The best complement I’ve ever got about my Swedish has been, “I thought you were Swedish but had spent a lot of time in the US”. My tickled reply was, “You thought I suffered from Dolph Lundgren Syndrome?” If the name doesn’t ring a bell, he’s was the Russian dude in Rocky IV.
The reference to “Dolph Lundgren Syndrome” comes from the star’s apparent inability to manage Swedish during an interview. He blamed it on having been in the US speaking English for too long.
"You will lose" --Ivan telling Rocky Balboa
Despite his glory days being about 20 years old, Dolph is still a Hollywood star for most Swedes. (I guess after Greta Garbo died, Dolph is all Swedes have left –unless Anna Anka catches on.)
Today, SVT (Swedish TV) announced that Dolph was one of three hosts of this year’s beloved Swedish Music Festival. (The Swedish run up to the Eurovision Song contest)
Now I am not really sure what to make of that myself. The Swedish Schwarzenegger doesn’t ooze kitschy song contest. People seem to have mixed reactions between pure thrill and wondering if SVT needs a sanity check.
They probably have some master plan in it all. It has piqued my interest to tune in when I wouldn’t likely have .
Most people don’t know (and wouldn’t have guessed in a million years) that there are brains in that pretty head. Lundgren has a masters degree in Chemical Engineering from the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology (The Swedish MIT –where he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship.)
Most importantly, he is pretty decent eye candy.
It doesn't hurt the eyes looking at that.
He is awesome! Take away “movie star” from the man’s CV and he has still accomplished many times over what most of us do.
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Excuse me, but how COULD you forget the Skarsgards? Papa Stellan and son Alex, who is taking America by storm (True Blood, Generation Kill on HBO, plus Hollywood projects).
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Dolph is easy to look at but Alex Skarsgard is just dreamy!
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Ladies: I think we can all agree on this one. They are both tall, handsome, and swedish! Need I say more (with brains to boot)!
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There is also the excellent Peter Stormare.
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@ Alexander Skarsgård is likely Sweden’s future Hollywood Star but so far while his popularity is rising in the US he doesn’t represent Hollywood for Swedes. Not yet at least. He needs to be in a blockbuster film before he’ll get better appreciated here.
@Lone Canuck. Stormare is my favorite Swedish actor. But he’s not Hollywood glam And it’s the wham bam glam with all the bling bling that gives the Hollywood aura to a Swede done good in LA.
BB
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@BB I know this is going to date me, but the first time I ever seen Dolph act was in He Man. Master’s of the Universe. He looked mighty fine then too! I have not seen him in anythng lately. Does he still act?
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@believe. Well…I first saw him in Rocky IV if you want company. I didn’t pay him much attention since he’s the exact representation of what wasn’t my type (rather ironic for me to have ended up in Sweden).
He still acts, directs, writes and produces and it seems he and Van Damme did a sequel to Universal Soldier this year. You can see his Hollywood career here http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000185/
BB
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@BB. Thanks for the link.
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Great comment, love the design of the site too.
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Thanks for posting this, lifted my day.
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