IVAN DRAGO/

"I must break you…"

A quote that most of us have not forgotten from the lips of the Soviet Union boxer IVAN DRAGO, in real life also known as Dolph Lundgren.

The iconic role Lundgren created for the film ROCKY IV gave Dolph his break into Hollywood and the movie business. So believable was his portrayal that Dolph still is being mistaken for being Russian, when in fact he is Swedish. In Hollywood there are movies that come and go, but ROCKY IV is one that will always stay with us.

The stellar performance in playing DRAGO resulted in both Dolph and the character becoming icons, images of strength that are still with us, even twenty-five years later.

Dolph was originally turned down for the role of the Soviet fighter for being too tall. "How tall are you? Six-five. The casting agent didn't even look up at me, just said – Next!", Dolph recalls. The Swede, at that time living in Manhattan, created a second chance for himself by resubmitting for the role with photos he had taken -- with the last of his money -- wearing boxing gear. He finally ended up auditioning for Mr. Stallone himself and was chosen from 5,000 hopefuls world-wide.

As unique as Dolph Lundgren is, so is DRAGO – a character of strength, a human machine, a man that cannot be taken down. With DRAGO's iron-like physique and ROCKY's heart and determination to conquer the man who killed his best friend, APOLLO CREED -- ROCKY IV has stood the test of time for cinema-lovers, and CAPTAIN IVAN DRAGO lives on….