... Actor, athlete and scholar! ... Rocky IV magazine Ivan Drago is a massive Russian killing machine. His incredible physical prowess, matched with a menacing cold exterior, make Drago a powerful candidate for a world championship boxer. Only one man stands in his way... Rocky Balboa. With this premise in mind for "Rocky IV," Sylvester Stallone presented himself with the challenge of finding the right actor to rival Carl Weather's flamboyant Apollo Creed and Mr. T's aggressive Clubber Lang. He found his man in Swedish-born former model Dolph Lundgren. Lundgren stands an impressive six-foot-six and weighs a muscular two-hundred-and-forty pounds. Physically, Lundgren proved more than equal to the task of preparing himself for the strenuous demands of "Rocky IV's" grueling fight sequences. He once held the title of European Kick Boxing Champion and has earned a first degree Black Belt in Karate. Lundgren has also scored impressively as a scholar, earning a degree from Stockholm's Royal Institute of Technology on a Fulbright Scholarship. Lundgren eventually established a modeling career and studied acting in New York. He met Stallone when he auditioned for a part in "Rambo: First Blood Part II." Although he didn't get the role, he made an impression on Stallone, who remembered the actor when he started casting "Rocky IV."   back to top