Yes, he played one of the most iconic ’80s villains, but there’s much more to Dolph Lundgren than the Soviet Apollo Creed killer Ivan Drago. He speaks several languages, holds a chemical engineering degree and earned a scholarship to attend MIT. These are 11 badass facts about Lundgren that you most likely don’t know.
Dolph Lundgren is Highly Educated With a High IQ, but No PhD
Don’t be fooled by the 250 lbs. of muscle he carried around as He-Man in 1987’s Masters of the Universe. Dolph Lundgren is practically a genius. The actor, writer, director, and producer was born Hans Lundgren, the son of a language teacher and an engineer for the Swedish government. He graduated from high school with straight As, studied engineering at Washington State University, served his mandatory year in the Swedish Marine Corps, earned a degree in chemical engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology, a master’s from the University of Sydney, and a Fulbright Scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, although he left M.I.T. after just two weeks in order to pursue a career in the movies. As he told Maxim:RELATED:
Why Dolph Lundgren Didn’t Want To Play ‘Rocky IV’ Villain Ivan Drago Ever Again
“I decided I didn’t want to shake test tubes for the rest of my life,” he told Maxim in 2008. “So I quit school and became an unemployed starving actor for a while.”Don’t expect him to brag about that big brain of his. When asked if it’s true, as rumored, that he has an I.Q. of 160, he answered, “I’m not that smart. I’m smart enough to get a few scholarships. But I’ve gotten hit in the head too many times since then.”