Dolph Lundgren life and biography

Dolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, director, and martial artist. He belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero stereotype including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

A graduate in chemical engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia in 1982, Lundgren holds a rank of 3rd dan black belt in Kyokushin Karate and was European champion in 1980 and 1981. While in Sydney, he became a bodyguard for Grace Jones and began a relationship with her. They moved together to New York City, where after a short stint as a model and bouncer at the Manhattan nightclub 'The Limelight', he got a small debut role in the James Bond film A View to a Kill as a KGB henchman.

Lundgren's breakthrough came when he starred in Rocky IV in 1985 as the imposing Russian boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, he has starred in more than 40 movies, almost all of them in the action film genre. He portrayed He-Man in the 1987 film Masters of the Universe, and Frank Castle in the 1989 film The Punisher. In the early 1990s, he also appeared in films such as Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991), alongside Brandon Lee; Universal Soldier (1992), opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme; Joshua Tree (1993), opposite Kristian Alfonso and George Segal; Johnny Mnemonic (1995), opposite Keanu Reeves and Ice-T; and Blackjack (1998), directed by John Woo. In 2004, Lundgren directed his first picture, The Defender, and subsequently helmed The Mechanik (2005), Missionary Man (2007), Command Performance (2009), and Icarus (2010), in which he also starred. After a long spell performing in direct-to-video films, 2010 marked his return to theatres with The Expendables, an on-screen reunion with Sylvester Stallone, alongside an all-action star cast which included, among others, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Mickey Rourke.

Well known for his tall stature and A1 level of fitness, at peak, Lundgren stood around 195 centimetres (6 ft 5 in) and weighed 245 pounds (111 kg), and continues to be an influence in the world of fitness and bodybuilding. He is married to Anette Qviberg, a jewelry designer and fashion stylist who lives in Marbella, Spain with their two daughters, Ida and Greta. As of 2011, the couple have been separated and filed for divorce. Dolph has moved back to Los Angeles with new Swedish girlfriend Jenny Sandersson.

Filmography:

2011 : In the Name of the King 2 (In The Name Of The King: Two Worlds) ; Small Apartments
2012 :
Stash House
Universal Soldier: A New Dimension
One In The Chamber
The Package
The Expendables 2
Skin Trade

Director:
2007 : Missionary Man
2009 : Command Performance
2010 : Icarus (The Killing Machine)
2012 : Skin Trade

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