Dolph Lundgren has been one of Hollywood’s most recognizable action stars for decades, but these days, it’s his marriage to Emma Krokdal that often gets people talking. The couple has one of the most striking age differences among celebrity pairs, with Krokdal nearly 40 years younger than the “Rocky IV” star.
Lundgren shot to international fame as Ivan Drago in the 1985 blockbuster “Rocky IV” and went on to appear in movies including “Masters of the Universe,” “Showdown in Little Tokyo,” “The Expendables” and “Creed II.” Away from the cameras, however, his relationship with Krokdal has become a major part of his life.
The pair first crossed paths in 2019 at a gym, where Krokdal worked as a personal trainer. Their relationship quickly became serious, and Lundgren proposed the following year. After several years together, they married in Greece in 2023.
Their age difference immediately attracted attention. Krokdal is around the same age as Lundgren’s eldest daughter, something that has repeatedly fueled discussion online. Lundgren, however, has made it clear that the number doesn’t define their relationship.
He has publicly argued that age is ultimately “just a number” and acknowledged elsewhere that their gap is significant. At the same time, Lundgren has praised Krokdal’s maturity, saying he has known people twice her age who were less mature.
But behind the headlines about their ages lies a far more serious chapter in their relationship. Krokdal remained beside Lundgren throughout his lengthy health battle, something the actor has repeatedly credited her for.
Lundgren’s health ordeal began in 2015 after doctors discovered a tumor in his kidney. Following treatment and years of remission, additional tumors were found in 2020, leaving the actor facing an uncertain prognosis. He later said a different diagnosis and treatment approach dramatically changed his situation.
Krokdal was with him through appointments, treatments and the difficult side effects that followed. Because much of this occurred during the COVID period, she was also responsible for capturing some of the personal hospital footage that later became part of his documentary “Dolph: Unbreakable.”
In his 2026 memoir, “Fights Worth Fighting: Finding Strength in Struggle,” Lundgren described his wife as an extraordinarily strong person and reflected on how much she helped him during the most difficult period of his treatment.
He admitted that he still doesn’t fully understand how Krokdal managed to support him through the appointments and side effects without becoming overwhelmed herself. The experience appears to have strengthened a relationship that outsiders have often focused on primarily because of the couple’s age difference.
Years after first meeting at the gym, Lundgren and Krokdal remain together — and for the action star, the woman nearly four decades his junior became the person standing beside him through one of the toughest fights of his life.
