Ralf Moeller: actor and tallest bodybuilder in history

The bodybuilder of German origin with the figure of Apollo was remembered by fans for his perfect body shape and tall stature. His sports career is in the distant past, but the name is still heard by many. Ralph achieved more in cinema than in competitive bodybuilding. Today his filmography includes 42 films. His name still appears in the credits of Hollywood films, and he still continues to act. Fans of the techno band E Nomine know him as one of the musicians who took part in the recording of popular albums.

Success in sports

Ralf Moeller was born in Germany in the city of Recklinghuysen in January 1959. The young man came to strength sports in 1978. After active training, 2 years later he won his first victory at the national junior championship and consolidated the result 11 months later. In 1982, his name appeared on the 4th line of the standings at the amateur championship. In 1983, the aspiring bodybuilder was invited to Olympia for guest posing. Having received a PRO card in 1986, the bodybuilder began preparing for the tournament. The premiere performance took place 2 years later. Ralph failed to rise above 20th place. In 1990, he was about to take part in the Arnold Classic, where he was withdrawn from the competition.

Bodybuilder career

Bodybuilding, in other words, bodybuilding, is the process of building up and then developing the muscles of the body through physical exercise using high-energy protein nutrition.

For the first time, Ralf Meller participated in the Mr. Olympia tournament, where he was invited in 1983. But he was disqualified. The bodybuilder was able to take part in Olympia again in 1988. Then he took twentieth place. A year later, Möller took part in another tournament, but was also disqualified.

Ralph realized that he would not be able to build a career as a bodybuilder. That's why he went into cinema.

Anthropometry

• Ralf Meller's height is 197 cm;
• weight – 125 kg;
• biceps – 51 cm;
• hip – 69 cm.

In interviews, the athlete always emphasized that he was dissatisfied with his physical parameters.

“From the front I look big, but if I stand sideways, you can see that I don’t have enough mass.”

What fate offered

After a series of failures, Meller came to the conclusion that he was wasting his time preparing for the competition. He understood that he would not be a titled champion, so he immediately responded to the offer of one of the directors, who offered to try his hand at cinema. As in the case of Arnold Schwarzenegger, a textured figure helped him become an artist. By the way, they have been friends for over 30 years . Ralph laughs:

“Arnie and I have 14 championship titles: only he has 13, and I have 1. I got it at Mr. Universe.” I may have one victory, but I’m proud that I won it without the help of doping.”

Moving to the USA

The bodybuilder did not want to immediately give up what he had been doing for 12 years. He often performed in Europe and, back in the 80s, received fees for performing on shows. Thanks to them, he traveled all over the world, giving seminars and guest appearances along the way. It was only in 1992, when Joe Weider helped obtain a residence permit, that Ralph emigrated to America. He did not have time to settle in a new place when he received an invitation to play a role in Conan the Barbarian. Schwarzenegger no longer wanted to play the main character, and invited Ralph to replace him. Before this, Meller managed to get the title of Cyborg, starring with Jean-Claude Van Damme in a science-fiction action film in 1989.

Ralf Moeller

Ralf Rudolf Möller is a German actor and one of the highest professional bodybuilders . Height: 1.97 m

Ralph was born on January 12, 1959 in the city of Recklinghausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Ralf Möller grew up in a normal, good family: his father was a mechanic, and his mother sold shoes. And he was an only child. But his interest in sports overshadowed everything else, so he was too lazy at school. Mathematics, physics and foreign languages ​​did not interest him at all, and when you do not receive basic knowledge, it is difficult to go far.

But the time comes when you need to decide what to do with all this next! I think in the end it all depends on character and will.

Möller began bodybuilding in 1976 at the age of 17 and already at the age of 19 became the German IFBB junior champion. The following year he again becomes first in this tournament.

The network often discusses Möller's participation in the 1983 Mr. Olympia tournament, where he allegedly did not take any place or was disqualified. The current state of affairs is this: Ralph was invited to Olympia to perform with guest posing. He had no right to take part in Olympia, since he was still an amateur. Ralf Möller received his professional card only in 1986 after winning the amateur World Championship. His first performance at Olympia took place in 1988, when Ralph became 20th.

In 1990, Möller took part in the Arnold Classic tournament, but was disqualified and did not take any place. Ralph realized in time that he was not destined to conquer heights in big bodybuilding and went into cinema. As time has shown, he was not mistaken. Many bodybuilders have tried their hand at cinema, and Meller’s name is far from the least among them.

Ralf Möller played his first role in 1989 in the film Cyborg, which became quite popular all over the world. In 1992, Ralph starred in the film Universal Soldier with Van Damme and Dolph Lungren. They say that Müller and Lungren quarreled after the filming of this film, figuring out which of them was more popular.

Ralf Müller did not see himself in the role of a negative hero. So, in 1992, he refused Sylvester Stallone's offer to play the role of Simon Phoenix in the film Demolition Man. In 1994, Jean Claude Van Damme offered Ralph to play the role of General Bison, the main negative character in the film “Street Fighter,” and was also refused.

Ralf Müller became widely known after his role as Brackus in the film “Best of the Best 2,” which was released in 1993. However, his best film work was the role of Conan in the 22-episode film of the same name from 1997-98, a role that once made Arnold Schwarzenegger a “star”. The film was a great success in 90 countries around the world and recouped its 25 million budget many times over. For the filming of this film, Ralph trained daily in the gym. Every Friday he was taught sword fighting lessons by the famous martial artist Kishio Yamasaki. In addition, Möller learned horse riding every day.

In total, Möller has 38 roles. One of his most recent works was his role in the 2014 film “Sabotage.”

Now Ralf Möller lives in Los Angeles with his wife Annette and daughters Jacqueline and Laura. He enjoys horse riding, tennis, scuba diving, and fast motorcycling. Ralf Möller often visits his homeland, does charity work (helping troubled teenagers) and often appears in various TV programs.

In 2008, Ralph decided to follow the example of his older comrade Arnold Schwarzenegger and go into politics. He put forward his candidacy for the post of Minister-President (Head) of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Ralf Möller with his wife Annette

Ralph collaborates with, he has released a line of body care and perfume products under the brand name “Ralf Moeller” (only the abbreviation “RM” is written on the products), consisting of eau de toilette, shampoo and aftershave balm. Perfumes are also represented on the Russian market.

Ralf Müller is still involved in bodybuilding, maintaining excellent shape and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Today he has many promotional offers - a consequence of his positive image. There are no ideal people anyway and he doesn’t try to be one. Ralf Moeller is a living person who makes mistakes.

His words -

“If I want to drink vodka, then I drink it, if I want to smoke, then I do that too, but without any excesses”

Ralf Moeller is full of humor. Whenever possible to communicate with journalists, he tries to joke.

For example, to a question from the magazine “All Europe” - “Where do you feel at home?” he replied:

- “Where there are good cigars! I feel great in America, but after a while I start to miss Europe.”

What does Ralf Moeller love most about being an actor? And what is less?

Oddly enough, almost like everything else, you can make money quickly. But seriously speaking, he likes that he can communicate with people, travel around the world and do his own thing. It's not always easy to get a job - there may not be a suitable role. You need to be able to overcome the time between two contracts with minimal losses. Both mentally and financially.

If you stand in front of the camera just so you can strut down the red carpet or get rich one day, you will never become a good actor. This profession requires passion and will, which Ralf Möller possesses.

He feels quite comfortable on the red carpet. When they interview him, he doesn’t care how many people are around him - four people or four thousand.

Another question, the answer to which many are interested, was once asked by one journalist to Ralf Moeller:

“Where and how do you see yourself in 10 years?”

To which Ralf Möller replied: “First of all, healthy, as it is now. This is the most important thing for me! And I really hope that in 10 years I will be giving you an interview again. (Laughs)"

Main cinema

The famous series was filmed for several seasons and collected decent ratings. To keep himself in shape, the bodybuilder continued to train. In addition, on Fridays he was given lessons by a martial arts master. Ralph had to not only swing a sword, but at the same time master horse riding and hone other skills. In an instant, after one of the actors left, filming stopped.

Less than 2 months had passed since Steven Spielberg invited him to the casting of “Gladiator”. In Ralph's acting career, this was a memorable role.

“This is the most memorable film for me. The audience liked him. For it we received 12 nominations and 5 Oscars.

At the same time, he starred in “Universal Soldier” (1992). Here Ralf Möller and Dolph Lundgren, a karate actor, played together. According to rumors, after filming they did not share the fame and quarreled. Then there was Batman & Robin starring Arnold (1997), and the family-friendly film Ozzy (2001).

The actor with a sports background was so used to trying on the images of good heroes that in 1992 he refused Stallone, who offered to audition for the role of Phoenix in “Destroyer.” The same thing happened when Van Damme persuaded him to play General Bison in the film Street Fighter. One of the latest films with his participation is the comedy “Crazy Nick” (2016). The actor is soon promising a premiere, where he plays a coach.

Filmography of Ralf Moeller

The actor starred in the following films:

1. "Cyborg", as Brick Bardot.
2. “Caution, perestroika”, as Sergei.
3. "Universal Soldier", as GR76.
4. "The Best of the Best 2", as Brackus.
5. "The Viking Sagas", as Kjartan.
6. "Retaliation Squad" as FBI Special Agent Kurt Meier.
7. "Conan" as Conan the Barbarian.
8. "Gladiator", as Hagen.
9. “Queen of Swords”, as Roman Petrov.
10. "The Scorpion King", as Torak.
11. "Ring of the Nibelungs", King Torklit.
12. "Beer Boom", as Hammacher.
13. "Pathfinder", as Ulfar.
14. “Postal”, as Officer John.
15. "Sid: Revenge of the Rebel", as Warden Arnold.
16. "Alone in the Dark 2", as Boyle.
17. "Far Cry", as Max Cardinal.
18. "Tourist", as Lunt.
19. "Sabotage".
20. "Out of the game".

What is Ralph doing now?

Today the bodybuilder lives in Los Angeles and has 2 daughters. Looking at the success of his friend Arnie, in 2008 he entered politics , applying for the post of head of North Rhine-Westphalia. Now he is more busy with himself and his family. The actor is still in shape and does not sit still: he combines fitness with scuba diving, motorcycle racing, and playing tennis. He often travels to Germany, where he provides assistance to institutions raising difficult teenagers. He actively gives interviews and participates in television programs. At the same time, he collaborates with a perfume company. Looking at the success of the brand, he launched his own men's line RM. In addition, he has been the face of the Audi watch brand for many years.

Personal life

Ralph has a wife, Annette, and two daughters, Jacqueline and Laura. The actor lives with his family in the United States of America, in Los Angeles, California. He often travels with them to his homeland and does charity work, helping troubled teenagers.

Ralph is still actively involved in sports and promotes a healthy lifestyle.

One of the few German actors who managed to break into Hollywood is Ralf Möller. Most of his films are action, adventure and fantasy films.