Brigitte Nielsen was a genuine Hollywood star in the 80s, but how did the Dane make it that far? The answer probably lies less in her acting skills than in her impressive appearance. Nielsen, who is 1.85 m tall, started out as a model in Europe and immediately attracted attention: her impressive stature and short platinum blonde hair quickly became her trademark.
Completely unexpectedly, Nielsen received a film offer from Italy: the fantasy film Red Sonja with muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger. From a commercial point of view, the film was an absolute flop – but to this day, the trashy fantasy melodrama à la Conan the Barbarian has a loyal fan base. She also appeared in the blockbuster Rocky IV – The Fight of the Century – as the cold-blooded wife of the Soviet boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Her performances were mostly unconvincing, but her dramatic look nevertheless earned her a reputation as a glamour icon.
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She loved Rambo: Her short marriage to Sylvester Stallone
It’s hardly surprising: sex bomb Brigitte Nieslen turned the heads of even the biggest Hollywood macho men. She was even married to one of them: her marriage to Sylvester Stallone was the perfect 80s gossip spectacle – a muscle-bound action hero and an imposing Danish Amazon who together filled all the gossip magazines. Everyone wanted to know how the model and the actor got along – or not. Rumor had it that things weren’t always peaceful. The Hollywood marriage didn’t last long: after just 19 months, it was over in 1987. Despite this, Nielsen doesn’t have a negative opinion of her famous ex today. It’s been so long since that she doesn’t think about him much anymore. Despite this, Nielsen spent a few wild years in Hollywood: she was married five times in total and is said to have had affairs with stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sean Penn.
Comeback in trash TV: She delights everyone in the jungle camp
Brigitte Nielsen then made a huge comeback in Germany, completely unexpectedly – but on TV. She caused a huge scandal back in 2008: For a German TV show, Nielsen had a complete makeover from head to toe by a beauty doctor – facelift, liposuction and the like were performed in front of the camera. At the end, the blonde beauty looked noticeably younger.
She made her true return to her former greatness in 2012 in the jungle camp. During the tough reality show, she presented herself without make-up, honestly and surprisingly down-to-earth – there was no airs and graces to be found. This openness was really well received by viewers – she was promptly crowned Queen of the Jungle.
Nielsen has achieved what many models cannot: she was able to impress with her personality at an advanced age and thus won the hearts of the TV audience. Today Nielsen lives happily with her fifth husband Mattia Dessi in Los Angeles. The two have a daughter together: Brigitte Nielsen gave birth to her fifth child in 2018.