Background
Aykroyd began acting in his high school years. His college major at Carleton University in Ottawa was Criminology and Sociology, a combination that shaped the pseudoscientific worldbuilding behind Ghostbusters. He joined Saturday Night Live in 1975, appearing as a cast member through 1979, during which time he developed the comedic and character instincts he would carry into film.
Beyond acting, Aykroyd has longstanding business interests. He has served as a spokesman and distributor for Patron Tequila, is part owner of the House of Blues restaurant and concert venue chain, and has produced his own spirits brands under the Crystal Head and Dan Aykroyd Discovery Series labels.
Ghostbusters (1984)
Aykroyd conceived the original Ghostbusters concept and co-wrote the screenplay with Harold Ramis. He portrayed Ray Stantz, and also drove the Ecto-1 during location shooting in New York. Ivan Reitman, who directed the film, had first worked with Aykroyd years earlier when he hired him as an announcer at a Toronto television station.
During the 55 Central Park West shoot, Aykroyd got to meet science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, though Asimov was irritated by the traffic disruption the production caused and could not get home. On another night at the same location, Aykroyd and Bill Murray borrowed police motorcycles and rode around Central Park with the lights and sirens on, pulling over pedestrians. When City Hall revoked the filming permit for the Ecto-1 escort to Central Park West, Murray and Aykroyd disappeared for an hour and approached Mayor Koch directly, who resolved the matter so shooting could proceed.
In a lighter production detail, Aykroyd was fond of the shaving cream used to simulate marshmallow residue and kept asking for more of it to be applied to him. His younger brother, Peter Aykroyd, connected director Ivan Reitman with musicians Glenn Hughes and Pat Thrall during the search for a theme song.
Ghostbusters II (1984)
Aykroyd and Ramis returned as co-writers for the sequel, again with Aykroyd in the role of Ray Stantz. Aykroyd suggested using a Jackie Wilson song as a plot device. He and Ramis enjoyed the stunt sequence in which the Ghostbusters rappel into the Manhattan Museum of Art's restoration room so much that they performed it five times for fun. Due to a scheduling conflict that prevented Aykroyd from filming the scenes where Vigo possesses Ray, creature shop performer Howie Weed wore the makeup instead, as he was approximately the same size and was already on set.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009)
Aykroyd co-wrote the script for Ghostbusters: The Video Game alongside Harold Ramis, performing rewrites on an original draft by John Zuur Platten and Flint Dille before Ramis did an additional pass. Their work focused primarily on polishing the tone and vernacular of the dialogue. He also voiced Ray Stantz for the game, recording at least three takes of each of approximately 2,400 lines in under four studio hours.
In a December 2007 interview with Game Informer, Aykroyd described the video game as "essentially the third movie," adding that it was "better than the third movie because it lasts longer, there's more development of the characters, there's more of a need for story layers." He told the magazine: "If you have an appetite for the third movie, then the video game is it."
Ghostbusters (2016)
Aykroyd served as executive producer on the 2016 film and appeared in a cameo as a taxi driver who quotes the original film's tagline, "I ain't afraid of no ghost." He also exchanged emails with screenwriter Katie Dippold about Ghostbusters jargon and science to help inform the reboot. His cameo was filmed on the night of July 13, 2015. An earlier, discarded idea had him playing a spiritual adviser named Rick Gale, which was cut for pacing reasons.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Aykroyd returned as Ray Stantz and served as executive producer. He contributed to the dialogue in the scene where Phoebe Spengler calls the Ghostbusters' old phone number and reaches Ray. On the day Aykroyd, Murray, and Ernie Hudson filmed their scenes together, the first shot of the morning was the sequence in which Gozer hurls the three of them into the side of Ecto-1. His daughter, Stella Aykroyd, portrays Deputy Medjuck in the film.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)
Aykroyd reprised Ray Stantz once more and continued as executive producer. Costume designer Alexis Forte fitted him for a denim jacket modeled after the one he wore in the 1984 film, then aged, stained, and sanded it. Ecto-C, the motorcycle variant of the Ectomobile featured in the film, was directly inspired by Aykroyd's personal Harley-Davidson Softail motorcycle. During production, he came close to crashing Ecto-C into a pile of dirt in one take and had to steer the vehicle out onto the street.
Additional Ghostbusters Credits
Beyond the mainline films, Aykroyd holds "Based on Characters Created By" credit on The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters animated series, voiced Ray Stantz again in Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord (including the Slimer Hunt and Frozen Empire missions), and is credited as a head of Ghost Corps, the franchise stewardship organization under Sony.
Aykroyd has been consistently aware of and generous toward the Ghostbusters fan community. When Kenner needed a Proton Pack for a gift Aykroyd requested shortly before Christmas in 1987, with all warehouse stock depleted for months, Kenner's Ed Zobrist pulled the display unit from Kenner's reception room and overnighted it to Los Angeles. Aykroyd also asked for a Kenner Fire House but it was sold out. He declined Kenner's request to use his likeness on a ghost map for their 1989 Find the Ghost program.
A fan encounter Aykroyd has recounted captures the spirit of the GBFans.com community well:
"One guy in Vancouver showed up in full Ghostbusters regalia. He had a Proton Pack and a wand, everything. He was about 30. Ghostbusters was his life."
References
- Ghostbusters (1984 film)
- Ghostbusters II (1989 film)
- Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009)
- Ghostbusters (2016 film)
- Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021 film)
- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024 film)
- Fandom Wiki, "Dan Aykroyd"
- Spook Central, "Ghostbusters: The Video Game - Game Informer's Dan Aykroyd Interview (December 2007)"
