Dan Aykroyd, born in Ottawa, initially pursued studies in psychology, criminal sociology, and political science at Carleton University, where his comedy journey took off. He co-wrote sketches for a private cable company, igniting his passion for acting. At 20, he joined The Second City comedy troupe in Chicago and Toronto, marking the start of his career.
In 1975, Aykroyd joined "Saturday Night Live" as a founding member of the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players," crafting iconic sketches like "The Blues Brothers" with Belushi and "Two Wild and Crazy Guys" with Steve Martin. The success of "The Blues Brothers" sketch led to a full-length feature in 1980, with Aykroyd writing and producing the movie soundtrack, defying the disco and punk era.
His versatile talent shines in roles like Dr. Ray Stantz in "Ghostbusters," Jessica Tandy’s son in "Driving Miss Daisy," a single father in "My Girl," and an assassin in "Grosse Pointe Blank," showcasing both comedic and dramatic prowess.
Golden Raspberry Awards
Worst Supporting Actor
Known For
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
(2024)
Ray Stantz
Ghostbusters
(2016)
Cabbie
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
(2021)
Ray Stantz
Ghostbusters
(1984)
Ray Stantz
Ghostbusters II
(1989)
Ray Stantz
Pixels
(2015)
1982 Championship MC
Sneakers
(1992)
Mother
Trading Places
(1983)
Louis Winthorpe III
Pearl Harbor
(2001)
Captain Thurman
My Girl
(1991)
Harry Sultenfuss
50 First Dates
(2004)
Dr. Keats
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(1984)
Art Weber
Evolution
(2001)
Governor Lewis
The Blues Brothers
(1980)
Elwood Blues
Antz
(1998)
Chip (voice)
Casper
(1995)
Dr. Raymond Stantz (uncredited)
Full Filmography
Acting
The Gift of Winter
(1974)
Goodly / Rotten / Maple (voice)
The Beach Boys: It's OK
(1976)
Cop #1
The Beach Boys: Good Vibrations Tour
(1976)
Cop #1
Love at First Sight
(1977)
Roy
The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash
(1978)
Brian Thigh
The Blues Brothers Live at Winterland
(1978)
Elwood Blues
The Things We Did Last Summer
(1978)
Himself
1941
(1979)
Sgt. Frank Tree
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
(1979)
Church of Jack Lord Leader / Self
The Blues Brothers
(1980)
Elwood Blues
Neighbors
(1981)
Vic
Steve Martin's Best Show Ever
(1981)
Yortuk Festrunk / Irwin Mainway / Alexander Haig / Dr. Treves
It Came from Hollywood
(1982)
Himself
E.T. and Friends: Magical Movie Visitors
(1982)
Beldar Conehead
Trading Places
(1983)
Louis Winthorpe III
Doctor Detroit
(1983)
Clifford Skridlow / Doctor Detroit
The Coneheads
(1983)
Beldar (Voice)
Twilight Zone: The Movie
(1983)
Passenger
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(1984)
Art Weber
Ghostbusters
(1984)
Ray Stantz
Nothing Lasts Forever
(1984)
Buck Heller
Into the Night
(1985)
Herb
Spies Like Us
(1985)
Austin Millbarge
We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song
(1985)
Self
B.B. King: Into the Night
(1985)
Self
The Best of John Belushi
(1985)
Various characters
Dragnet
(1987)
Sgt. Joe Friday
Citizen Steve
(1987)
Chial Dushane
The Great Outdoors
(1988)
Roman Craig
The Couch Trip
(1988)
John W. Burns, Jr.
My Stepmother Is an Alien
(1988)
Steven Mills
Caddyshack II
(1988)
Capt. Tom Everett
She's Having a Baby
(1988)
Roman (uncredited)
Driving Miss Daisy
(1989)
Boolie Werthan
Ghostbusters II
(1989)
Ray Stantz
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
(1989)
Self
Loose Cannons
(1990)
Ellis Fielding
Masters of Menace
(1990)
Johnny Lewis
The Earth Day Special
(1990)
Vic's Buddy
Life of Python
(1990)
Self
Seriously... Phil Collins
(1990)
Self
My Girl
(1991)
Harry Sultenfuss
Nothing but Trouble
(1991)
Judge Alvin 'J.P' Valkenheiser / Bobo
Sneakers
(1992)
Mother
Chaplin
(1992)
Mack Sennett
This Is My Life
(1992)
Arnold Moss
Two-Fisted Tales
(1992)
Captain Miligan
Coneheads
(1993)
Beldar Conehead
My Girl 2
(1994)
Harry Sultenfuss
North
(1994)
Pa Tex
Exit to Eden
(1994)
Fred Lavery
The Best of the Blues Brothers
(1994)
Elwood Blues / Himself
A Century of Cinema
(1994)
Self
Canadian Bacon
(1995)
OPP Officer (uncredited)
Tommy Boy
(1995)
Ray Zalinsky
Casper
(1995)
Dr. Raymond Stantz (uncredited)
The Random Factor
(1995)
Dexter (voice)
Celtic Pride
(1996)
Jimmy Flaherty
Getting Away with Murder
(1996)
Jack Lambert
Sgt. Bilko
(1996)
Colonel John T. Hall
Feeling Minnesota
(1996)
Det. Ben Costikyan
My Fellow Americans
(1996)
President William Haney
Sex, Censorship and the Silver Screen
(1996)
Quote Reader
Rainbow
(1996)
Sheriff Wyatt Hampton
Grosse Pointe Blank
(1997)
Grocer
The Arrow
(1997)
Crawford Gordon Jr.
Heritage Minutes: Avro Arrow
(1997)
Crawford Gordon
Blues Brothers 2000
(1998)
Elwood Blues
Antz
(1998)
Chip (voice)
Susan's Plan
(1998)
Bob
Roswell Top Secret
(1998)
Self
The Stories Behind the Making of 'The Blues Brothers'
(1998)
Self
Diamonds
(1999)
Lance Agensky
Saturday Night Live: Christmas
(1999)
Himself
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dana Carvey
(1999)
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection
(1999)
Captain Milligan
Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special
(1999)
Self
Ghostbusters 1999
(1999)
Self
The House of Mirth
(2000)
Augustus 'Gus' Trenor
Stardom
(2000)
Barry Levine
Loser
(2000)
Dad
Pearl Harbor
(2001)
Captain Thurman
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion
(2001)
Chris Magruder
Earth vs. the Spider
(2001)
Det. Insp. Jack Grillo
Evolution
(2001)
Governor Lewis
On the Nose
(2001)
Dr. Barry Davis
Crossroads
(2002)
Pete Wagner
Unconditional Love
(2002)
Max Beasley
Shortcut to Happiness
(2003)
Julius Jenson
Bright Young Things
(2003)
Lord Monomark
Toronto Rocks
(2003)
Self
The Making of ‘Sneakers’
(2003)
Self
50 First Dates
(2004)
Dr. Keats
Christmas with the Kranks
(2004)
Vic Frohmeyer
White Coats
(2004)
Dr. Cyrill Kipp
Ronnie Hawkins: Still Alive and Kickin
(2004)
Narrator
Dan Aykroyd Unplugged On UFOs
(2005)
himself
Saturday Night Live: The Best of John Belushi
(2005)
Self / Various (archive footage) (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd
(2005)
Various Characters
Life O' The Party: On the Road with Prince and the New Power Generation
(2005)
Self
Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live
(2005)
Self
The Blues Brothers: Transposing The Music
(2005)
Self
Working with a Master: John Landis
(2006)
Self
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
(2007)
Captain Phineas J. Tucker
War, Inc.
(2008)
Mr. Vice President
Yogi Bear
(2010)
Yogi Bear (voice)
The Women of SNL
(2010)
Various (archive footage)
Presidential Reunion
(2010)
Jimmy Carter
Saturday Night Live Backstage
(2011)
Self / Various
The Campaign
(2012)
Wade Motch
Sunset Strip
(2012)
Self
Behind the Candelabra
(2013)
Seymour Heller
Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot
(2013)
Self
Born In Chicago
(2013)
Narrator
Saturday Night Live: Thanksgiving
(2013)
Rick Phillips
WWII: Saving the Reality
(2013)
Self - Narrator (voice)
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
(2014)
Scarecrow (voice)
Tammy
(2014)
Don
Get on Up
(2014)
Ben Bart
Who You Gonna Call?: A Ghostbusters Retrospective
(2014)
Time Is But a Window: Ghostbusters 2 and Beyond
(2014)
I Am Chris Farley
(2015)
Self
Pixels
(2015)
1982 Championship MC
Being Canadian
(2015)
Self
Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversary Special
(2015)
Self / Super Bass-O-Matic 2150 Spokesperson / Elwood Blues
Ghostheads
(2016)
Self
Ghostbusters
(2016)
Cabbie
Good Fortune
(2016)
Self
Bill Murray: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize
(2016)
Self
Defend, Conserve, Protect
(2019)
Narrator
Fantastic Mr. Murray
(2019)
Self - Interviewee
Chris Farley: Anything for a Laugh
(2019)
Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters
(2020)
Self
Belushi
(2020)
Self (archive footage)
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
(2021)
Ray Stantz
Who Saw the Men in Black
(2021)
self
2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
(2022)
Self (archive footage)
Zombie Town
(2023)
Len Carver
A Saturday Night Live Christmas Special
(2023)
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
(2024)
Ray Stantz
The Greatest Night in Pop
(2024)
Self (archive footage)
Writing
The Beach Boys: It's OK
(1976)
Writer
The Beach Boys: Good Vibrations Tour
(1976)
Writer
The Blues Brothers
(1980)
Writer
Steve Martin's Best Show Ever
(1981)
Writer
Ghostbusters
(1984)
Screenplay
Spies Like Us
(1985)
Screenplay
Dragnet
(1987)
Screenplay
Ghostbusters II
(1989)
Screenplay and Characters
Nothing but Trouble
(1991)
Screenplay
Coneheads
(1993)
Screenplay
The Best of the Blues Brothers
(1994)
Writer
Blues Brothers 2000
(1998)
Writer
Ghostbusters
(2016)
Characters
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
(2021)
Original Film Writer
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
(2024)
Original Film Writer
Production
One More Saturday Night
(1986)
Executive Producer
Blues Brothers 2000
(1998)
Producer
Born In Chicago
(2013)
Executive Producer
Ghostbusters
(2016)
Executive Producer
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
(2021)
Executive Producer
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
(2024)
Executive Producer
Directing