After working abroad for most of the past three decades, ’80s action icon Dolph Lundgren is back in Hollywood. He earned his place as our May 2015 cover model due, in no small part, to his bevy of hit films over the years. Here are the ones that top the list.
2 of 6
Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Rocky IV (1985)
Lundgren’s turn as the Russian killing machine Ivan Drago in Rocky IV made him an instant household name. He was a character you loved to hate, but who ultimately had a human side people could identify with—and a physique that every guy wanted.
3 of 6
Warner Brothers/Getty Images
Masters of the Universe (1987)
In the era of the reboot, it’s safe to say we’ll probably see another He-Man movie. To date, however, Lundgren is the only man to step into the iconic role. It’s also safe to say that if Thor had been made in the ’80s, Lundgren would’ve had that role, too.
4 of 6
Warner Brothers/Getty Images
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
Co-starring the late Brandon Lee, this buddy-cop flick saw Lundgren on the trail of the Yakuza in Los Angeles. It also gave a chance for both men to show off their legitimate martial arts chops in action sequences that hold up today.
5 of 6
TriStar/Getty Images
Universal Soldier (1992)
An unrestrained ’90s bizzaro action flick, ‘Universal Soldier’ sounds like a pipe dream imagined over too much Mountain Dew: Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren play two Vietnam-era soldiers who fight to death, are subsequently reanimated in a government experiment, and then become super-soldiers—only to then rediscover their human pasts and fight to death AGAIN. (Hey, it still netted $36 million at the box office.)
6 of 6
Courtesy Image
The Expendables (2010)
When Sylvester Stallone brought Lundgren on board for his ’80s-action throwback, it marked the rebirth of Lundgren’s work in American cinema. Lundgren returned for The Expendables 2 and 3 and moved from Sweden back to the States.
After working abroad for most of the past three decades, ’80s action icon Dolph Lundgren is back in Hollywood. He earned his place as our May 2015 cover model due, in no small part, to his bevy of hit films over the years. Here are the ones that top the list.
Rocky IV (1985)
Lundgren’s turn as the Russian killing machine Ivan Drago in Rocky IV made him an instant household name. He was a character you loved to hate, but who ultimately had a human side people could identify with—and a physique that every guy wanted.
Masters of the Universe (1987)
In the era of the reboot, it’s safe to say we’ll probably see another He-Man movie. To date, however, Lundgren is the only man to step into the iconic role. It’s also safe to say that if Thor had been made in the ’80s, Lundgren would’ve had that role, too.
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
Co-starring the late Brandon Lee, this buddy-cop flick saw Lundgren on the trail of the Yakuza in Los Angeles. It also gave a chance for both men to show off their legitimate martial arts chops in action sequences that hold up today.
Universal Soldier (1992)
An unrestrained ’90s bizzaro action flick, ‘Universal Soldier’ sounds like a pipe dream imagined over too much Mountain Dew: Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren play two Vietnam-era soldiers who fight to death, are subsequently reanimated in a government experiment, and then become super-soldiers—only to then rediscover their human pasts and fight to death AGAIN. (Hey, it still netted $36 million at the box office.)
The Expendables (2010)
When Sylvester Stallone brought Lundgren on board for his ’80s-action throwback, it marked the rebirth of Lundgren’s work in American cinema. Lundgren returned for The Expendables 2 and 3 and moved from Sweden back to the States.
