Dan Aykroyd
Highest Rated: 100% All You Need Is Cash (1978)
Lowest Rated: 0% Getting Away with Murder (1996)
Birthday: Jul 1, 1952
Birthplace: Ottawa, Canada
One of the most vibrant comic personalities of the 1970s and '80s, as well as a noted actor and screenwriter, Dan Aykroyd got his professional start in his native Canada. Before working as a standup comedian in various Canadian nightclubs, Aykroyd studied at a Catholic seminary from which he was later expelled. He then worked as a train brakeman, a surveyor, and studied Sociology at Carleton University in Ottawa, where he began writing and performing comedy sketches. His success as a comic in school led him to work with the Toronto branch of the famed Second City improvisational troupe. During this time -- while he was also managing the hot nightspot Club 505 on the side -- Aykroyd met comedian and writer John Belushi, who had come to Toronto to scout new talent for "The National Lampoon Radio Hour." In 1975, both Aykroyd and Belushi were chosen to appear in the first season of Canadian producer Lorne Michaels' innovative comedy television series Saturday Night Live. It was as part of the show that Aykroyd gained notoriety for his dead-on impersonations of presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter. He also won fame for his other characters, such as Beldar, the patriarch of the Conehead clan of suburban aliens, and Elwood, the second half of the Blues Brothers (Jake Blues was played by Belushi). Aykroyd made his feature-film debut in 1977 in the Canadian comedy Love at First Sight, but neither it nor his subsequent film, Mr. Mike's Mondo Video, were successful. His first major Hollywood screen venture was as a co-lead in Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979). But Aykroyd still did not earn much recognition until 1980, when he and Belushi reprised their popular SNL characters in The Blues Brothers, a terrifically successful venture that managed to become both one of the most often-quoted films of the decade and a true cult classic. Aykroyd and Belushi went on to team up one more time for Neighbors (1981) before Belushi's death in 1982. Aykroyd's subsequent films in the '80s ranged from the forgettable to the wildly successful, with all-out comedies such as Ghostbusters (1984) and Dragnet (1987) falling into the latter category. Many of these films allowed him to collaborate with some of Hollywood's foremost comedians, including fellow SNL alumni Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Eddie Murphy, as well as Tom Hanks and the late John Candy. In such pairings, Aykroyd usually played the straight man -- typically an uptight intellectual or a latent psycho. He tried his hand at drama in 1989 as Jessica Tandy's son in Driving Miss Daisy and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. During the '90s, Aykroyd's career faltered just a bit as he appeared in one disappointment after another. Despite scattered successes like My Girl (1991), Chaplin (1992), Casper (1995), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), and Antz (1998), the all-out flops -- The Coneheads (1993), Exit to Eden (1994), Sgt. Bilko (1996) -- were plentiful. Likewise, the long-awaited Blues Brothers sequel, Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), proved a great disappointment. Aykroyd, however, continued to maintain a screen profile, starring as Kirk Douglas' son in the family drama Diamonds in 1999. During the next few years, he found greater success in supporting roles, with turns as a shifty businessman in the period drama The House of Mirth (2000), Woody Allen's boss in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001), pop star Britney Spears' father in her screen debut, Crossroads (2002), and (in a particularly amusing turn) as Dr. Keats in the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore comedy 50 First Dates. Aykroyd also appeared in the 2005 Christmas with the Kranks, alongside Tim Allen and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry with Adam Sandler in 2006. He also provided the voice of Yogi Bear in the big screen adaptation of the titular cartoon -- but none of these projects did particularly well with fans. Aykroyd soon planned to revive the smashing success of the Ghostbusters franchise, collaborating with Harold Ram

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Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

MOVIES

CREDIT
75% Good Fortune Actor — 2017
74% Ghostbusters Executive Producer Cabbie $128.4M 2016
No Score Yet Ghostheads Actor — 2016
71% I Am Chris Farley Actor — 2015
16% Pixels 1982 Championship MC $66.5M 2015
52% Live From New York! Actor — 2015
No Score Yet Untitled John Belushi Project Executive Producer — 2015
80% Get On Up Ben Bart $22.9M 2014
24% Tammy Don $51.1M 2014
16% Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return Scarecrow $6.5M 2014
95% Behind the Candelabra Actor $1.7M 2013
No Score Yet Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot Actor — 2013
66% The Campaign Wade Motch $86.9M 2012
No Score Yet Sunset Strip Actor — 2012
13% Yogi Bear Yogi Bear $100.2M 2010
No Score Yet Unbeaten 28 Actor — 2010
No Score Yet Monty Python Almost the Truth Obligatory Making of Special Actor — 2009
No Score Yet Unbeaten Actor — 2009
No Score Yet Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash '08 Actor — 2008
30% War, Inc. Mr. Vice President $0.6M 2008
14% I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry Captain Tucker $119.8M 2007
No Score Yet Shortcut to Happiness (The Devil and Daniel Webster) Julius Jenson — 2007
No Score Yet Let's All Hate Toronto Actor — 2007
No Score Yet Intern Academy Dr. Cyrill Kipp — 2006
No Score Yet Comedy Gold: The Hilarious Story of Canadian Comedy Actor — 2006
No Score Yet Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs Actor — 2005
No Score Yet Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs Actor — 2005
No Score Yet Ronnie Hawkins: Still Alive and Kickin' Actor — 2005
No Score Yet James Brown: Soul Survivor Actor — 2004
5% Christmas With the Kranks Vic Frohmeyer $73.8M 2004
65% Bright Young Things Lord Monomark $0.9M 2004
45% 50 First Dates Dr. Keats $120.8M 2004
No Score Yet Evidence: The Case for NASA UFOs Actor — 2002
14% Crossroads Pete $37.1M 2002
14% Unconditional Love Max Beasley — 2002
No Score Yet Earth vs. the Spider Det. Insp. Jack Grillo — 2002
No Score Yet On The Nose Dr. Davis — 2001
45% The Curse of the Jade Scorpion Chris $6.8M 2001
43% Evolution Gov. Lewis $37.6M 2001
24% Pearl Harbor Capt. Thurman $197.8M 2001
81% The House of Mirth Gus Trenor — 2000
43% Stardom Barry Levine — 2000
24% Loser Mr. Tannek — 2000
No Score Yet Susan's Plan Bob — 2000
26% Diamonds Lance — 1999
No Score Yet Saturday Night Live: The Best of Steve Martin Actor — 1999
93% Antz Chip — 1998
46% Blues Brothers 2000 Screenwriter Elwood Blues Producer — 1997
80% Grosse Pointe Blank Mr. Grocer — 1997
No Score Yet The Arrow Actor — 1997
47% My Fellow Americans William Haney — 1996
14% Feeling Minnesota Ben — 1996
27% My Girl 2 Harry Sultenfuss — 1996
9% Celtic Pride Jimmy Flaherty — 1996
0% Getting Away with Murder Prof. Jack Lambert — 1996
32% Sgt. Bilko Col. Hall — 1996
14% Canadian Bacon Highway Patrolman (uncredited) — 1995
44% Casper Doctor Raymond Stantz (uncredited) — 1995
42% Tommy Boy Zalinsky — 1995
No Score Yet Random Factor Dexter — 1995
6% Exit to Eden Fred — 1994
14% North Pa Tex — 1994
No Score Yet Saturday Night Live - Best of the Coneheads Actor — 1994
35% Coneheads Screenwriter Beldar — 1993
No Score Yet The Best of the Blues Brothers Actor — 1993
60% Chaplin Mack Sennett — 1992
78% Sneakers Mother — 1992
38% This Is My Life Arnold Moss — 1992
56% My Girl Harry Sultenfuss — 1991
5% Nothing but Trouble Bobo Judge Alvin 'J.P' Valkenheiser/Bobo J.P. Director Screenwriter — 1991
No Score Yet Masters of Menace Johnny Lewis — 1990
0% Loose Cannons Ellis Fielding — 1990
53% Ghostbusters 2 Dr. Raymond Stantz Screenwriter — 1989
82% Driving Miss Daisy Boolie Werthan Producer — 1989
19% My Stepmother Is an Alien Dr. Steven Mills — 1988
4% Caddyshack II Capt. Tom Everett — 1988
40% The Great Outdoors Roman Craig — 1988
40% She's Having a Baby Actor — 1988
38% The Couch Trip John W. Burns, Jr. — 1988
No Score Yet Will Rogers: Look Back in Laughter Actor — 1988
50% Dragnet Screenwriter Friday — 1987
No Score Yet One More Saturday Night Executive Producer Producer — 1986
32% Spies Like Us Screenwriter Austin Millbarge — 1985
38% Into the Night Herb — 1985
No Score Yet Nothing Lasts Forever Buck — 1984
97% Ghostbusters (1984 Original) Screenwriter Dr. Raymond Stantz — 1984
85% Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Weber — 1984
61% Twilight Zone: The Movie Passenger — 1983
86% Trading Places Louis Winthorpe III — 1983
33% Doctor Detroit Screenwriter Clifford Skridlow — 1983
No Score Yet It Came from Hollywood Actor — 1982
63% Neighbors Vic — 1981
83% The Blues Brothers Screenwriter Elwood Blues — 1980
39% 1941 Sgt. Frank Tree — 1979
No Score Yet Mr. Mike's Mondo Video Actor — 1979
No Score Yet Grateful Dead: The Closing of Winterland Actor — 1978
100% All You Need Is Cash Brian Thigh — 1978
No Score Yet Love at First Sight (Love is Blind) Roy — 1977
No Score Yet Gift of Winter Actor — 1974

TV

CREDIT
No Score Yet The Big Interview With Dan Rather
2013
Guest
  • 2018
No Score Yet Jimmy Kimmel Live
2003
Guest
  • 2016
No Score Yet Jay Leno's Garage
2015
Appearing
  • 2016
  • 2015
No Score Yet Inside Comedy
2012-2015
Guest
  • 2015
No Score Yet The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
Guest
  • 2014
No Score Yet Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
2009-2014
Guest
  • 2013
  • 2010
50% Happily Divorced
2011-2013
  • 2012
  • 2011
No Score Yet Born to Explore
2011-2016
Appearing
  • 2011
72% The Defenders
2010-2011
Judge Max Hunter
  • 2011
70% Family Guy
1999
Voice
  • 2009
No Score Yet According to Jim
2001-2009
Danny Danny Michalski
  • 2009
  • 2004
  • 2003
  • 2002
No Score Yet The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
1992-2014
Performer
  • 2003
No Score Yet Saturday Night Live
1975
Host Performer Guest
  • 2003
  • 1998
  • 1995
  • 1979
  • 1978
  • 1977
  • 1976
  • 1975
No Score Yet Home Improvement
1991-1999
Father Mike
  • 1997
82% Tales from the Crypt
1989-1996
Guest
  • 1992
  • 1991

QUOTES FROM Dan Aykroyd CHARACTERS