Dolph Lundgren on his big-screen debut in A View to a Kill

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2006-06-01

Dolph Lundgren was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden. Despite an early interest in music and the fine arts, Dolph decided to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue and Engineering degree. After having completed his military service he enrolled at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

It was in the military when Dolph first came in contact with the martial arts. Five years later, Dolph had become a World-Class competitor in Japanese Karate and was deeply involved with a discipline that was to become an important part of his life.

After graduating High School, Dolph spent considerable time studying in the Unite States and abroad on various academic scholarships. He attended Washington State University and Clemson University in South Carolina. In 1982, he received a scholarship to complete his Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Sydney in Australia. In 1983 he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, one of the world's top engineering schools.

That same year, Dolph decided to move to New York City and take up acting. He started studying drama at the Warren Robertson Theatre Workshop in Manhattan, not knowing how quickly his life was about to change.

Dolph's motion picture debut came in the James Bond film A View to a Kill (1985). However, it was his performance in "Rocky IV" later that year that definitely got him noticed. After a 9-month audition process among 5,000 hopefuls, he was cast opposite writer-director Sylvester Stallone, as his Russian opponent, Ivan Drago. Following the success of "Rocky IV", Lundgren moved to Los Angeles and has since starred in more than thirty feature films. Lundgren portrayed the classic action-heroic lead in such films as Gary Goddard's "Masters of the Universe", "Showdown in Little Tokyo" co-starring Brandon Lee, and "Black Jack" by Hong-Kong action legend John Woo.

Lundgren has also continued to turning memorable performances as the main adversary to other action-stars, most notably in "Universal Soldier" opposite Jean Claude Van Damme, directed by Roland Emmerich, as well as Robert Longo's "Johnny Mnemonic" opposite Keanu Reeves. In February 2004, Dolph Lundgren directed his first feature film, the thriller "The Defender" in which he also starred. In 2005 he directed and starred in yet another feature, "The Russian Specialist" (a.k.a The Mechanik"). In January 2006 he finished principal photography of "The Inquiry", an Italian/American/Spanish co-production, directed by Guilio Base in which he played against, amongst others, Daniele Liotti, Max von Sydow and F. Murray Abraham.

Dolph has managed to not let his Hollywood career stand in the way of his athletic background. He has been awarded his Third Degree Black Belt by the World Karate Organization in Tokyo. His accomplishments include being the Captain of the Swedish National Karate Team, as well as a Champion of the Swedish, European and Australian Heavyweight Division titles. Lundgren still regularly performs Karate exhibitions at international tournaments worldwide.

In addition to his Karate expertise, Dolph was selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee to serve as the Team Leader of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Pentathlon Team during the Atlanta Games. He is actively involved in promoting the image of this sport.

Lundgren's production company, Thor Pictures, is developing several projects in which he will produce, star and/or direct. He is also a founding member of "Group of Eight", a New York theatre group started in 1994.

Dolph is currently working on a fitness book and sports wear line for men.

More information about Dolph Lundgren on his official site at www.dolphlundgren.com

Tags:

#anders_frejdh

#dolph_lundgren

#interviews

Tag Cloud

Dolph Lundgren on his big-screen debut in A View to a Kill

Tag Cloud