Dolph Lundgren

Swedish actor and director Dolph Lundgren was born Hans Lundgren in Stockholm on November 3, 1957. Initially, Lundgren studied chemical engineering in Stockholm, the United States, and Australia, completing his education with a master's degree. After his studies, Dolph Lundgren worked as a bouncer at the New York nightclub The Limelight, where he met Grace Jones, who first hired him as a bodyguard. Soon after, the two became a couple. This led to his first acting appearance in A View to a Kill (1985) in a small supporting role. Also during the 1980s, Dolph Lundgren achieved several international successes in the martial art of karate.

Dolph Lundgren's acting career began in 1985 with his role as Russian boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, directed by Sylvester Stallone. In 1987, he played He-Man in Masters of the Universe. In Red Scorpion (1988), Dolph Lundgren portrayed Soviet agent Nikolai. Further roles followed, increasingly characterized by more explicit depictions of violence: The Punisher (1989), Dark Angel (1990), and Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991). Lundgren also embodied the character of Andrew Scott in Roland Emmerich's Universal Soldier (1992).

In the 2000s, Dolph Lundgren directed many films in which he also played the lead role. However, most of these were released exclusively direct-to-DVD. In 2010, Dolph Lundgren made his comeback on the big screen. In The Expendables (2010), he played the character of psychopathic Gunnar Jensen, with the sequel following in 2012 with The Expendables 2.