HOLLYWOOD—On Wednesday, May 10 “In Depth With Graham Bensinger” released an interview with the 65 year old Swedish actor, Dolph Lundgren, detailing his cancer diagnosis. The interview shares archival footage from Lundgren in the hospital in 2020. “If it dies it dies” Lundgren stated referring to his tumour. The quote is a reference to his character Ivan Drago’s vicious assault on Apollo Creed played by Carl Weathers in “Rocky IV.”
The “Universal Soldier” actor revealed his initial diagnosis came in 2015 when he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
After treatment Lundgren revealed the cancer returned in 2020 and stated he was given 2-3 years to live by one doctor. “In 2020, I was back in Sweden and I had some kind of acid reflux, I didn’t know what it was so I did an MRI. They found that there were a few more tumors around that area” Lundgren stated.
“His mouth got really sore, his hands got sore and he couldn’t eat anything. That was a struggle, he was losing weight. We realized it was a lot worse than we thought, they started talking about tumors in the lung, stomach, spine, outside the kidneys” Lundgren’s Fiancé Emma Krokdal divulged to Bensinger.
“It hit me when I had a deep conversation with my Dad about what would happen if he passed away. That was a horrible conversation, it was a tough time. I have to be strong for my sister” Lundgren’s daughter Ida Lundgren told Bensinger.
Lundgren admitted to intermittent steroid use for ten years from the mid 1980s to 1990s and speculated if it contributed to his condition.
“The Expendables” actor has been an action movie star since his breakout role as Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in 1985 in “Rocky IV.” He made a return to the role in “Creed 2” in 2018 coaching his son Victor Drago to fight Adonis Creed.
Lundgren has two daughters with his former wife jewellery designer Anette Qviberg.
The “Showdown in Little Tokyo” actor has released workout videos and has done numerous interviews with bodybuilding magazines.
