Dolph Lundgren Reveals He's Finally a U.S. Citizen
Lundgren has been working in Hollywood since 1985.
Swedish-born action star Dolph Lundgren, who has been living in the United States on and off for the last forty years by his own recollection, has finally received his U.S. citizenship. Posing for a photo in front of the seal for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Lundgren shared a post to social media this week announcing that he and his wife Emma Krokdal had finalized their citizenship. The actor and director has been busy lately, with his most recent film, Wanted Man, coming out just weeks after his second appearance in Warner Bros.' Aquaman franchise hit theaters.
Lundgren became a household name in the 1980s, after appearing in the role of Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. The steroid-fueled Russian was a perfect role for Lundgren, who had an actual background in martial arts.
"Finally did it!" Lundgren said on Instagram. "I've been in this country on and off for 40 years now. First as a student then as a fighter and an actor. America has given me some wonderful opportunities and an amazing life. I'm proud to become a US citizen and officially make this my home."
You can see his post below.
Lundgren and Krokdal were married last year, more than a decade after his previous marriage ended. Timing-wise, it seems they might have made the decision together to finally pursue citizenship around the time they got married, considering how long it usually takes to finalize that process.
Lundgren came to the U.S. as a fighter, but started acting in 1985, and almost immediately landed the role of Drago in Rocky IV -- a part he reprised again in Creed II. He would go on to have numerous lead roles as both heroes and villains in movies like Masters of the Universe, The Punisher, Universal Soldier, and Johnny Mnemonic. In more recent years, besides taking on directing, Lundgren has reunited with Sylvester Stallone on the Expendables franchise, added voice acting to his portfolio in parts like Minions: The Rise of Gru, and took on yet another comic book role in Arrow.
Lundgren will reportedly reprise his role as Ivan Drago in an upcoming spinoff film, Drago, set after the events of Creed II. No movement on the project has been reported in a while, and Rocky creator Sylvester Stallone has expressed frustration that the studio is going forward on spinoffs without his involvement.