Dolph Lundgren is a famous Swedish actor and sportsman, as well as a martial artist and director. He became famous for his role in “Rocky 4”, where he appeared in the form of Russian boxer Ivan Drago. Later in his film career there were ups and downs, which only tempered the character of the performer. Dolph Lundgren was born on November 3, 1957 in the suburbs of Stockholm into an ordinary middle-class family. As a child, he was a frail, sickly, allergic child. The endless bullying, ridicule and beating of the father did not add self-confidence.
To prove to himself that he is capable of becoming different, the
boy began to get involved in martial arts. Initially, the teenager’s choice fell on classical judo, but then Lundgren switched to karate. He practiced two styles: goju and kyokushinkai. The young fighter excelled in the second style of martial arts. In 1977, the 20-year-old athlete wins the Swedish championship , and then, for 2 years in a row, he confirms the title. In 1979 he took part in the World Championship, where he lost to the enemy only in the final.
In 1980 and 1981 he won the British Open twice . Since 1979, he served in the ranks of the Swedish Armed Forces in the Marine Regiment. After demobilization, he studied at Stockholm Royal
Institute of Technology and at the University of Sydney. In Australia, he received a master’s degree in chemical engineering. After Australian University, he was invited to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In Sydney, he meets the singer and actress Grace Jones, with whom he goes to America as her bodyguard.
Next, Dolph tries himself in the role of a model and a dancer, and also moonlights as a bouncer in clubs and studies acting classes. Lundgren’s debut in the movie was a small episode in the film “View of the Murder”, where the young actor played the general’s bodyguard. Then the guy sent out the portfolio for a long time to
different studios, but received rejections due to his height. Real success came to the actor in the same year after the role of the Russian boxer Ivan Drago in the movie “Rocky 4” by Sylvester Stallone. This role for the actor has become pivotal and iconic. Later, he again and again returned to the images of courageous soldiers, athletes and hired killers. The actor got the main role 2 years later in the film “Masters of the Universe”, based on comics. The tape failed at the box office as did Red Scorpion, in which Dolph again played a Russian. The next films “The Punisher” and “Angel of Darkness” were also received rather coolly. Critics called
Lundgren an actor of one role and stated that his acting talent was significantly inferior to his musculature and height. Regardless of the unflattering reviews, Lundgren continues his acting career.
He continues to play strong guys, although he chooses scenarios with deeper dialogues. The most famous films of the period were Showdown in Little Tokyo, in which Lundgren plays a police officer fighting against the Japanese mafia and Universal Soldier, where Jean-Claude Van Damme became his partner. Experts continued to mercilessly criticize the skill of the actor, but these films were a great commercial success and the audience really liked. After that,
the actor’s career began to decline. In 2005, he made his directorial debut with the action movie The Mechanic, in which he played the main role.
Further, Lundgren returned to popularity thanks to the third part of “The Universal Soldier”, where he played the aged Andrew Scott. In the same year, the actor took part in the filming of “The Expendables”. The main premiere for Lundgren was his appearance in the sports drama “Creed 2”. At the moment, the actor continues to act in films and keeps himself in excellent physical shape. In his spare time, he does karate and goes to the gym. We like and subscribe to the channel so as not to miss the next video.