From Fulbright Scholar to Ivan Drago: the remarkable rise of Dolph Lundgren
It’s a common misconception that just because an actor has bulging biceps, sculpted abs, a jaw so square it could cut glass, and a habit of headlining a string of formulaic action flicks where they punch, shoot, stab, and generally maim their way to victory, action heroes, in general, aren’t the most intelligent bunch. While that may be the case as it applies to some, Dolph Lundgren might well be one of the smartest people in Hollywood.
That’s not to say his tough guy persona was all an act when he became a European karate champion in 1980 and 1981 after taking up the discipline at the age of ten, but for a while, he had his sights set on science at the expense of cinematic stardom. Plenty of names have played scientists over the years with varying degrees of authenticity, but Lundgren had the qualifications to become one in real life.
After graduating high school with the requisite straight-A grades to pursue the career path, the Swedish martial artist briefly studied chemical engineering at Washington State University and Clemson University while on an academic scholarship before enrolling at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He graduated with a degree in chemical engineering before completing his Master’s as part of an exchange programme with Australia’s University of Sydney.
As a result, he was awarded a full ride to the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Fulbright Scholar, which “expands perspectives through academic and professional advancement and cross-cultural dialogue” by selecting standout international candidates to study in the United States and vice versa. Lundgren didn’t hang around, though, with his eyes increasingly drawn towards the bright lights of cinema.
Before moving to Boston to attend MIT, he was spied in a Sydney nightclub by Grace Jones, picking up a job as her bodyguard before becoming her boyfriend. As a result, he ended up making his screen debut in 1985 James Bond movie A View to a Kill as henchmen Venz, with Jones on villainous duties opposite Roger Moore’s 007 as May Day.
Continuing to moonlight as a bodyguard and bouncer, Lundgren’s second-ever appearance in a film came when he beat out 5,000 other candidates to be cast as Ivan Dragon in Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky IV. Initially rejected for being too tall, his ice-cold demeanour and rippling physique made him the ideal antagonist for the ‘Italian Stallion’ in the jingoistic cheese-fest that tore up the box office, while his proficiency in hand-to-hand combat saw him hospitalise Stallone when the leading man and director demand the untried and unproven actor punch him for real during the climactic slugfest.
In an instant, furthering his education was the last thing on his mind, with Rocky IV opening up the doors to a sustained career that’s still going strong today. Sure, Lundgren might be found largely in the straight-to-video circuit, but he’s kept himself plenty busy for going on four decades. Admitting to The Guardian, he “figured life as a chemical engineer would be less fulfilling,” it sounds as though his heart was never really set on becoming a scientist despite his undoubted intellect.
It’s easy to dismiss actors who make their living in the action realm as being beefcakes with nothing between the ears, but the fact Lundgren has two degrees in chemical engineering, was accepted to MIT on a full scholarship, has a Mensa-certified IQ of 160, and speaks five languages tells the other side of the story.
