hans lundgren was born on 3 november 1957 in spånga, the son of sigrid birgitta ("née" tjerneld), a language teacher, and karl-hugo johan lundgren, an engineer (m.sc) and economist (mba) for the swedish government. he lived in spånga until the age of 13, when he moved to his grandparents' home in nyland, ångermanland. some sources wrongly state 1959 as his year of birth, but lundgren himself has confirmed it to be 1957. he has two sisters and an older brother; he was raised in the lutheran church. lundgren claims his father was physically abusive and vented his frustration on his wife and eldest son. he has stated that, during his tirades, his father would call him a "loser," which motivated him later as he grew more ambitious to prove himself. but he also said, "i still love my father, no matter what happened. there are many things about him i still admire. as a child, i was probably too much like him, very stubborn—perhaps that's what he couldn't deal with." he has cited his troubled relationship with his father as the reason he developed a desire to participate in heavy contact sports such as boxing and karate.