Dan Aykroyd

Daniel Edward Aykroyd was born on July 1, 1952 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The first role he played was in the comedy The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour, which also starred Lorne Michaels, who would go on to produce shows such as Saturday Night Live and Late Night. Aykroyd joined the popular Second City comedy group in 1973.

Aykroyd got his first big break when he was hired for a recurring role on Saturday Night Live in 1975. He and the late John Belushi created one of Aykroyd’s most notable productions, The Blues Brothers, which was released in 1980. Aykroyd’s other big accomplishment occurred when he participated as a co-writer for the infamous Ghostbusters, which would go on to have a sequel in 1989. He made an appearance in other projects with A-list actors, such as Dragnet with Tom Hanks and Exit to Eden with Rosie O’Donnell.

Likely due to his intrigue for ghosts, he hosted PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal for four years. He appeared in Happily Divorced and The Campaign in 2012. Aykroyd won a Primetime Emmy in 1977 for Saturday Night Live and he has been nominated for an Academy Award, two other Emmy awards, and various other accolades. He founded a nightclub in Massachusetts and named it the House of Blues, which fulfilled a lifelong dream of his. He also runs a wine business and developed a vodka brand.