Dolph Lundgren
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| Dolph Lundgren | |
 Dolph Lundgren as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV |
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| Birth name | Hans Lundgren |
| Born | November 03, 1959 (age 47) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Height | 6 ft 5 inc |
| Notable roles | Venz in A View to a Kill Ivan Drago in Rocky IV Frank Castle in The Punisher Andrew Scott in Universal Soldier |
Dolph Lundgren (born Hans Lundgren, November 3, 1959) is a Swedish actor.
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[edit] Biography
Dolph Lundgren is 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) and weighs approximately 107 kg (237 lb). He speaks four languages: Swedish, English, German and partly French. He holds a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate and won the European full-contact karate championships in 1980 and 1981 and a heavyweight tournament in Australia in 1982 [1]. Also Dolph Lundgren experimented with anabolic steroids to improve his physique for Rocky IV as well as Showdown in Little Tokyo. He was also a member of the Swedish Kyokushin Karate knockdown team for the 1979 World Open Tournament arranged by the Kyokushin Karate Organization.
[edit] Movie career
In 1985, Lundgren made his feature-film debut in the James Bond film A View to a Kill. Then he beat out 5000 other hopefuls to land the breakthrough role of Ivan Drago, Sylvester Stallone's opponent in Rocky IV (1985). He received his first lead role as He-Man in Masters of the Universe (1987), based on the popular children's toy, but the film was not a success and was ridiculed by most audiences. Lundgren subsequently however found his calling in action films. He starred as Marvel comics character Frank Castle aka The Punisher, in the 1989 film The Punisher. In the 1990s he starred in action films such as Showdown in Little Tokyo, Universal Soldier, Red Scorpion, Silent Trigger and Johnny Mnemonic.
In recent years, Lundgren has usually only appeared in foreign and/or low-budget direct-to-video films. He has made his directorial debut in 2004 with the film Defender. After that he directed The Mechanik (Currently known in the United States as The Russian Specialist). Currently he is filming the historical adventure The Inquiry.
[edit] Personal life
He has been married to Anette Qviberg, a jewelry designer and fashion stylist, since 1994. The couple spend their time between their new home in London and Stockholm. They have two daughters: Ida Sigrid Lundgren (born April 1996) and Greta Eveline Lundgren (born January 2002).
[edit] Trivia
- I was turned down at my first audition for Rocky 4 for being too tall, I was 6ft 5in and you were supposed to be 6ft 3in maximum. I didn't know what the casting call was for and I just showed up, they asked me how tall I was, I said 6ft 5in and they said "Next! - Impact magazine [2].
- Dolph has often been the victim of over-billing, something he loathes according to his statement on a recent interview with a Swedish state channel. At one point, the interviewer asked "Are you 6.5 feet tall?" To which Dolph responded by saying, "No, it's supposed to be 6.3 feet". At the time of Showdown in Little Tokyo, he was marketed to the Japanese public as a 10 feet tall body-builder from a country near the North Pole and the son of a bear-trapper, who grew up in the harshest northern wilderness known to mankind.
- Lundgren is the first actor to portray Frank Castle aka the Punisher in live action.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Diamond Dogs | Xander Ronson |
| 2006 | The Inquiry | Brixos |
| 2005 | The Mechanik | Nick Cherenko |
| 2004 | The Defender | Lance Rockford |
| 2004 | Retrograde | John Foster |
| 2004 | Fat Slags | Randy |
| 2004 | Direct Action | Frank Gannon |
| 2003 | Detention | Sam Decker |
| 2001 | Hidden Agenda | Jason Price |
| 2000 | Agent Red | Matt Hendricks |
| 2000 | The Last Patrol | Nick Preston |
| 2000 | Jill Rips | Matt Sorenson |
| 1999 | Storm Catcher | Major Jack Holloway |
| 1999 | Bridge of Dragons | Warchild |
| 1998 | Sweepers | Christian Erickson |
| 1998 | The Minion | Lukas |
| 1998 | Blackjack | Jack Devlin |
| 1997 | The Peacekeeper | Major Frank Cross |
| 1996 | Silent Trigger | Waxman (Shooter) |
| 1995 | The Shooter | Michael Dane |
| 1995 | Johnny Mnemonic | Street Preacher |
| 1994 | Men of War | Nick Gunar |
| 1994 | Pentathlon | Eric Brogar |
| 1993 | Joshua Tree | Wellman Anthony Santee |
| 1992 | Universal Soldier | Andrew Scott/GR13 |
| 1991 | Showdown in Little Tokyo | Police Sgt. Kenner |
| 1991 | Cover Up | Mike Anderson |
| 1990 | Dark Angel | Jack Caine |
| 1989 | The Punisher | Frank Castle/The Punisher |
| 1989 | Red Scorpion | Nikolai |
| 1987 | Masters of the Universe | He-Man |
| 1985 | Rocky IV | Ivan Drago |
| 1985 | A View to a Kill | Venz |
[edit] Cultural references
- Dolph Lundgren was satirized in an article by The Onion in 2004, titled "Dolph Lundgren Wins Long, Courageous Battle Against Fame"
- Metalcore band Will Haven released a song named Dolph Lundgren on their album Carpe Diem.
[edit] Footnotes
- http://www.gmrmedia.com/dolph/articles/article13.html
- http://www.celebheights.com/s/Dolph-Lundgren-22.html
[edit] External links
