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Key Points Dolph Lundgren celebrates his 68th birthday after battling multiple cancer diagnoses since 2015. He was once told, “you should stop working and spend more time with your family.” Successful treatment left Lundgren cancer-free, filling him with gratitude and optimism for the future. Dolph Lundgren is extremely grateful to celebrate his 68th birthday after a long cancer battle, and he’s doing it in style. The legendary ’80s action star, who is best known for his iconic role as Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV opposite Sylvester Stallone, later appeared in three Universal Soldier films. These days, the beloved star is still rocking it in film, but he’s seen some struggles in recent years due to his cancer battle. That’s why it’s so wonderful to see the star celebrating his 68th birthday with a smile on Monday. Sitting in bed with his white cat in his arms, Lundgren wore a “Cat Dad” tee emblazoned with a photo of his furry friend. A birthday cake and a present sat in front of him on a tray. We think it’s safe to say the actor, who is married to his wife Emma Krokdal, 29, is going to have a pretty wonderful birthday. Oops! We’re unable to load this content right now. View directly on Instagram 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox Lundgren’s Cancer Battle Lundgren opened up about his cancer diagnosis during an appearance on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, when he shared that doctors found a tumor on his kidney in 2015. He had the tumor removed and was in remission until 2020. Unfortunately, an MRI then revealed several tumors on his liver, lung, stomach, spine, and outside the kidneys, he shared. One tumor, located on his liver, was the size of “a small lemon.” It was too big to remove, and the side effects were harrowing. At that point, he was told he only had a few years to live. “It wasn’t looking good,” Lundgren told Fox News last year. “I mean, there was a doctor in London who basically told me you should stop working and spend more time with your family. Then I realized it was serious.” His Tremendous Recovery After getting a second opinion, Lundgren changed his course of treatment. Luckily, the pivot worked, and his tumors started shrinking. By 2022, the tumors were almost gone. In 2024, Lundgren took to Instagram to share a video of himself at UCLA going in to eliminate the last tumor. “Since there are no cancer cells in my body anymore, I guess I’ll be cancer-free, so I’m looking forward to this procedure,” he shared. He noted that while it’s been a “rough ride,” the journey taught him how to live in the moment. He captioned the video with gratitude and excitement “for a bright future.”
