Dolph Lundgren - Details

Dolph Lundgren is living proof that brains and brawn do go together. Born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, Lundgren attended the Royal Institute of Technology. Spending time abroad in the United States on various academic scholarships, he attended Washington State University and Clemson in South Carolina. In 1982, he received a scholarship to complete his Masters degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Sydney in Australia. The following year, he was awarded a Fullbright Scholarship to the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While on his way to Boston to continue his studies, he stopped to New York City and there his life took a radical turn. While working at the trendy Limelight Disco along side actor Chazz Palminteri, Lundgren met with noted drama coach Warren Robertson, and decided to give acting a try. Lundgren made his feature film debut in the James Bond movie A View to a Kill (1985), which co-starred his then lover Grace Jones. Then he beat out 5000 other hopefuls to land the breakthrough role of Ivan Drago, Sylvester Stallone's opponent in Rocky IV (1985). The success of this film led Lundgren to star in numerous films including Masters of the Universe (1987), The Punisher (1989), Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) opposite the late Brandon Lee, Universal Soldier (1992) and Johnny Mnemonic (1995). In 1993, he starred in Pentathlon (1994), an action-drama which he also produced under his own production company, Thor Pictures (also known as Red Orm Productions). While most his films tend to typecast him as a bicep-bulging hero, Lundgren is also a founding member of "Group of Eight," a New York theater group started in 1994 which performed "Another Octopus". A world-class athlete, Lundgren took up martial arts at 14 and has achieved his third degree black belt). His accomplishments in the sport include being the captain of the Swedish full-contact karate team and the winner of the European Heavyweight Full-Contact Karate Championship in 1980 and 1981, as well as the Australian heavyweight division title in 1982. Lundgren's lifelong interest in physical fitness led to his 1987 workout video called Maximum Potential. In addition to his karate expertise, Lundgren was selected to serve as the Team Leader of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Pentathlon Team. He is married to Annette Qviberg Lundgren, a jewelry designer and fashion stylist. The couple divide their time between New York City and Stockholm, Sweden. Their daughter Ida was born in April, 1996.