Do you think Dolph Lundgren is just a dumb thug who can only make chopped chops out of opponents? Read about his life story and you will change your mind.
He was born in Sweden on November 3, 1957. His domineering father-engineer believed that his son would achieve nothing in life. The boy was a shy, overweight allergy sufferer. To improve his relationship with his father, he began training boxing, kyokushin karate, judo and Gōjū-ryū karate. He studied very well and when he was a teenager he went on scholarships to the USA. He returned to Poland to become an engineer like his father. After a few years, he obtained a master’s degree in chemistry from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He even received a Fulbright Fellowship at MIT. In the meantime, he did not neglect his training. In 1980 and 1981 he stood on the podium of the European Heavyweight Championships in kyokushin karate. In 1982 he won the championship in Australia.
If it weren’t for Grace Jones, he would probably have become a professor of chemistry. Look, it’s an amazing story. In the 1980s, Lundgren was an exchange student in Sydeny. He was preparing to go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At the same time, he worked as a bodyguard. In one of the clubs, he made such an impression on Grace Jones, who was there, that she took him with her and hired him as her bodyguard (and later sexual partner).
In New York, he began his career as a model, bodyguard and dancer at Studio 54. At the same time, he attended acting courses. His debut was a cameo role in Bond titled A View to Kill (1985). He starred there with Grace Jones and Roger Moore. He attracted attention, and photo shoots and roles were proposed.
He was remembered by everyone as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV (1985). Two years later he played He-man in Masters of the Universe (he did all the stunts himself). His Swedish accent made the director despair. The film cost as much as $ 22 million and made a spectacular flop. Lundgren didn’t like him either, so he didn’t accept the offer to play in the sequel.
He is an action movie star, but also sci-fi. Everyone was excited about The Punisher (based on the Marvel comics), the films: Universal Soldier, where he starred with Jean-Claude Van Damm, the science fiction Dark Angel , cyberpunk Johnny Mnemonic (1995) with Keanu Reeves (Lundgren played the insane preacher-killer).
He also appeared in the films Bridge of Dragons, Mechanic: Revenge Time, Universal Soldier: Regeneration, Minion.
He has not appeared on the cinema screen since Johnny Mnemonic . The opportunity came with the Expendables . It was 2010. This movie about aging mercenaries hit theaters by storm, and no wonder. With such a cast … Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, and Dolph Lundgren. The three parts so far have been very successful, and another one is planned for 2021. And so maybe until the tenth part, until in the final they will probably fight with canes and walkers … I’m kidding.
Lundgren’s subsequent films include: Legendary: The Dragon’s Tomb, Universal Soldier: Day of Rebirth, Battle of the Damned, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming Aquaman, In the Name of King II: Two Worlds and many more. Not all of his roles were acting pearls, but he certainly took advantage of his chance to become famous.
In addition to his turbulent relationship with Grace Jones, Lundgren has been married twice and has two daughters with his second wife. He dated models and actresses, and finally found a haven with Norwegian trainer Emma Krokdal (they got engaged in June 2020).
Lundgren is a polyglot. He is fluent in Swedish and English, but also to a lesser extent in five other languages.
Life is stranger than fiction. It’s fun having things that people don’t know about you. And it helps when you read a bad review. You can say, “That guy didn’t figure me out.” There is more mystery to you than people can see.
I think this Dolph self-report fits perfectly for the summary. What do you wish our birthday boy today?