and unannounced [[Cameo appearance|cameo]]s on ''SNL'', often impersonating the American politician [[Bob Dole]]. He also brought back past characters including Irwin Mainway and Leonard Pinth-Garnell. In 1995, he appeared on the show to introduce a performance by Canadian rock band [[The Tragically Hip]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Rudnick |first=Natasha |title=The Tragically Hip: 10 Essential Songs |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-tragically-hip-10-essential-songs-97420/grace-too-1994-98177/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=May 28, 2019 |date=August 19, 2016}}</ref> Aykroyd, who is a fan of the band, had personally lobbied [[Lorne Michaels]] to book them as musical guests.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dan Aykroyd on the Tragically Hip, the blues, ghosts and the Caesar |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/thursday-may-16-2019-dan-aykroyd-ahmed-best-jar-jar-binks-and-more-from-nunavut-1.5136928/dan-aykroyd-on-the-tragically-hip-the-blues-ghosts-and-the-caesar-1.5137189 |work=[[CBC Radio]] |access-date=May 28, 2019}}</ref>

During some guest appearances, he resurrected the Blues Brothers musical act with frequent host [[John Goodman]] in place of Belushi, who was by then deceased. 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 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/justin-timberlake-snl-seth-meyers-429238|title=Seth Meyers Reveals Squabbling Behind Justin Timberlake's 'SNL' (Video)|last=Couch|first=Aaron|date=March 15, 2013|website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref>

===''The Blues Brothers''===
{{main|The Blues Brothers}}

Aykroyd was a close friend of [[John Belushi]]. According to Aykroyd, their first meeting helped spark the Blues Brothers act. When they met in a club that 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.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=The Blues Brothers - Soul Man |magazine=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |date=September 14, 2015 |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/12/the-blues-brothers-soul-man.html |access-date=January 20, 2018 |archive-date=January 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120124345/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/12/the-blues-brothers-soul-man.html| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/01/making-of-blues-brothers-budget-for-cocaine |title=Making Blues Brothers With John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd—"We Had a Budget for Cocaine" |last=Zeman |first=Ned |magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 20, 2018}}</ref>

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.<ref name="AustinSound" /> The band was much further popularized in the 1980 film ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'', which Aykroyd co-wrote. A sequel, titled ''[[Blues Brothers 2000]]'', was released in 1998 and featured John Goodman as Belushi's replacement.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

[[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 Blues Brothers band member Steve Cropper called Cherokee his producing home. Whenever they needed a bass player, they were joined by another band member, Donald "Duck" Dunn. During this time, Cropper, along with producing partner and Cherokee owner [[Bruce Robb (producer)|Bruce Robb]], worked on a number of music projects with the two comedians/musicians, including Belushi's favourite band, [[Fear (band)|Fear]], and later Aykroyd's movie ''Dragnet''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

The Blues Brothers Band continues to tour, 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.<ref>{{cite web|author=Karen|url=http://www.jimbelushi.ws/jim-sacredhearts.htm|title=Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts|publisher=Jimbelushi.ws|date=January 28, 2011|access-date=May 16, 2011|archive-date=August 9, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809121903/http://www.jimbelushi.ws/jim-sacredhearts.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Other film and television work===
[[File:Greatoutdoors aykroyd.jpg|thumb|left|Aykroyd (right) on the set of ''[[The Great Outdoors (film)|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]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://broadcasting-history.com/programming/television/coming-rosie|title=Coming Up Rosie - History of Canadian Broadcasting|website=[[The Canadian Communications Foundation]]|access-date=May 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504152157/https://broadcasting-history.com/programming/television/coming-rosie|archive-date=May 4, 2022|url-status=|date=October 2003|last=Corcelli|first=John}}</ref>

After leaving ''SNL'', 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 (film)|1941]]'' (1979), directed by [[Steven Spielberg]], was a [[box office bomb|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 film)|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]] and [[Jamie Lee Curtis]]. He also appeared in ''[[Twilight Zone: The Movie]]'' in the prologue and at the end of Segment Four as the passenger and the ambulance driver.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

In the early 1980s, Aykroyd began work on a script for the film that eventually became ''[[Ghostbusters]]'', inspired by his fascination with [[parapsychology]] and his belief in ghosts. 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$|300{{nbsp}}million|link=yes}} on a {{US$|30{{nbsp}}million}} budget.  Aykroyd also briefly appeared in the hit 1984 action-adventure film ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]]'' as an escort with a British accent.  
[[File:Dan Aykroyd on set of MTV Music Television NYC.jpg|thumb|right|Aykroyd as a guest MTV VJ in 1982]]
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.<ref>{{cite news |first=Janet |last=Maslin |author-link=Janet Maslin |title=Screen: 'Spies Like Us' |work=[[The New York Times]] |department=Movies |page=C14 |date=December 5, 1985 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/06/movies/screen-spies-like-us.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803204736/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/06/movies/screen-spies-like-us.html |archive-date=2019-08-03 |url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Dragnet (1987 film)|Dragnet]]'', in which Aykroyd co-starred (with [[Tom Hanks]]) and co-wrote, was released in 1987. The film was both an homage and a satire of the [[Dragnet (franchise)|previous ''Dragnet'' series]], with Aykroyd playing Sgt. [[Joe Friday]] as a police officer whose law-and-order attitude is at odds with modern sensibilities.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

In 1988, Aykroyd co-starred (with [[John Candy]]) in the comedy film ''[[The Great Outdoors (film)|The Great Outdoors]]''.  Aykroyd appeared in four other films released in 1988 (''[[The Couch Trip]]'', ''[[She's Having a Baby]]'', ''[[Caddyshack II]]'', and ''[[My Stepmother Is an Alien]]''), all of them critical and commercial failures.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

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]].<ref>{{cite news |title= Ghostly Movie |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=May 17, 1987 |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-17-ca-380-story.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=November 8, 2010 |first=Leonard |last=Klady}}</ref> The film, while considered inferior to the original, was another big hit, earning {{US$|215{{nbsp}}million}}. Aykroyd was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] for 1989's ''[[Driving Miss Daisy]]''. He was the fourth ''SNL'' cast member to be nominated for an Oscar, following [[Joan Cusack]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/looking-all-snl-staffers-received-oscar-nods-429584|title=A Look at All the 'SNL' Staffers Who've Received Oscar Nominations|website=[[Newsweek]]|access-date=May 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330053848/https://www.newsweek.com/looking-all-snl-staffers-received-oscar-nods-429584|archive-date=March 30, 2016|date=February 23, 2016|last=Hoglund|first=Andy|url-status=live}}</ref>

Aykroyd's directorial debut was 1991's ''[[Nothing but Trouble (1991 film)|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. Most of Aykroyd's other films in the 1990s were similarly poorly received, including ''[[Chaplin (film)|Chaplin]]'' (1992), ''[[Coneheads (film)|Coneheads]]'' (1993, also based on a ''SNL'' skit), ''[[North (1994 film)|North]]'' (1994), ''[[Exit to Eden (film)|Exit to Eden]]'' (1994), ''[[Canadian Bacon (film)|Canadian Bacon]]'' (1995), ''[[Getting Away with Murder (1996 film)|Getting Away with Murder]]'' (1996), and ''[[Blues Brothers 2000]]'' (1998). Four exceptions were ''[[My Girl (film)|My Girl]]'' (1991), which starred Jamie Lee Curtis, and [[Macaulay Culkin]], ''[[Sneakers (1992 film)|Sneakers]]'' (1992), which starred [[Robert Redford]], ''[[Tommy Boy (film)|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.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

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 (TV series)|Soul Man]]'', which lasted two seasons. In 1998, he voiced the role of Chip, a wasp, in [[DreamWorks Animation]] film ''[[Antz]]''.

In 2001, Aykroyd starred in the [[Woody Allen]] film ''[[The Curse of the Jade Scorpion]]''. Most of his subsequent film roles have tended to be small character parts in big-budget productions, such as a father in ''[[Loser (film)|Loser]]'' (2000), a signals analyst in ''[[Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'' (2001), a neurologist in ''[[50 First Dates]]'' (2004), an annoying neighbor in ''[[Christmas with the Kranks]]'' (2004), and a fire captain in ''[[I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry]]'' (2007).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dan Aykroyd {{!}} Writer, Actor, Producer |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000101/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref> 

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 (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''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Other television series that Aykroyd appeared in included ''[[According to Jim]]'' (2002–2009, which starred [[Jim Belushi]]), ''[[Living with Fran]]'' (2006), and ''[[Workin' Moms]]'' (2017–2023). Aykroyd appeared in two February 2011 episodes of CBS's ''[[The Defenders (2010 TV series)|The Defenders]]'' as Judge Max Hunter, which also starred Jim Belushi.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/News/Dan-Aykroyd-Defenders-1026196.aspx|title=Dan Aykroyd to Reunite with Jim Belushi on The Defenders|work=TV Guide |publisher=TVGuide.com|access-date=November 30, 2010}}</ref> He also appeared on ''Top Chef Canada'' as a guest judge.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/17/AR2011021706507.html |title=TV Highlights: Dan Aykroyd on 'The Defenders'; Dina Lohan on '20/20'; 'Gold Rush: Alaska' finale |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=February 18, 2011 |url-access=subscription |access-date=February 20, 2011}}</ref>  He had supporting roles in the 2012 political comedy film ''[[The Campaign (film)|The Campaign]]'', which starred ''SNL'' alum [[Will Ferrell]], and in the 2013 [[HBO]] film ''[[Behind the Candelabra]]''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

In 2014, Aykroyd voiced the role of [[Scarecrow (Oz)|Scarecrow]] in ''[[Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return]]'', and had a supporting role in the comedy film ''[[Tammy (film)|Tammy]]''.  In 2015, he appeared in a [[State Farm]] insurance commercial along with [[Jane Curtin]] and [[Laraine Newman]], as the [[Coneheads]], talking to "Jake", a State Farm agent,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/coneheads-statefarm-saturday-night-live-characters-in-commercial-1201492023/|title=Coneheads: 'Saturday Night Live' Characters Turn Up in State Farm Ad – Variety|last=Steinberg|first=Brian|date=May 11, 2015|website=variety.com|access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref> and played the [[Master of ceremonies|emcee]] of the video game championship in the science fiction comedy film ''[[Pixels (2015 film)|Pixels]]''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Aykroyd was one of the executive producers of ''[[Ghostbusters (2016 film)|Ghostbusters]]'' (2016), a long-discussed reboot of the [[Ghostbusters (franchise)|''Ghostbusters'' franchise]], which was released in 2016. Aykroyd had a cameo appearance in the film, along with many of the rest of the surviving original ''Ghostbusters'' cast.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2015/03/ghostbusters-channing-tatum-joe-and-anthony-russo-drew-pearce-ivan-reitman-dan-aykroyd-1201388917|title=Sony Plans New 'Ghostbusters' Film With Russo Brothers, Channing Tatum & 'IM3' Scribe Drew Pearce |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=March 9, 2015|access-date=March 9, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.fangoria.com/new/ghostbusters-expanding-franchise |title=Reitman, Aykroyd Team For 'Ghostcorp'; Expanding "Ghostbusters" Franchise |magazine=[[Fangoria]] |date=March 9, 2015 |access-date=March 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907061214/http://www.fangoria.com/new/ghostbusters-expanding-franchise/ |archive-date=September 7, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In early 2021, Aykroyd provided the voice of the Postage Stamp Fellow in the episode ''[[The Dad-Feelings Limited]]'' in the TV series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. He also reprised his role of Dr. Ray Stantz in the movie ''[[Ghostbusters: Afterlife]]'' (2021). Aykroyd expressed interest in having the surviving three actors of the original Ghostbusters team continuing to reprise their roles for as many sequels as possible while they were alive. Aykroyd again reprises his role in ''[[Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire]]'' (2024).<ref>{{cite web |last=Fidducia |first=Christopher |title=Ghostbusters 4, 5 & 6 Could Happen With Original Team, Says Dan Aykroyd |url=https://screenrant.com/ghostbusters-4-afterlife-sequel-returning-cast-dan-aykroyd/ |website=[[Screen Rant]] |access-date=December 23, 2021 |date=December 18, 2021}}</ref>

===Other musical endeavours===
Aykroyd participated in the recording of "[[We Are the World]]" in 1985, as a member of the chorus. He wrote the liner notes for fellow Ottawa-born blues musician [[JW-Jones]]'s album ''Bluelisted'' in 2008. Until its ending in 2018, he hosted the internationally syndicated radio show "Elwood's BluesMobile", formerly known as the ''House of Blues Radio Hour'', under his Blues Brothers moniker Elwood Blues.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebluesmobile.com/ |title=TheBluesmobile.com |publisher=TheBluesmobile.com |access-date=May 16, 2011}}</ref>

==Business ventures==
[[File:Crystal_Head_Vodka.jpg|thumb|Bottle of Crystal Head vodka]]
In 1992, Aykroyd and [[Hard Rock Cafe]] co-founder [[Isaac Tigrett]] founded the [[House of Blues]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hyman |first=Dan |date=December 4, 2012 |title=Dan Aykroyd Reconvenes Blues Brothers for House of Blues' 20th Anniversary |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dan-aykroyd-reconvenes-blues-brothers-for-house-of-blues-20th-anniversary-191895/ |access-date=July 12, 2023 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> a chain of music venues, with the mission to host all genres of musical performances with a primary theme focused on [[blues|blues music]] and [[folk art]].{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} 

Many other music and Hollywood personalities helped to finance this chain 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. On [[New Year's Eve]] that year, Aykroyd opened the "Aykroyd's Ghetto House Cafe" on [[Princess Street (Kingston, Ontario)|Princess Street]] in [[Kingston, Ontario]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=The King of... Kingston |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/the-king-of-kingston |url-access=subscription |access-date=November 10, 2020 |work=[[National Post]] |date=August 6, 2011 |last=Switzer |first=Jane}}</ref>

In 2004, "House of Blues" became the second-largest live music promoter in the world, with seven venues and 22 amphitheatres in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. It was bought by [[Live Nation]] in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jul-06-fi-live6-story.html|title=House of Blues Sold to Live Nation|last=Duhigg|first=Charles|date=July 6, 2006|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=July 22, 2019}}</ref> In 2007, Aykroyd and artist [[John Alexander (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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://crystalheadvodka.com/en/faq|title=Crystal Head Vodka FAQ|access-date=May 20, 2016|publisher=Crystal Head Vodka|archive-date=June 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160607233500/https://crystalheadvodka.com/en/faq|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2016, Aykroyd partnered with TV producers [[Eric Bischoff]] and [[Jason Hervey]] and game developer [[Ike McFadden]] to release an online-casino game that features the Blues Brothers. Aykroyd provided the in-game voice of his Elwood Blues character via voiceover.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mx-digital-partners-blues-brothers-690840 |title=MX Digital Partners With the Blues Brothers Brand, Dan Aykroyd for Online Games (Exclusive) |magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=June 7, 2018}}</ref> Aykroyd is also owner in part of several wineries in Canada's [[Niagara Peninsula]], and the company that distributes [[Patrón]] [[tequila]] in Canada.<ref>{{cite news | title=Dan Aykroyd |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-aykroyd |work=[[Huffington Post Canada]] |access-date=August 2, 2012}}</ref><ref name="crystal">{{cite news |title=Dan Aykroyd's displeasure crystal clear to observer |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/dan-aykroyd8217s-displeasure-crystal-clear-to-observer/story-fni0cvc9-1226738669101 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] |location=Sydney |date=October 11, 2013 |last=Sharp |first=Annette |access-date=October 22, 2013}}</ref>

==Charitable works==
In 2009, Aykroyd contributed a series of reminiscences on his upbringing in Canada for a charity album titled ''Dan Aykroyd's Canada''. He helped start the Blue Line Foundation, which is redeveloping flood-damaged lots in New Orleans and helping [[first responder]]s buy them at reduced prices. Coastal Blue Line LLC, hopes to eventually rebuild 400 properties in New Orleans.<ref>{{cite web |author=Eliot Kamenitz |url=http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/photo_dan_aykroyd_tours_neighb.html |title=Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd launches home building project for first responders |date=April 23, 2009 |publisher=Nola.com |access-date=April 15, 2012}}</ref>

Aykroyd is a member of Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://artistsagainstracism.org/artists/|title=Artists - Artists Against Racism}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Aykroyd was briefly engaged to actress [[Carrie Fisher]], proposing to her on the set of ''The Blues Brothers''. In the film, she appeared as a jilted girlfriend of John Belushi's character Jake Blues. Their engagement ended when she reconciled with her former boyfriend, musician [[Paul Simon]]. On April 29, 1983, Aykroyd married actress [[Donna Dixon]] on a friend's rooftop in [[Martha's Vineyard]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 2, 1983 |title=Dan Aykroyd and actress Donna Dixon married in secret on Martha's Vineyard |url=https://www.oldnews.com/en/record?record_id=record-12014-270375689-&or_panel=1&referred=mh_record_page |newspaper=[[The Daily News (Kentucky)|Park City Daily News]] |url-access=registration |access-date=January 19, 2025}}</ref> The couple met on the set of ''[[Doctor Detroit]]'' released the same year and appeared together in four additional films: ''[[Twilight Zone: The Movie]]'' (1983), ''[[Spies Like Us]]'' (1985), ''[[The Couch Trip]]'' (1988), and ''[[Exit to Eden (film)|Exit to Eden]]'' (1994). Together, they have three daughters, including Danielle (known by her stage name, [[Vera Sola]]). The couple announced in April 2022 that they were separating after 39 years of marriage, but would remain legally married.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Garner |first=Glenn |title=Dan Aykroyd and Donna Dixon Separate After 39 Years, Remain Legally Married: 'Loving Friendship' |url=https://people.com/movies/dan-aykroyd-wife-donna-dixon-separate-after-39-years-remain-legally-married/ |date=April 29, 2022 |access-date=April 30, 2022 |magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]] |quote="After 39 years as a couple we are now on separate life paths. We remain legally married, co-parents, co-workers and business partners," the pair tells PEOPLE in a joint statement.}}</ref>

Aykroyd maintains his Canadian roots as a longtime resident of [[Sydenham, Frontenac County, Ontario|Sydenham, Ontario]], with his estate on [[Loughborough Lake]].

In a 2004 [[NPR]] interview with host [[Terry Gross]], Aykroyd said that he had been diagnosed in childhood with [[Tourette syndrome]] (TS). He stated that his TS was successfully treated with therapy.<ref name=Gross>{{Cite episode |title=Comedian -- and Writer -- Dan Aykroyd |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4181931 |access-date=May 15, 2011 |series=Fresh Air |first=Terry |last=Gross |format=audio |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=November 22, 2004 |time=29:50}}</ref> In 2015, he stated during a ''HuffPost Show'' interview with hosts [[Roy Sekoff]] and [[Marc Lamont Hill]] that he has [[Asperger syndrome]] which was "never diagnosed", but was "sort of a self-diagnosis" based on several of his own characteristics,<ref name=HuffPostShow>{{cite web  |title=Dan Aykroyd – Full Interview |date=April 18, 2015 |publisher=HuffPost Show |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5rQJpYHIAA |access-date=June 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/u5rQJpYHIAA |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> contradicting his earlier claim in the ''[Daily Mail]'' that he had been officially diagnosed in the early 1980s after his then wife Donna persuaded him to see a doctor.<ref>{{cite news |first=Chanel |last=Georgina |title=Dan Aykroyd's 'obsession with ghosts and law enforcement' is due to Asperger's |work=[[Daily Express]] |date=August 31, 2022 |url=https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1662649/dan-aykroyd-health-aspergers-autism |access-date=February 6, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!--not stated, or generic Staff--> |title=24 Quirky Dan Aykroyd Quotes |date=September 14, 2023 |url=https://autisminked.com/24-quirky-dan-aykroyd-quotes |access-date=February 6, 2025}}</ref>

Aykroyd is a former reserve commander for the police department in [[Harahan, Louisiana]], working for Chief of Police Peter Dale. While on the force, Aykroyd carried his badge with him at all times.<ref>{{cite web |author=CISNMike |title=Dan Aykroyd Shows his Badge |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=February 14, 2007 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgKHCB7lnog |access-date=April 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/xgKHCB7lnog |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He currently serves as a reserve deputy of the Hinds County Sheriff's Department in [[Hinds County, Mississippi]]. He supports the reserves with a fundraiser concert along with other blues and gospel singers in Mississippi.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dan Aykroyd sworn in as Hinds County deputy |work=[[WLBT#News operation|WLBT News]] |url=http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/24546885/dan-aykroyd-sworn-in-as-hinds-county-deputy |access-date=May 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143346/http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/24546885/dan-aykroyd-sworn-in-as-hinds-county-deputy |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Aykroyd's passions for the outdoors, geology and paleontology, which he attributes to watching his father work on constructing the Gatineau Parkway which included blasting through granite rock formations to run the highway,<ref>{{cite news |last=Mackrael |first=Kim |title=Dan Aykroyd goes from Ghostbuster to bone duster |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/dan-aykroyd-goes-from-ghostbuster-to-bone-duster/article5010895/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=August 7, 2020 |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=November 6, 2012}}</ref> have led him to join Canadian [[paleontologist]] [[Philip J. Currie]] on a number of digs, including fundraising digs and galas as fundraisers for the construction of the [[Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum]] in [[Wembley, Alberta]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Funding shortfall delays Alberta dinosaur museum |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/funding-shortfall-delays-alberta-dinosaur-museum-1.1111378 |access-date=August 7, 2020 |work=[[CBC News]] |date=August 8, 2011 |location=Edmonton}}</ref> which recognized Aykroyd's contributions by naming its theatre the ''Aykroyd Family Theatre''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cryderman |first=Kelly |title=Five questions with the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum's president and CEO |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/five-questions-with-the-philip-j-currie-dinosaur-museums-president-and-ceo/article31298794/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=August 7, 2020 |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=August 5, 2016}}</ref>

Aykroyd has obtained American citizenship.<ref name="citizen">{{Cite news |title=Famous foreigners who became US citizens |newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=April 12, 2023 |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/sns-most-famous-foreigners-who-became-us-citizens-20230412-wh44iobuk5dtrc5k5pwxjaav5a-photogallery.html |access-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610062810/https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/sns-most-famous-foreigners-who-became-us-citizens-20230412-wh44iobuk5dtrc5k5pwxjaav5a-photogallery.html |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Friendship with John Belushi===
In an appearance on the ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]]'' show, Aykroyd referred to John Belushi and himself as "kindred spirits". In the biography ''Belushi'', Aykroyd claims that Belushi was the only man with whom he could ever dance. The pair were scheduled to present the [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Academy Award for Visual Effects]] in [[54th Academy Awards|1982]], but Belushi died just 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."<ref>{{YouTube|id=t8hI5on2jqg|Raiders of the Lost Ark Wins Visual Effects: 1982 Oscars}}</ref>

Aykroyd was an outspoken critic of the 1989 film ''[[Wired (film)|Wired]]'', a biopic of Belushi which was based on the [[Wired (book)|1984 book of the same name]] by journalist [[Bob Woodward]], and starred [[Michael Chiklis]] in his film debut as Belushi,<ref>{{cite web |last=Cooke |first=Sarah |url=https://www.looper.com/433355/the-untold-truth-of-dan-aykroyd/ |title=The Untold Truth Of Dan Aykroyd |website=[[Looper (website)|Looper]] |date=June 9, 2021 |access-date=July 15, 2024}}</ref> and featured him as a character played by actor Gary Groomes. Along with Belushi's widow Judith and brother [[Jim Belushi|Jim]], and many other friends, associates and relatives of Belushi, he boycotted the film and the associated book for misrepresenting Belushi's life,<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/the-controversy-over-bob-woodwards-belushi-bio-wired-37163/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |first=Lynn |last=Hirschberg |title=The Controversy Over Bob Woodward's Belushi Bio 'Wired' |date=September 27, 1984}}</ref> and during an interview for [[MTV]]'s ''The Big Picture'' in June 1988, he expressed his desire that the film would underperform at the box office, which ultimately happened; he said, "I have witches working now to [[jinx]] the thing... I hope it never gets seen and I am going to hurl all the negative energy I can and muster all my hell energies [against them]. My thunderbolts are out on this one, quite truthfully." He had actor [[J. T. Walsh]] removed from the film ''[[Loose Cannons (1990 film)|Loose Cannons]]'' after Walsh had already done two days of filming in the role of Grimmer, after finding out that Walsh had been in the cast of ''Wired''. Walsh, who had played Bob Woodward in ''Wired'', was replaced as Grimmer by fellow Canadian actor [[Paul Koslo]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-04-13-ca-1870-story.html |url-access=subscription |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first1=Nina J. |last1=Easton |first2=Jack |last2=Mathews |title=Another Chapter in the Strange Odyssey of 'Wired' |date=April 13, 1989}}</ref> causing the film a $125,000 production delay.

===Beliefs===
Aykroyd considers himself a [[Spiritualism (movement)|Spiritualist]], stating:
: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 dimensions, and that they visit us frequently.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news |last=O'Hagan |first=Sean |title=I'm still haunted by Belushi |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/sep/28/features.review |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=December 13, 2022 |date=September 27, 2003}}</ref>

Aykroyd's great-grandfather, a dentist, was a [[Mysticism|mystic]] who corresponded with author Sir [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] on the subject of Spiritualism, and was a member of the [[Lily Dale, New York|Lily Dale Society]].<ref name="autogenerated1"/> 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]] (MUFON). 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''.

Aykroyd was interviewed for 80 minutes by UFOlogist David Sereda, discussing in depth many aspects of the UFO phenomenon.<ref name=UNPLUGGED>{{cite web|url=http://www.uforc.com/news/daufo-KlewMedia_060206.htm |title=UFORC News Service: Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs|access-date=February 9, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219024119/http://www.uforc.com/news/daufo-KlewMedia_060206.htm|archive-date=December 19, 2007}}</ref>

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]]'' and ''[[Coast to Coast AM]]'', and various other public-relations initiatives. Aykroyd also read the introduction for the audio version of the book.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Aykroyd |first1=Peter H. |title=A History of Ghosts |url=https://www.audible.com/pd/A-History-of-Ghosts-Audiobook/B003ADQ4VS |via=Audible |publisher=Amazon |access-date=July 9, 2021}}</ref> In 1997, the [[Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]] <!-- (CSICOP) --> awarded Aykroyd ''in absentia'' the Snuffed Candle Award for hosting ''[[Psi Factor]]'' and being a "long-time promoter ... of paranormal claims". Following the awards, [[Joe Nickell]] wrote to Aykroyd asking for the research behind the "cases" presented on ''Psi Factor'', particularly a claim that NASA scientists were "killed while investigating a meteor crash and giant eggs were found and incubated, yielding a flea the size of a hog".<ref name="Candle awards 1997">{{cite journal|title=Nye, Aykroyd Receive Council's First Awards|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|date=1997|volume=21|issue=3|page=12}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Love at First Sight (1976 film)|Love at First Sight]]''
| Roy
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1979
| ''[[Mr. Mike's Mondo Video]]''
| Jack Lord Priest / Himself
|
|-
| ''[[1941 (film)|1941]]''
| Motor Sergeant Frank Tree
|
|-
| 1980
| ''{{sortname|The|Blues Brothers|dab=film}}''
| [[The Blues Brothers|Elwood J. Blues]]
| Also writer
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Neighbors (1981 film)|Neighbors]]''
| Vic Zeck
|
|-
| 1982
| ''[[It Came from Hollywood]]''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
| rowspan=3 | 1983
| ''[[Doctor Detroit]]''
| Clifford Skridlow / Doctor Detroit
|
|-
| ''[[Trading Places]]''
| Louis Winthorpe III
|
|-
| ''[[Twilight Zone: The Movie]]''
| Passenger / Ambulance Driver
|
|-
| rowspan=3 | 1984
| ''[[Ghostbusters]]''
| [[Ray Stantz|Dr. Raymond Stantz]]
| Also writer
|-
| ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]]''
| Art Weber
| 
|-
| ''[[Nothing Lasts Forever (film)|Nothing Lasts Forever]]''
| Buck Heller
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1985
| ''[[Into the Night (1985 film)|Into the Night]]''
| Herb
|
|-
| ''[[Spies Like Us]]''
| Austin Millbarge
| rowspan=2 | Also writer
|-
| 1987
| ''[[Dragnet (1987 film)|Dragnet]]''
| [[Joe Friday|Sergeant Joe Friday]]
|-
| rowspan=5 | 1988
| ''{{sortname|The|Couch Trip}}''
| John W. Burns Jr.
|
|-
| ''[[She's Having a Baby]]''
| Roman Craig
| Uncredited cameo
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Great Outdoors|dab=film}}''
| Roman Craig
|
|-
| ''[[Caddyshack II]]''
| Captain Tom Everett
| 
|-
| ''[[My Stepmother Is an Alien]]''
| Steven Mills
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1989
| ''[[Driving Miss Daisy]]''
| Boolie Werthan
|
|-
| ''[[Ghostbusters II]]''
| Dr. Raymond Stantz
| Also writer
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1990
| ''[[Loose Cannons (1990 film)|Loose Cannons]]''
| Detective Ellis Fielding
|
|-
| ''[[Masters of Menace]]''
| Johnny Lewis
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1991
| ''[[My Girl (film)|My Girl]]''
| Harry Sultenfuss
|
|-
| ''[[Nothing but Trouble (1991 film)|Nothing but Trouble]]''
| Judge Alvin "J.P" Valkenheiser <br/> Bobo
| Also writer and director
|-
| rowspan=3 | 1992
| ''[[Chaplin (film)|Chaplin]]''
| [[Mack Sennett]]
|
|-
| ''[[Sneakers (1992 film)|Sneakers]]''
| Darren "Mother" Roskow
|
|-
| ''[[This Is My Life (1992 film)|This Is My Life]]''
| Arnold Moss
|
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Coneheads (film)|Coneheads]]''
| [[Beldar Conehead]]
| Also writer
|-
| rowspan=4 | 1994
| ''{{sortname|A|Century of Cinema}}''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
| ''[[My Girl 2]]''
| Harry Sultenfuss
|
|-
| ''[[North (1994 film)|North]]''
| Pa Tex
|
|-
| ''[[Exit to Eden (film)|Exit to Eden]]''
| Fred Lavery
| 
|-
| rowspan=4 | 1995
| ''[[Canadian Bacon (film)|Canadian Bacon]]''
| OPP Officer
| rowspan="2" | Uncredited cameo
|-
| ''[[Casper (film)|Casper]]''
| Dr. Raymond Stantz
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Random Factor|nolink=yes}}''
| Dexter
| Voice role
|-
| ''[[Tommy Boy (film)|Tommy Boy]]''
| Ray Zalinsky
|
|-
| rowspan=6 | 1996
| ''[[Rainbow (1996 film)|Rainbow]]''
| Sheriff Wyatt Hampton
|
|-
| ''[[Celtic Pride]]''
| Jimmy Flaherty
|
|-
| ''[[Feeling Minnesota]]''
| Detective Ben Costikyan
|
|-
| ''[[My Fellow Americans]]''
| President Bill Haney
|
|-
| ''[[Getting Away with Murder (1996 film)|Getting Away with Murder]]''
| Jack Lambert
|
|-
| ''[[Sgt. Bilko]]''
| Colonel John T. Hall
|
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Grosse Pointe Blank]]''
| Grocer
|
|- 
| rowspan=3 | 1998
| ''[[Antz]]''
| Chip
| Voice role
|-
| ''[[Blues Brothers 2000]]''
| Elwood J. Blues
| Also writer and producer
|-
| ''[[Susan's Plan]]''
| Bob
|
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Diamonds (1999 film)|Diamonds]]''
| Lance Agensky
|
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2000
| ''{{sortname|The|House of Mirth|dab=2000 film}}''
| Gus Trenor
|
|-
| ''[[Loser (film)|Loser]]''
| Dad
|
|-
| ''[[Stardom]]''
| Barry Levine
|
|-
| rowspan=5 | 2001
| ''{{sortname|The|Curse of the Jade Scorpion}}''
| Chris Magruder
|
|-
| ''[[Evolution (2001 film)|Evolution]]''
| Governor Lewis
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Frank Truth|nolink=yes}}''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
| ''[[On the Nose (film)|On the Nose]]''
| Dr. Barry Davis
|
|-
| ''[[Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]''
| Captain Harold Thurman
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2002
| ''[[Crossroads (2002 film)|Crossroads]]''
| Pete Wagner
|
|-
| ''[[Unconditional Love (2002 film)|Unconditional Love]]''
| Max Beasly
|
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Bright Young Things (film)|Bright Young Things]]''
| Lord Monomark
|
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2004
| ''[[50 First Dates]]''
| Dr. Joseph Keats
|
|-
| ''[[Intern Academy]]''
| Dr. Cyrill Kipp
|
|-
| ''[[Christmas with the Kranks]]''
| Vic Frohmeyer
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2007
| ''[[I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry]]''
| Captain Phineas Tucker
|
|-
| ''[[Shortcut to Happiness]]''
| Julius Jenson
|
|-
| 2008
| ''[[War, Inc.]]''
| The Former Vice President
|
|-
| 2010
| ''[[Yogi Bear (film)|Yogi Bear]]''
| [[Yogi Bear]]
| Voice role
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2012
| data-sort-value="Campaign, The" | ''[[The Campaign (film)|The Campaign]]''
| Wade Motch
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Ultimate Sacrifice, The" | ''The Ultimate Sacrifice''
| Narrator
| Voice; Documentary
|-
| 2013
| ''[[Behind the Candelabra]]''
| [[Seymour Heller]]
| 
|-
| rowspan=3 | 2014
| ''[[Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return]]''
| [[Scarecrow (Oz)|Scarecrow]]
| Voice role
|-
| ''[[Tammy (film)|Tammy]]''
| Don
|
|-
| ''[[Get On Up (film)|Get On Up]]''
| Ben Bart
| 
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2015
| ''[[Pixels (2015 film)|Pixels]]''
| 1982 Championship MC 
| Cameo
|-
| ''[[Being Canadian]]''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Ghostbusters (2016 film)|Ghostbusters]]''
| Taxi Driver
| Cameo; Also executive producer
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters]]''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
| 2021
| ''[[Ghostbusters: Afterlife]]''
| Dr. Raymond Stantz
| Also executive producer
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Zombie Town]]''
| Len Carver
|
|-
| 2024
| ''[[Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire]]''
| Dr. Raymond Stantz
| Also executive producer<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewrap.com/ghosbusters-afterlife-sequel-release-date-easter-2024/|title=Sony Pushes 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' Sequel to Easter 2024|website=[[TheWrap]]|first=Kristen|last=Lopez|date=July 28, 2023|access-date=July 28, 2023}}</ref>
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1974
| ''{{sortname|The|Gift of Winter|nolink=yes}}''
| Goodly / Rotten / Maple 
| Television short; Voice
|-
| 1975–1978
| ''[[Coming Up Rosie]]''
| Purvis Bickle
| 32 episodes
|-
| 1975–1979
| ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''
| Various Roles
| 97 episodes
|-
| 1976
| ''{{sortname|The|Beach Boys: It's OK|nolink=yes}}''
| Cop
| Television film; also writer
|-
| 1978
| ''[[All You Need Is Cash]]''
| Brian Thigh
| Television film
|-
| 1986–1991
| ''{{sortname|The|Real Ghostbusters}}''
|
| Creator
|-
| rowspan=3 | 1990
| ''{{sortname|The|Dave Thomas Comedy Show}}''
| Various
| Episode 1.2
|-
| ''[[It's Garry Shandling's Show]]''
| Boolie Shandling
| Episode: "Driving Miss Garry"
|-
| data-sort-value="Earth Day Special, The" | ''[[The Earth Day Special]]''
| Vic's Buddy
| Special
|-
| 1991
| ''[[Tales from the Crypt (TV series)|Tales from the Crypt]]''
| Captain Mulligan
| Episode: "Yellow"
|-
| 1994
| ''{{sortname|The|Nanny|dab=TV series}}''
| Repair Man
| Episode: "Sunday in the Park with Fran"
|-
| 1995
| ''Kelsey Grammer Salutes Jack Benny''
| Himself
| Special
|-
| 1996–2000
| ''[[Psi Factor|Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal]]''
| Himself (host)
| 88 episodes
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1997
| ''{{sortname|The|Arrow|The Arrow (miniseries)}}''
| [[Crawford Gordon Jr.]]
| 4 episodes; also creative consultant
|-
| ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]''
| Reverend Mike Weber
| Episode: "Losing My Religion"
|-
| 1997–1998
| ''[[Soul Man (TV series)|Soul Man]]''
| Reverend Mike Weber
| 25 episodes
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Normal, Ohio]]''
| Frank Wozniak
| Episode: "He Always Gets His Man"
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2001
| ''[[Earth vs. the Spider (2001 film)|Earth vs. the Spider]]''
| Inspector Jack Grillo
| Television film
|-
| ''[[History's Mysteries]]''
| Narrator (voice)
| Episode: "The Children's Crusade"
|-
| 2002–2009
| ''[[According to Jim]]''
| Sergeant Danny Michalski
| 5 episodes
|-
| 2006
| ''[[Living with Fran]]''
| Judge
| Episode: "Going Crazy with Fran"
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Family Guy]]''
| Himself (voice)
| Episode: "[[Spies Reminiscent of Us]]"
|-
| 2011
| ''{{sortname|The|Defenders|dab=2010 TV series}}''
| Judge Max Hunter
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2012
| ''[[Happily Divorced]]''
| Harold
| Episode: "Fran-alyze This"
|-
| 2017–2023
| ''[[Workin' Moms]]''
| Wayne Hoffman
| 4 episodes
|-
| 2019
| data-sort-value="Conners, The" | ''[[The Conners]]''
| Buddy 
| Episode: "The Preemie Monologues"<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ausiello|first1=Michael|last2=Gelman|first2=Vlada|title=The Conners Stages Blues Brothers Reunion as Dan Aykroyd Sets Season 2 Guest Stint — FIRST PHOTO|url=https://tvline.com/2019/09/16/dan-aykroyd-the-conners-season-2-blues-brothers-reunion/|website=TVLine|access-date=September 18, 2019|date=September 16, 2019|archive-date=September 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190918010647/https://tvline.com/2019/09/16/dan-aykroyd-the-conners-season-2-blues-brothers-reunion/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 2020–2021
| ''Hotel Paranormal''
| Narrator (voice)
| All episodes
|-
| 2021
| data-sort-value="Simpsons, The" | ''[[The Simpsons]]''
| Postage Stamp Fellow (voice)
| Episode: "[[The Dad-Feelings Limited]]"
|-
| 2023
| data-sort-value="Unbelievable With Dan Aykroyd, The" | ''The Unbelievable With Dan Aykroyd''
| Himself (host) 
| All episodes
|-
| 2024
| data-sort-value="History of the World in Six Glasses, A" | ''A History of the World in Six Glasses''
| Himself (host) 
| All episodes
|-
|}

===Video games===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Voice role
! Notes
|-
|2009
| ''[[Ghostbusters: The Video Game]]''
| Ray Stantz
| Also writer
|-
| 2010
| ''[[Yogi Bear (film)#Video game|Yogi Bear: The Video Game]]''
| Yogi Bear
|
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Lego Dimensions]]''
| Ray Stantz
| Archive sound
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Planet Coaster]]''
|Ray Stantz
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.planetcoaster.com/en-gb/news/update-112-planet-coaster-ghostbusters-coming-soon|title=Update 1.12 - Planet Coaster: Ghostbusters Coming Soon|access-date=May 22, 2019|archive-date=May 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523031529/https://www.planetcoaster.com/en-gb/news/update-112-planet-coaster-ghostbusters-coming-soon|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|2019
| ''[[Ghostbusters: The Video Game#Remastered version|Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered]]''
| Ray Stantz
| Also writer
|-
| 2022
| ''[[Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed]]''
| Ray Stantz
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/games/news/1215190-ghostbusters-spirits-unleashed-release-window|title=Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Announced With Release Window|website=ComingSoon|first=Michael|last=Leri|date=March 22, 2022|access-date=March 22, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/ghostbusters-spirits-unleashed-is-a-4v1-asymmetrical-multiplayer-game-from-friday-the-13ths-illfonic-predator-hunting-grounds|title=Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, a 4v1 Asymmetrical Multiplayer Game, Announced|website=IGN|first=Adam|last=Bankhurst|date=March 22, 2022|access-date=March 22, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/ghostbusters-spirits-unleashed-is-a-cleverer-take-on-4v1-multiplayer-than-you-might-expect/|title=Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is a cleverer take on 4v1 multiplayer than you might expect|website=PC Gamer|first=Wes|last=Fenlon|date=March 22, 2022|access-date=March 22, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord]]''
| Ray Stantz
| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3798015/slimer-arrives-in-ghostbusters-rise-of-the-ghost-lord-as-part-of-third-free-content-update-slimer-hunt-trailer/|title=Slimer Arrives in 'Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord' as Part of Third Free Content Update "Slimer Hunt" [Trailer]|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|first=Mike|last=Wilson|date=January 31, 2024|access-date=January 31, 2024}}</ref>
|}

===Guest appearances on ''SNL''===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date
! Episode 
! Host / Musical guest
! class="unsortable"| Role(s)
|-
| {{dts|1988|2|13}}
| Season 13, Ep. 11
| [[Justine Bateman]], [[Terence Trent D'Arby]]
| rowspan=2|[[Bob Dole]]
|-
| {{dts|1993|5|15}}
| Season 18, Ep. 20
| [[Kevin Kline]], [[Willie Nelson]], [[Paul Simon]]
|-
| {{dts|1995|3|25}}
| Season 20, Ep. 16
| [[John Goodman]], [[The Tragically Hip]]
| Bob Dole, Elwood Blues, Irwin Mainway, [[Tom Snyder]], <br/> [[Rush Limbaugh]], [[Robert Stack]], Miner
|-
| {{dts|1998|2|7}}
| Season 23, Ep. 14
| [[John Goodman]], [[Paula Cole]]
| Bob Dole, Elwood Blues, Irwin Mainway, Ernesto
|-
| {{dts|1998|9|26}}
| Season 24, Ep, 01
| [[Cameron Diaz]], [[The Smashing Pumpkins]]
| Yortuk Festrunk
|-
| {{dts|2001|11|3}}
| Season 27, Ep, 04
| [[John Goodman]], [[Ja Rule]]
| Dr. Keith Vester, Elwood Blues, [[Saturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 2000s#Leonard Pinth-Garnell|Leonard Pinth-Garnell]]
|-
| {{dts|2002|2|2}}
| Season 27, Ep. 12
| [[Britney Spears]]
| Mormon, Judge Lindenwell
|-
| {{dts|2003|3|8}}
| Season 28, Ep. 14
| [[Queen Latifah]], [[Ms. Dynamite]]
| Bob Dole
|-
| {{dts|2003|5|17}}
| Season 28, Ep. 20
| Dan Aykroyd, [[Beyoncé]]
| [[Andrew Card]], Patrick Fitzpatrick, Esteban <br/> Donnie "The Finger" Dabinski, Butch, [[Sam Elliott]]
|-
| {{dts|2007|3|24}}
| Season 32, Ep. 16
| [[Peyton Manning]], [[Carrie Underwood]]
| Himself
|-
| {{dts|2009|2|14}}
| Season 34, Ep. 16
| [[Alec Baldwin]], [[The Jonas Brothers]]
| [[John Boehner]]
|-
| {{dts|2013|3|9}}
| Season 38, Ep. 16
| [[Justin Timberlake]]
| Himself, Yortuk Festrunk
|-
| February 15, 2015
| Season 40
| [[Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special|40th Anniversary Special]]
| Super Bass-O-Matic 2150 Spokesperson, Elwood Blues
|-
|}

==Awards and nominations==
[[File:Dan Aykroyd Star on Canada's Walk of Fame.jpg|thumb|Aykroyd's star on [[Canada's Walk of Fame]]]]
In 1977, Aykroyd received an Emmy Award for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series|Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series]] for his collaborative work on ''Saturday Night Live''. In 1994, he received an [[honorary degree|honorary]] Doctor of Literature degree from Carleton University.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carleton University |url=http://archive.org/details/carletoncovoj171994carl |title=101st Convocation, June 17 1994 |date=1994 |others=Carleton University}}</ref> In 1999, Aykroyd was made a Member of the [[Order of Canada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/dan-aykroyd-appointed-to-order-of-canada-1.174121|title=Dan Aykroyd appointed to Order of Canada|publisher=cbc.ca|date=November 10, 2000|access-date=October 21, 2016}}</ref> He was inducted into [[Canada's Walk of Fame]] in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductees/2002/dan-aykroyd|title=Canada's Walk of Fame Inducts Dan Aykroyd|publisher=Canada's Walk of Fame}}</ref> In 2017, he was made a member of the [[Order of Ontario]] in recognition for being "one of the world's most popular entertainers, well-known for his time on ''Saturday Night Live'' and the 1984 classic movie ''Ghostbusters''."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.ontario.ca/mci/en/2018/01/the-2017-appointees-to-the-order-of-ontario.html|title=The 2017 Appointees to the Order of Ontario|website=News.ontario.ca|date=January 29, 2018}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Nominated work
!Accolade
!Results
!Ref
|-
|1977
| rowspan="5" |''[[Saturday Night Live]]''
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series]] <small>(shared with other writers)</small>
|{{Won}}
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series Nominees / Winners 1977|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1977/outstanding-writing-for-a-variety-series|access-date=September 6, 2020|website=Television Academy}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" |1978
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Variety or Music]]
|{{Nominated}}
| rowspan="2" |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series Nominees / Winners 1978|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1978/outstanding-writing-for-a-variety-series|access-date=September 6, 2020|website=Television Academyn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Outstanding Continuing Or Single Performance By A Supporting Actor In Variety Or Music Nominees / Winners 1978|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1978/outstanding-continuing-or-single-performance-by-a-supporting-actor-in-variety-or-music|access-date=September 6, 2020|website=Television Academy}}</ref>
|-
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series]] <small>(shared with other writers)</small>
|{{Nominated}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |1979
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Program]]
|{{Nominated}}
| rowspan="2" |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Outstanding Variety Music Or Comedy Special Nominees / Winners 1979|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1979/outstanding-variety-music-or-comedy-special|access-date=September 6, 2020|website=Television Academy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Outstanding Writing Achievement In Comedy Variety Or Music Nominees / Winners 1979|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1979/outstanding-writing-achievement-in-comedy-variety-or-music|access-date=September 6, 2020|website=Television Academy}}</ref>
|-
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy or Comedy-Variety or Music Series]] <small>(shared with other writers)</small>
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|1985
|''[[Ghostbusters]]''
|[[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation]]
|{{Nominated}}
|<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 26, 2007|title=1985 Hugo Awards|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1995-hugo-awards-2/|access-date=September 6, 2020|website=The Hugo Awards}}</ref>
|-
|1987
|''The Best Of Dan Aykroyd''
|[[American Comedy Awards#1987 awards|American Comedy Award for Funniest Record And/Or Video - Male, Female or Group]]
|{{Nominated}}
|<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=1987 American Comedy Awards |date=1987-05-21 |publisher=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |format=[[TV special]] |time=00:50 |url=https://archive.org/details/1987AmericanComedyAwardsPt.1/1987-American-Comedy-Awards-_pt.-2_.mp4 |access-date=2025-02-20}}</ref>
|-
|1989
|''[[Caddyshack II]]''
|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor]]
|{{Won}}
|<ref>{{Cite press release |first=John |last=Wilson |author-link=John J. B. Wilson |title=1988 Archive {{!}} Presented at The Hollywood Palace on Oscar Night, Wednesday, March 29, 1989 |publisher=[[Golden Raspberry Award Foundation]] |date=2000-08-23 |url=http://razzies.com/asp/content/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=28 |access-date=2025-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413122549/http://razzies.com/asp/content/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=28 |archive-date=2016-04-13 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|1990
| rowspan="2" |''[[Driving Miss Daisy]]''
|[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]]
|{{Nominated}}
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Browser Unsupported - Academy Awards Search {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences|url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/Error/NotFound?aspxerrorpath=/search/results|access-date=September 6, 2020|website=awardsdatabase.oscars.org}}</ref>
|-
|1990
|[[American Comedy Awards|American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture]]
|{{Nominated}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Awards & Festivals {{!}} Driving Miss Daisy {{!}} American Comedy Awards Nominee: Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture |website=[[Mubi (streaming service)|Mubi]] |url=https://mubi.com/en/films/driving-miss-daisy/awards |access-date=2025-02-20}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="3" |1992
| rowspan="3" |''[[Nothing but Trouble (1991 film)|Nothing But Trouble]]''
|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director]]
|{{Nominated}}
| rowspan="3" |<ref>{{Cite press release |first=John |last=Wilson |author-link=John J. B. Wilson |title=1991 Archive {{!}} Ceremonies Presented at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Academy Room, March 29, 1992 |publisher=[[Golden Raspberry Award Foundation]] |date=2000-08-23 |url=http://razzies.com/asp/content/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=32 |access-date=2025-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413115240/http://razzies.com/asp/content/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=32 |archive-date=2016-04-13 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay]] <small>(shared with [[Peter Aykroyd]])</small>
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor]]
|{{Won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |1995
| rowspan="2" |''[[Exit to Eden (film)|Exit to Eden]]''<br />''[[North (1994 film)|North]]''
|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor]]
|{{Nominated}}
| rowspan="2" |<ref>{{Cite press release |first=John |last=Wilson |author-link=John J. B. Wilson |title=1994 Archive {{!}} Presented at The El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles/March 26, 1995 |publisher=[[Golden Raspberry Award Foundation]] |date=2000-08-23 |url=http://razzies.com/asp/content/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=34 |access-date=2025-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413180850/http://razzies.com/asp/content/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=34 |archive-date=2016-04-13 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|[[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo|Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Couple]] <small>(shared with [[Rosie O'Donnell]])</small>
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|2002
|''[[Crossroads (2002 film)|Crossroads]]''
|[[Stinkers Bad Movie Awards|The Stinkers Bad Movie Award for Worst Fake Accent: Male]]
|{{Nominated}}
|<ref>{{Cite news |title=2002 25th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |department=Past Winners Database |url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/2002/2002st.htm |access-date=2025-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815213025/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/2002/2002st.htm |archive-date=2007-08-15 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|2007
|''Saturday Night Live''
|[[TV Land Award|TV Land Award for Favorite Elvis Impersonation]] <small>(shared with [[John Belushi]])</small>
|{{Nominated}}
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=TV Land Awards (2007)|url=http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001221/2007/1/|access-date=September 6, 2020|website=IMDb}}</ref>
|-
|2018
| rowspan="2" |''[[Workin' Moms]]''
|[[Canadian Screen Awards|Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting or Guest Actor, Comedy]]
|{{Nominated}}
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dan Aykroyd|url=https://www.academy.ca/2018/dan-aykroyd/|access-date=May 9, 2021|website=www.academy.ca|date=January 12, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|2020
|[[Canadian Screen Awards|Canadian Screen Award for Best Guest Performance, Comedy]]
|{{Nominated}}
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dan Aykroyd|url=https://www.academy.ca/2020/dan-aykroyd-2/|access-date=May 9, 2021|website=www.academy.ca|date=February 18, 2020}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
* [[Lists of American actors|List of American actors]]
* [[List of Canadian actors]]
* [[List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards]]
* [[List of Saturday Night Live cast members|List of ''Saturday Night Live'' cast members]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Hill, Doug, and Weingrad, Jeff, ''Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live''. Vintage Books, 1986. {{ISBN|0-394-75053-5}}.

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4797606 Dan Aykroyd, Still Full of the 'Blues']&nbsp;– interview on [[NPR]]'s ''[[Fresh Air]]'' with [[Terry Gross]]&nbsp;– originally aired November 22, 2004

{{S-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Jane Curtin]] solo}}
{{s-ttl|title=''[[Weekend Update]]'' anchor|years=1977–1978}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Jane Curtin]] with [[Bill Murray]]}}
{{s-bef|before='''Position inaugurated'''}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[MTV Video Music Awards]] host|years=[[1984 MTV Video Music Awards|1984]] (co-host with [[Bette Midler]])}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Eddie Murphy]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Dan Aykroyd
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{{Authority control}}

<!-- Please do not categorize Mr. Aykroyd with autism or Asperger syndrome. His public statements regarding this are inconsistent and factually dubious, and he has said on at least one occasion that it is a self-diagnosis. -->

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