Dolph Lundgren is 60: 5 things you (maybe) didn't know about the Swedish actor
As he celebrates his 60th birthday this week, we take a look at the Expendable Dolph Lundgren, known for his roles in "Rocky IV" and "Universal Soldier"...
He graduated in chemistry
Although he eventually turned to sports and film, he initially aspired to become an engineer like his father. He earned a master's degree in chemistry from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and also studied in Sydney, Washington State University and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). In short, it would be wrong to reduce Dolph Lundgren to a simple mountain of muscles.
He started in cinema in a James Bond
Just before starring opposite Stallone in Rocky IV , Lundgren made his big screen debut in A View to a Kill in 1985. Invited onto the project by Grace Jones (May Day), who was his girlfriend in town at the time, he played a Russian bodyguard. A very secondary role, but one that nevertheless allowed him to land the role of Ivan Drago right after.
He almost killed Stallone
When you're in the Rocky franchise , you have to expect to take some real hits, and be prepared to give some. On the set of the fourth installment, Dolph Lundgren got so into it that he knocked his opponent Stallone to the ground for four and a half days with a single blow to the chest. "He hit me so hard that when I opened my eyes, I was on a low-flying flight to the intensive care unit at St. John's Hospital, surrounded by four nuns. I thought I was going to die," Sly recalls.
He whined for the Dummies
Before Thomas Jane and Jon Bernthal , the Punisher (aka Frank Castle) was him! While he played the Marvel anti-hero in the 1989 adaptation, Dolph Lundgren took the opportunity to self-parody in a hilarious sketch concocted by Les Nuls: The Crybaby . Trying as best he could to remain stoic in the face of a Christmas story told by Chantal Lauby , he ended up bursting into tears.
He almost starred in "Gladiator"
According to director Ridley Scott , Dolph Lundgren was once considered to play the fearsome Tigris of Gaul, whom Maximus must face face (and in the company of a few tigers) on the sands of the Colosseum. Ironically, Gladiator is now among the actor's top five favorite films, along with The Godfather , Spartacus , Unforgiven and Working Girl .
BONUS: He is an accomplished drummer
Dolph Lundgren certainly has unsuspected abilities. In addition to his degree in chemistry, he is also able to speak 3 different languages fluently, and also knows how to play the drums very well, as he proved on Swedish television by reinterpreting Elvis Presley 's song A Little Less Conversation . All while breaking blocks of ice and boards, of course... See the performance...
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