After “A View to a Kill” finished filming, Lundgren found himself bitten by the acting bug, and began attending classes and auditioning for movies. When he happened to land an audition for “Rocky IV,” Sylvester Stallone was blown away by Lundgren’s looks and abilities. As Stallone told EW, “I thought, this is impossible: 6’4″ and perfection at every muscle and he can fight!”

Lundgren, who was born in Sweden, won the role of “Rocky IV’s” main villain, Ivan Drago (another Russian character, ironically), and his appearance in that film launched him into stardom. While his newfound fame soured his romantic relationship with Jones (“All these cameras wanted me and not her,” Lundgren explained), his acting career took off, and the one-time chemical engineering student found himself playing all sorts of roles from baddies to square-jawed heroes like He-Man in “Masters of the Universe.”

Lundgren’s whirlwind initiation into Hollywood has a “only in the movies” magical quality to it, something that’s not lost on the actor. “The whole thing was like a fairy tale,” he remarked. “I guess the movies were just kind of my destiny.”