Dan Aykroyd Biography

Dan Aykroyd is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician, and writer who is famous for his work on “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” as part of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). Additionally, he is the recipient of the prestigious Emmy Award for his writing on Saturday Night Live. He also performed in a musical sketch on SNL, the Blues Brothers with his friend John Belushi. Later, they turned into an actual performing band and also featured in the 1980 film “The Blues Brothers”. He made his TV show debut in “The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour”. He also acted in the movie  Ghostbusters in 1984, which spawned a sequel and eventually an entire media franchise. In addition, he is also a businessman and a co-founder of the House of Blues chain of music venues as well as the Crystal Head Vodka brand. 

What is Dan Aykroyd Famous For?

• Being an actor, comedian, producer, musician, and writer.
• Being the co-founder of the House of Blues chain of music venues and the Crystal Head Vodka brand.

What is Dan Aykroyd Nationality?

Dan Aykroyd took birth on 1st July 1952 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He is the son of Samuel Cuthbert Peter Hugh Aykroyd (father) (1922–2020), and Lorraine Gougeon (mother) (née Gougeon; April 27, 1918 – February 8, 2018). His father was a civil engineer, who worked as a policy adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his mother was a secretary. He also has a sibling named Peter Aykroyd (actor). He belongs to mixed ethnicity as his mother was of French Canadian descent and his father of English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch and French ancestry. He holds Canadian nationality. By religion, he is Catholic and his zodiac sign is Cancer. He celebrated his 69th birthday as of 2021. About his education, he studied his high school at St. Pius X and St. Patrick’s high school. Next, he attended his University at Carleton University in the field of criminology and sociology but later he dropped out without finishing it. He worked as a comedian in various Canadian nightclubs and ran an after-hours speakeasy, Club 505, in Toronto for several years. 

Dan Aykroyd Career Timeline

• Dan started his professional career in acting by performing in a sketch comedy television show titled “The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour”.
• He was a member of the “Second City “comedy troupe in 1973 in both Toronto and Chicago.
• He also worked as a television announcer and managed a nightclub at that time and met John Belushi who is a writer. With John Belushi, he was featured in the first season of the comedy television series “Saturday Night Live” in 1975. As part of the show, he revived the musical act ‘Blue Brothers’ with host James Belushi.
• In the year 1980, the band gained popularity from the movie “The Blues Brothers”, which was co-written by him.
• He set up the “House of Blues” in the year 1992. In 2004, House of Blues became the second-largest live music promoter in the world, with seven venues and 22 amphitheaters in the United States and Canada. It was bought by Live Nation in 2006. 
• His film “Ghostbusters” was released in 1984 which became a huge success for Aykroyd, who also appeared as one of the lead actors; the film earned nearly US$300 million on a US$30 million budget. A sequel to Ghostbusters, “Ghostbusters II”, was released in 1989.
• In 1991, he made his directorial debut with “Nothing but Trouble”. 
• His other films in the 1990s were mostly similarly poorly received, including Coneheads (also based on an SNL skit), Exit to Eden, Blues Brothers 2000, and Getting Away with Murder. 
• He made a guest appearance on “Saturday Night Live” on 24th March 2007. 
• He co-wrote and appeared in ‘Ghostbusters: The Video Game’ in 2013. 
• In 2010, he played the voice of the title character, Yogi Bear, in the live-action/CGI-animated film “Yogi Bear”. 
• He appeared as a guest judge on ‘Top Chef Canada’ in 2011. 
• He was also seen in two episodes of CBS’s legal comedy-drama ‘The Defenders.
• He voiced a character in ‘Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return’ in 2013. 
• Later, he executive produced the 2016 supernatural comedy ‘Ghostbusters’. 
• He was also cast to play ‘Dr. Raymond Stantz’ in ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ which was released in 2021.

How much is Dan Aykroyd Net Worth?

As of 2022, Dan Aykroyd’s net worth is estimated to have $200 million. He made this fortune from his profession i.e. acting career. Moreover, he is also one of the co-founders of the House of Blues music venue franchise. Crystal Head Vodka is also co-founded by him. He is a co-owner of several vineyards on Canada’s Niagara Peninsula. About his salary, it is in millions of dollars. He is living a luxurious lifestyle at present. 

Who is Dan Aykroyd Wife?

Dan Aykroyd was a married man. He tied a knot with his beautiful wife, Donna Dixon on 29th April 1983. The couple is the proud parents of three children; Danielle Aykroyd, Stella Irene August Aykroyd, and Belle Kingston Aykroyd. Sadly, they split in 2022 after being together for nearly four decades. His sexuality is straight and he is not gay.

Dan Aykroyd and Donna Dixon Split

Dan Aykroyd and his wife of nearly four decades Donna Dixon have amicably split up, the couple announced. The “Blues Brothers” star, 69, and Dixon remain legally married and maintain a “loving friendship,” the pair said. “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 told. “This is our choice in loving friendship.” Aykroyd and Dixon, 64, got hitched in 1983 shortly after meeting on the set of the comedy “Doctor Detroit” the same year. Aykroyd had previously been briefly engaged to the late Carrie Fisher.

Source: @pagesix

What is Dan Aykroyd Height?

Dan Aykroyd has a height of 6ft 1 inch and his body weight consists of 113 Kg. His hair color is brown. He is a heterochromia syndactylite – he has webbed middle toes on both feet and he has different colored eyes: one is brown and one is green. His other body size is still to get disclosed yet.