Most people know Dan Aykroyd in his various incarnations as an actor, one of the Blues Brothers, a screenwriter, a director, and a restaurant entrepreneur, but very few know about his life-long interest in paranormal research. It's a family affair: his father was a psychic researcher and his great-grandfather was a principal member of the British Society of Psychic Research. At an early age, Aykroyd read the journals of respected paranormal organizations and he remains a supporter of them. Aykroyd's passion for the paranormal led him to create The Coneheads on Saturday Night Live and to host and co-write the syndicated series, Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, a drama based on files from the Office of Scientific Investigation and Research. In fact, Aykroyd credits that organization as a source for the Ghostbusters movies.
Canadian-born Dan Aykroyd was on his way to becoming a priest at a Catholic seminary before he was expelled. Instead he attended Carleton University in Ottawa, where he studied political science, criminal sociology, and, most prophetically, became active in his college's drama guild. In 1972 Aykroyd entered show business by producing, co- writing and acting in a series of 15-minute comedy shows entitled A Change for a Quarter for a private cable company. That same year he joined the famed Second City Comedy Troupe, which he performed with in Chicago and Toronto until 1974.
In his next major career move, Aykroyd joined the cast and writing staff of a show that would go down in television history. On October 11, 1975, NBC debuted Saturday Night Live (SNL). Producer and brain child Loren Michaels envisioned anti-establishment humor that pushed television boundaries. The original line-up consisted of Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Jane Curtin, John Belushi, and Gilda Radner. During Aykroyd's five years with SNL, he displayed his comic talent by creating memorable sketch personalities. He also did impressions of presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, and TV cooking show personality Julia Child. Aykroyd's fascination with UFOs gave way to The Coneheads, a recurring skit about a family from an alien planet, who had long, cone-shaped heads and consumed large quantities of beer and potato chips. With comedian Steve Martin, Aykroyd also created Jorge and Yortuck Festrunk, two "wild and crazy guys" from Czechoslovakia, wannabe playboys who couldn't get dates. The Blues Brothers began as a novelty musical act formed by Aykroyd and John Belushi. The two had met when Belushi went to check out the Toronto version of Second City, where Aykroyd was playing. They became fast friends and together found themselves as cast members of SNL. At first overshadowed by popular comedian Chevy Chase, they eventually came into their own with comedy sketches such as "The Coneheads" and "Samurai Warrior," and Aykroyd became a favorite amongst writers and players alike. Early in the SNL tenure, Aykroyd introduced Belushi to blues music. Neither man had professional musical training, but Aykroyd managed to become a decent harmonica player. A prototype of the Blues Brothers was first seen on SNL on January 17, 1976. The pair asked producer Loren Michaels to let them perform a blues number on the show; but Michaels wanted them to do a "Killer Bees" skit, which Belushi despised. The night the bee skit was aired, Aykroyd wore a fedora with antenna and sunglasses, while Belushi dressed in his bee costume and wired rim glasses. Aykroyd played harmonica while Belushi sang "I'm A King Bee" and did full body flips. The skit was a huge success. Later, in costumes that would become the Blues Brothers standard look, Aykroyd ad Belushi warmed up the SNL audience before the shows. By that time they had invented their Blues Brothers alter egos, Elwood and Joilet Jake. Aykroyd and Belushi enjoyed their alter egos so much that they persuaded their agent to set up a recording contract and a series of concert performances. On September 8, 1978, they did their first show opener for comedian Steve Martin at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, California. They performed eight more nights and recorded the live album, A Briefcase Full of Blues. The album was a great success, selling more than 2.8 million copies. In 1980, Jake and Elwood Blues became principal characters in The Blues Brothers, primarily written by Aykroyd. Meanwhile, Belushi had developed a wild drug habit. Although Aykroyd told People that his partner was not a regular drug user, and tried to convince Belushi to curb his habits, Belushi failed to heed his advice and died of a cocaine and heroin overdose on March 5, 1982. Like most of the original cast members, Aykroyd left Saturday Night Live to make movies. During the 1980s, he appeared in many comedies, teaming with some of SNL's greatest alumni, including Eddie Murphy in Trading Places and Bill Murray in Ghostbusters. In 1983 he starred in and co-wrote Doctor Detroit and later married his co-star, Donna Dixon. In 1989 Aykroyd performed his first dramatic role in Driving Miss Daisy, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. In a slight career deviation, Aykroyd co-founded The House Of Blues, a restaurant/nightclub/entertainment establishment with several locations across the U.S. His efforts of the early 1990s, including his debut directorial debut, Nothing But Trouble (1991) and a film reprisal of the Coneheads (1993), for which he also wrote the screenplay, garnered little public or critical response. In 1997, Aykroyd appeared as a rival assassin to John Cusack in Grosse Pointe Blank and began work on two films, Cops (co-starring James Belushi) and Blues Brothers 2000.
In the late 1990s, Aykroyd returned to television. In 1996 Aykroyd's fascination with the paranormal (previously demonstrated in the Ghostbusters movies) was more fully revealed in his role as television host of Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, a syndicated weekly dramatic anthology based on files from the Office of Scientific Investigation and Research. The series has also been featured on CBS radio stations and as a weekly newspaper column. Aykroyd's ABC sitcom Soul Man also debuted in April 1997 to good ratings. The show centers on Aykroyd as a widowed Detroiter-turned-priest (reformed from his bad-boy, motorcycle-riding past) who raises his kids alone.
Born Daniel Edward Aykroyd, July 1, 1952, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; son of Samuel Cuthbert Peter Hugh (a Canadian government official) and Lorraine (Gougeon) Aykroyd; married Maureen Lewis (an actress; divorced); married Donna Dixon (actress); children: Mark, Lloyd, Oscar (from first marriage); Danielle Alexandra, Belle Kingston (from second marriage). Education: Attended Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario. Addresses: Agent--Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 9012; Publicist--Susan Patricola Public Relations, Inc., 8455 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 410, Los Angeles, CA 90048.