Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( AK-royd; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on Saturday Night Live (1975–1979). He performed with his friend John Belushi in a musical sketch on SNL, the Blues Brothers, which they turned into an actual performing band and then featured in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Aykroyd also conceived the premise for, and starred as Dr. Raymond Stantz in, Ghostbusters (1984), which spawned a sequel and eventually an entire media franchise.