Let's analyze Dolph Lundgren

He started life as a 'Biomechanical Beast' but did he then mess with his teeth?

Someone recently asked me if I could analyse Dolph Lundgren.

You know.. the guy who played the iconic character “Drago” in Rocky IV.

But then pretty much did a bunch of crappy movies for many years after.

If you can through his IMDB profile (link).. you’ll see that between 1985 to today his average IMDB rating was like 4.5 out of 10.

But i gotta hand it to him.. he was prolific. The guy’s been in a ton of B and C-level films lol.

Anyway the questions I asked myself as I began to research him were:

• How did he evolve biomechanically?

• Did he do anything to his teeth that changed his trajectory?

And so those are the questions I will aim to address today.

Who is Dolph Lundgren?

Dolph Lundgren, born Hans Lundgren on November 3, 1957, in Stockholm, Sweden, is a Swedish actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and former chemical engineer.

Before his rise to Hollywood fame, Lundgren pursued an impressive academic career, earning a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Sydney and receiving a Fulbright scholarship to MIT.

I mean damn!!! This one completely took me from left field. The guy was smart!

His life took a dramatic turn when he met Grace Jones while working as her bodyguard, leading him to abandon his engineering career and pursue acting.

Lundgren’s breakthrough came in 1985 when he portrayed the imposing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV” opposite Sylvester Stallone. This role launched him into stardom, and he went on to appear in over 80 action films throughout his career.

Some of his most notable roles include He-Man in “Masters of the Universe” (1987), Frank Castle in “The Punisher” (1989), and his recurring role in “The Expendables” franchise alongside other action stars.

Beyond acting, Lundgren is also an accomplished director and martial artist, holding a 4th-degree black belt in Kyokushin karate and having been the European champion in 1980-81.

He was a ‘Biomechanical Beast’ in his early years

Back in the 1980’s and 90’s at the start of his acting career, a young Dolph exemplified what I call a “biomechanical beast” - someone with naturally excellent physical structure and biomechanics.

Standing 6’5” with a perfect body, Lundgren possessed natural strength and athleticism that made him perfect for action roles.

But it was not just the physical aspects that made him a beast. His neurology and cognitive function probably worked terrific too.

And I wouldn’t be surprised if the guy had terrific energy back then.

The body and the brain were humming as they were supposed to.

Which probably also played a role in helping him get into MIT as a Fullbright scholar.

Did he change his teeth?

By the early 2000s his teeth appear straighter, whiter, and more uniform, suggesting he’s had veneers or crowns done. The alignment and shade are consistent with modern aesthetic dental work.

You can tell from the pic on the left above.. he very clearly had pretty narrow arches when he was young.

And despite that he had an amazing body. Which tells you that you don’t need to have perfect teeth to have a perfect body.

The body will still compensate quite well if you don’t tamper with it artificially.

But eventually the expectations of Hollywood got the best of him as they did most actors of his generation. And he went for the cosmetic dentistry.

Which is clearly evident when you look at the more modern pic on the right side above. The teeth are not just whiter, the shape of the upper arch has changed.

Diagnosed with cancer

Dolph was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 at age 57.

Way too young in my view to have cancer for someone that was a ‘biomechanical beast’ when they were younger.

Unless of course they tampered with their teeth, which he clearly did.

And so his cancer history looks something like this:

• 2015: Doctors discovered a tumor in his kidney, which was later determined to be cancerous. He underwent surgery to remove it.

• 2017–2020: The cancer returned several times over the next few years. Lundgren said he went through multiple surgeries and treatments to remove new tumors.

• 2020: His doctor reportedly told him that the cancer had spread to his lungs, stomach, spine, and kidneys, and he was given only 2–3 years to live.

• 2021: He sought a second opinion in Los Angeles, where another oncologist changed his medication and treatment plan, leading to a dramatic improvement.

• 2023: Lundgren publicly discussed his diagnosis for the first time in an interview on In Depth With Graham Bensinger, saying he is now doing much better and that his tumors had shrunk by about 90%.

When you read through this medical history above it is such a shining example in my view of how doctors are just guessing and have no true understanding of how the body works.

One guy says he has 2-3 years to live and then another one jumps in and he seems like he’s gonna be fine again.

Yet we’ve been trained to think that this is fine. And yet still hold these doctors in high regard and pay them lots of money despite the fact that in reality they are just guessing and hoping.

Well.. biomechanics are going to change all of that in time and make these doctors look like a laughing stock one day. You have my word ;)

Closing thoughts

Dolph today is 67 years old and he is a very far cry from the ‘biomechanical beast’ he was when he was younger.

Was it age? No, not really.

It was that allure of straight, white teeth that so many others have fallen for.

It is the fact that dentists think that they can play God with the human body despite not having any clue about how it actually works.

That is why his body today doesn’t really look any better than any other 67-year old’s body. It’s mangled and misshapen.

And even though the cancer has not gotten him… I would not be surprised if his days are numbered.

Or maybe he starts wearing a mouthguard and we see a resurgence.

I guess we’ll find out :)