His big break came in 1975 when, aged 22, he was appointed to the writing team of a forthcoming new US comedy sketch show called Saturday Night Live. Aykroyd managed to also get himself a starring role, and he was a key feature of the first four series that ran from that year to 1979.

Film work then followed, and in 1980 he had a major hit starring in The Blues Brothers, for which he also co-wrote the screenplay. The movie remains a much-loved comedy classic, and Aykroyd still occasionally tours with the “The Blues Brothers Band”, singing as his character from the film – Elwood Blues.

Ghostbusters arrived four years later, which he again co-wrote, and he was shortlisted for a best supporting actor Oscar for 1989’s Driving Miss Daisy. Other film highlights include Trading Places, Spies Like Us, Antz, and Grosse Pointe Blank.

Aykroyd has also directed one movie – 1991’s Nothing But Trouble – which he says helped hone his management skills. “The first thing [as a director] is that you have to respect what others are doing for you, respect that they have skills and abilities that you may think you know something about, but you don’t, because you don’t do that particular function with an organisation,” he says. “Let them do their job.”

Unfortunately the film was a flop, costing $40m (£31m), but only making $8.5m at the box office. “The studio will kill you if you lose that kind of money,” he says. “Your career’s hit with a sniper’s bullet.”

Luckily, however, Aykroyd’s film career weathered that storm.