Dolph Lundgren Says One Second Opinion Saved His Life: The Cancer Misdiagnosis Story Inside His New Documentary

Dolph Lundgren has spent decades playing characters who never break. But behind the scenes, he was proving that in real life. In a new interview tied to his documentary Dolph: Unbreakable, the 68-year-old action star revealed that he was diagnosed with kidney cancer back in 2015, then treated incorrectly for years before a second opinion at UCLA finally put him on the right path. By that point, the cancer had already spread to his lungs, spine, stomach, and liver.

What makes the story even more striking is what he was doing while all of this was happening. Lundgren kept working, filming both Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Expend4bles during treatment, and chose to keep his illness private from the cast and crew. He also decided against pursuing a malpractice case over the misdiagnosis, saying the doctors simply made a mistake. His wife, Emma Krokdal, supported him through the grueling treatments, dietary changes, and side effects.

Now roughly three years scan-clean, Lundgren still gets checked every four to five months and says the experience taught him to enjoy every day. Dolph: Unbreakable arrives on digital platforms October 6 and features Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Grace Jones. Have you ever gotten a second opinion that changed your life? Tell us in the comments.