Dolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, filmmaker, martial artist and chemical engineer who has starred in the movie such as Red Scorpion, The Punisher, Men of War and Icarus. In 1978, he attained the rank of 2nd black belt in Kyokushin and also captained the Karate team. He won the Karate European Championship in 1980 and 1981 and also won the Australian heavyweight tournament in 1982. Dolph breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in Rocky IV as the imposing Soviet Union boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, he has starred in more than 40 films, almost all of them in the action genre.
Birth Name
Hans Lundgren
Nickname
Dolph
Profession
Actor, Director, Screenwriter, Producer, Martial Artist
Nationality
Swedish
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Dolph Lundgren was born on the 3rd of November 1957, in Spånga, Stockholm County, Sweden.
Age
He’s currently 62 years old.
Residence
Los Angeles, California, United States
Sun Sign
Scorpio
Ethnicity
White
He has Swedish ethnicity.
Religion
Christianity
Education
After graduating from high school with straight A’s, he spent some time in the United States in the 1970s on various academic scholarships, studying chemical engineering at Washington State University and Clemson University. He studied chemical engineering for a year at Washington State University, prior to serving his mandatory one year in the Swedish Coastal Artillery at the Coastal Ranger School.
In the late 1970s, he enrolled at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. In 1983, he was given admission at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a Fulbright Scholarship. However, he later dropped out to pursue an acting career.
Family Details
- Father – Karl Johan Hugo Lundgren (Economist and Engineer for the Swedish Government)
- Mother – Sigrid Birgitta (Language Teacher)
- Siblings – Johan Lundgren (Older Brother), Annika Lundgren (Sister), Katharina Lundgren (Sister)
- Relatives – Johan Magnus Lundgren (Paternal Grandfather), Gerda Eugenia Pettersson (Paternal Grandmother), Olof Tjerneld (Maternal Grandfather), Dora Larsson (Maternal Grandmother)
Marital Status
Divorced
Girlfriend / Spouse
Dolph Lundgren has dated –
- Grace Jones (1983-1986) – Dolph first met singer and actress Grace Jones in 1983 in Sydney. She had spotted him at a nightclub and decided to hire him as her bodyguard. Soon after, they became lovers and Dolph moved with Jones to the United States. While living in New York City in her apartment, he started his modeling career. With her assistance, he managed to bag a small role in the action movie, A View to a Kill. Grace had already been cast in a major role in the movie and on the sets of the movie, she asked Lundgren to try out for a part in the movie. They eventually ended their relationship in 1986. However, even years after their breakup, it was reported that they were occasionally having sexual encounters.
- Paula Barbieri (1987) – Dolph dated actress and model Paula Barbieri in 1987. They were spotted together at many high profile events including Jun Chong Tae Kwon Do Karate Tournament in April 1987 in Beverly Hills.
- Stephanie Adams (1991) – In 1991, Lundgren was rumored to be dating model and author Stephanie Adams. They had reportedly met at a party thrown by his former flame Grace Jones.
- Anette Qviberg (1994-2011) – Lundgren got married to the jewelry designer and fashion stylist Anette Qviberg in Marbella. After their marriage, they fell in love with Marbella and after living in a rented accommodation for some years, they decided to buy their family house there. During the course of their marriage, Anette gave birth to two daughters – Ida Sigrid Lundgren and Greta Eveline Lundgren. Their both daughters were born in Stockholm. The 2009 burglary attempt left Anette traumatized and their daughter Ida suffered from PTSD as well. They decided to end their marriage in 2011.
- Jenny Sandersson (2011-Present) – Dolph reportedly started dating Jenny Sandersson, who also hails from Sweden and like Dolph is a karate champion, in 2011. They made their relationship formal by stepping out for a date at the Chateau Marmont. Their 24 years age gap was much discussed by the media. In 2014, they had reportedly ended their relationship. However, by the end of the year, it was claimed that they had secretly got engaged and married. Jenny also serves as his personal hair and makeup artist.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 6 feet 5 inches
- In centimeters – 196 cm
- In meters – 1.96 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 113 kg
- In Pounds – 249 lbs
Body Build
Bodybuilder
Eye Color
Blue
Hair Color
Blonde
Shoe Size
His shoe size is 12.5 (US).
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Lundgren breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in Rocky IV as the imposing Soviet Union boxer Ivan Drago and having appeared in many popular action movies such as The Punisher, Universal Soldier, Missionary Man and played the role of Gunner Jensen in The Expendables movie franchise.
Film Debut
In 1985, Dolph started his professional acting career by playing the role of Venz in James Bond’s starring movie A View to Kill.
Television Debut
In 1986, Dolph made his first television show appearance on the French TV show, C’est encore mieux l’après-midi.
Brand Endorsements
Dolph Lundgren has appeared in the television commercials for John Deere, SilverSands (South African online casino), Norton Internet Security 2011, Orange TV, Mother Energy Drink and Optus, National Geographic’s Brain Games, Ford EcoBoost, LetGo, US Pentathlon Olympic team & Prime Male.
Dolph Lundgren Favorites
- Favorite Soccer Club – Everton FC
- Favorite Books – Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie – Conan the Barbarian (1982)
- Favorite Place for Shooting – Los Angeles and Thailand
- Favorite Pie – Pecan Pie with Ice Cream and Whipped Cream
- Favorite Meal – Medium Cooked Steak with Charred Sides and Baked Potatoes
- Favorite Dessert – Apple Pie with Some Ice Cream
- Favorite Wine – Opus One
- Favorite Destination – Paris
Dolph Lundgren Net worth
Dolph Lundgren has an estimated net worth of $15 million dollars as of 2020.
Social Media Profiles
- Facebook – Dolph Lundgren
- Instagram – dolphlundgren
- Twitter – Dolph Lundgren
Some Lesser Known Facts About Dolph Lundgren
- He was often physically abused by his father while growing up. He often used to call him a loser, which made Dolph very ambitious while growing up.
- While growing up, he suffered from a number of allergies. He also struggled with insecurity.
- As a child, Dolph had an interest in drumming and wanted to become a rock star as an adult.
- At the age of 7, he started taking Gōjū-ryū and judo training. By the age of 10, he was taking Kyokushin karate classes.
- While studying at the University of Sydney, he used to work as a bouncer in nightclubs to fulfill his financial needs.
- He is fluent in English and his mother tongue Swedish. He can also converse in French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish with varying degrees of fluency.
- He had a serious interest in bagging the role of Ben Richards in The Running Man but Arnold Schwarzenegger managed to beat him for the role.
- He had auditioned for a role in Rambo: First Blood Part II but was unsuccessful.
- In the late 1980s, he was caught in a controversy in his native Sweden after he refused to be interviewed in Swedish and asked it to be in English.
- He had auditioned for the role of Hagen in Gladiator. But Ridley Scott wasn’t impressed with his acting skills and instead decided to cast Ralf Moeller in the role.
- Lundgren received his first lead role as the mighty He-Man in Masters of the Universe (1987), based on the popular children’s toyline and cartoon.
- He has published his book, Train Like an Action Hero: Be Fit Forever, in which he has channeled his extensive experience as a martial artist to lend training tips.
- He is not a heavy drinker but he has ceded that he does love tequila and cocktails. Also, he loves using his chemical knowledge to make great cocktails.
- He participated in a real boxing match against former UFC fighter Oleg Taktarov. He lost the match via decision.
- In 1990, Lundgren starred in Craig R. Baxley’s sci-fi thriller I Come in Peace (also known as Dark Angel) opposite Brian Benben, Betsy Brantley, Matthias Hues and Jay Bilas.
- In 1991, Lundgren starred in Manny Coto’s action film Cover Up opposite Louis Gossett Jr..
- In 1992, Lundgren starred in one of the biggest blockbusters of the year in the sci-fi action picture Universal Soldier directed by Roland Emmerich.
- In 1993, Lundgren starred opposite Kristian Alfonso and George Segal in Vic Armstrong’s Joshua Tree.
- In 1994, Lundgren starred in Bruce Malmuth’s Pentathlon as an East German Olympic gold medalist pentathlete on the run from an abusive coach (David Soul).
- In May 2009, three masked burglars broke into his house in Marbella and tied her wife up. However, after finding Lundgren’s family photo and realizing that they were in Lundgren’s house, they fled.
- In August 2017, he portrayed the future version of Gil Shepard in the Syfy film Sharknado 5: Global Swarming.
- In 2019, he has acted in the movie The Tracker and he will appear in the movies like Acceleration and Hard Night Falling.
