dan aykroyd
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1952, Dan Aykroyd grew up in a religious family. He quickly became the black sheep and was even expelled from his Catholic seminary school. His sense of humour may have gotten him into trouble but Aykroyd was no idiot, and continued his education, eventually attending Carleton University in Ottawa. While there he studied a variety of disciplines, psychology, political science and criminal sociology. These studies were probably due to the influence of his parents. His father Samuel Aykroyd was an Assistant Deputy Minister of Transportation and his mother, Lorraine (Gougeon) Aykroyd was a clerk for the Canadian government. While studying at University however, he spent a lot of time developing comedy bits and he eventually decided to go with his heart and pursue a career in comedy.
Dan Aykroyd got his comedic debut doing stand-up routines in Canada, but it wasn't until he found himself on a new and controversial show back in 1975 that he really found fame. Saturday Night live launched his career and made him a household name. He was the originator of such classic television skits as The Blues Brothers, The Coneheads, Fred Jarvin: Male Prostitute, and those "wild and crazy guys", the Czechoslovakian Playboys.
His new found fame lead him to eventually leave the show and pursue a new avenue in film. Aykroyd has since been seen in a plethora of films. Some of them were quite memorable while others were disasters, but through it all he has remained a visible figure in comedy. Films like Ghostbusters, Spies Like Us and My Girl were all superb films.
He has also branched out into other genres and other fields. He has proven a propensity for dramatic acting in Driving Mrs. Daisy and has also shown that he is adept in other media. He recorded two blues albums, Briefcase Full of Blues and Made in America, to go along with the release of the cult classic film Blues Brothers (based on the SNL sketch), he has hosted a radio show for CBS as his Elwood Blues character, and has also done some recent work in television. He developed and starred in "The Arrow", a television movie for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as well as a television series "Psi Factor" dealing with investigations into the paranormal. For American television he developed and starred in the critically acclaimed sitcom "Soul Man". Obviously Mr.Aykroyd is a very busy man and that is not all he has been up to recently.
He has not given up on big screen work and has several movies forthcoming. The most anticipated being Blues Brothers 2000, a sequel to his previous success. He will also be starring in "Vanished", "Chilled" and "Discovering Dad". Aykroyd has also done some directing. He made is directorial debut in 1991's Nothing But Trouble. The film flopped but that is not likely to hold him back.
Dan Aykroyd holds a special place in the hearts and minds of Canadians because despite his increasing fame he has never forgotten his country. While he works in the United States primarily, he still makes time to return and develop work for the CBC. He is someone who does what he wants and loves despite risks and doesn't seem to care much what others may say in return. He seems to carry with him a pride in being Canadian that is very rarely seen and should be greatly appreciated.
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