Dan Aykroyd is Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year

Cambridge, Mass. February 19, 2009 - Renowned Canadian actor, screenwriter, and musician Dan Aykroyd has been named the 2009 Artist of the Year by the Harvard Foundation of Harvard University. Aykroyd will be awarded the Foundation's most prestigious medal, which bears the signature of the University President, at Harvard's annual Cultural Rhythms ceremony on Saturday, February 28, 2009. "The students and faculty of the Harvard Foundation are honored to present Academy Award nominee Dan Aykroyd with the 2009 Artist of the Year award," said Dr. S. Allen Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation. "His contributions to the performing arts have been appreciated by people throughout the world, and he has demonstrated admirable generosity through his humanitarian efforts." Aykroyd has had an impressive career in film, television, and music. He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in "Driving Miss Daisy," and his creative talent as a writer and actor in "Saturday Night Live" earned him an Emmy Award. Along with his notable work in films such as "Ghostbusters," "Dragnet," and "Driving Miss Daisy," Aykroyd is also leader of the Blues Brothers Band.