8 Crazy Facts You Never Knew About Dolph Lundgren
By
Michael Avery in
Entertainment
On 8th November 2016
If you were around in the 1980s, chances are you were a fan of Dolph Lungren. From his breakthrough role in the James Bond film ‘A View To Kill’ to his work in ‘Rocky IV’ and ‘Masters of the Universe,’ it was basically impossible to go anywhere without seeing the action hero. Here are some unexpected facts about him.
He’s a genius!
He feels shy and insecure
He’s an international martial arts champion
And much more!
Some basic facts are that Dolph Lungren was born Hans Lungren on November 3, 1957 in Stockholm.
He moved to America because his dad always said to him, ‘If I wanted to make something special with my life, I had to go to America.’ Now on to the awesome facts you didn’t know...
Dolph Lundgren is best known for his roles in "Rocky IV" and "The Expendables."
He's quite the action star!
But if you thought he was just a strongman, you don't know Dolph!
Here's some really interesting trivia about the Swedish actor.
Dolph got his start thanks to Grace Jones.
After being hired as a bodyguard for Grace Jones, the two began a relationship which lead to him being noticed on film sets. It's this that earned him his first role in the 1985 Bond film, ‘A View To Kill,' which in turn lead to his big break as the villain in Rocky IV.
Growing up, Dolph called himself a "runt."
He suffered from allergies and was really insecure. This is what got him started with karate.
He's painfully shy! While Lundgren is known for playing the strong silent type, he's actually equally quiet in real life. Dolph was painfully shy growing up which lead to him taking up both martial arts and acting.
In an interview with SOMA magazine in 1996, he said, ‘I felt I was very inhibited and shy and insecure in many ways. Sports was one way to make up for it and I felt there was something about acting that sort of intrigued me.
He's actually really smart. No like really REALLY Smart!
He's a Genius! While he may play a series of bulked up meatheads on screen, he's actually far smarter than people realize. Lundgren has degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering, he received the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship from MIT and speaks seven languages.
Dolph's father was abusive growing up.
He pushed his son hard, to the point where he made Dolph endure some major verbal abuse. Still, Dolph says he still loves his father.
He almost killed Sylvester Stallone.
In the movie Rocky IV, Lundgren's Ivan Drago tells Sly Stallone, ‘I must break you,' however, he almost ended up doing just that when they decided to film part of a fight scene as a real fight.
Lundgren hit Stallone so hard, that the actor ended up in intensive care in the hospital for nine days with a life-threatening head injury. Apparently, it was so bad, the insurance company didn't want to cover it as his injuries resembled a head on car collision.
He's a karate champion.
Upon hearing about what he can do in the ring, it should come as no surprise that Lundgren won the European karate championship in 1980 and 1981.
Dolph once scared off home invaders without even being there.
In 2009, people broke into Dolph's home and tied up his wife. When the intruders realized whose home they were in, they fled.
He's also an excellent drummer.
He's an accomplished musician. Lundgren is also an accomplished drummer, having competed in international competitions. In 2009, he wrote, directed and starred in the film, Command Performance in which he played a rock drummer.
