With an almost unpronounceable surname and a thick Austrian accent, who would have ever believed that a brash, quick talking bodybuilder from a small European village would become one of Hollywoods biggest stars, marry into the prestigious Kennedy family, amass a fortune via shrewd investments and one day be the Governor of California!

The amazing story of uber-star Arnold Schwarzenegger is a true "rags to riches" story of the penniless immigrant making it in the land of opportunity, the United States of America. Arnold was born on July 30th, 1947 in the town of Thal, Austria and from a young age he took a keen interest in physical fitness and bodybuilding, going on to compete in several minor contests in Europe. However, it was when he emigrated to the United States in 1968 at the tender age of 21 that his star began to rise. Up until the early 1970's, bodybuilding had been viewed as a rather oddball sport, or even a mis-understood "freak show" by the general public, however two entrepreneurial Canadian brothers Ben Weider and Joe Weider set about broadening the appeal of "pumping iron" and getting the sport respect, and what better poster boy could they have to lead the charge, then the incredible "Austrian Oak", Arnold Schwarzenegger. Over roughly the next decade, beginning in 1970, Schwarzenegger dominated the sport of competitive bodybuilding winning five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles and with it he made himself a major sports icon, he generated a new international audience for bodybuilding, gym memberships worldwide swelled by the tens of thousands and the Weider sports business empire flourished beyond belief and reached out to all corners of the globe.

However, Schwarzenegger's horizons were bigger than just the landscape of bodybuilding and he debuted on screen as "Arnold Strong" in the low budget Hercules in New York, then director Bob Rafelson cast Arnold in Stay Hungry alongside Jeff Bridges and Sally Field, for which Arnold won a Golden Globe Award for "Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture". The mesmerizing Pumping Iron covering the 1975 Mr Olympia contest in South Africa has since gone on to become one of the key sports documentaries of the 20th century, plus Arnold landed other acting roles in the comedy The Villain opposite Kirk Douglas, and he portrayed Mickey Hargitay in the well received TV movie The Jayne Mansfield Story. But, what Arnold really needed was a super hero / warrior style role in a lavish production that utilized his chiseled physique, and gave him room to show off his growing acting talents and quirky humor.

Conan the Barbarian was just that role. Inspired by the Robert E. Howard short stories of the "Hyborean Age" and directed by gung ho director John Milius, and with a largely unknown cast, save Max von Sydow and James Earl Jones, "Conan" was a smash hit worldwide and an inferior, although still enjoyable sequel titled _Conan the Destroyer (1984) quickly followed. If "Conan" was the kick start to Arnold's movie career, then his next role was to put the pedal to the floor and accelerate his star status into overdrive. Director James Cameron had until that time only previously directed one earlier feature film titled Piranha Part Two: The Spawning, - which stank of rotten fish from start to finish - however Cameron had penned a fast paced, science fiction themed film script that called for an actor to play an unstoppable, ruthless predator - The Terminator. Made on a relatively modest budget, the high voltage action / science fiction thriller The Terminator was incredibly successful worldwide, and began one of the most profitable film franchises in history. The dead pan phrase "I'll be back" quickly became part of popular culture across the globe. Schwarzenegger was in vogue with action movie fans, and the next few years were to see Arnold reap box office gold in roles portraying tough, no-nonsense individuals who used their fists, guns and witty one liners to get the job done. The testosterone laden Commando, Raw Deal, Predator, The Running Man and Red Heat were all box office hits and Arnold could seemingly could no wrong when it came to picking winning scripts. The tongue in cheek comedy Twins with co-star Danny DeVito was a smash and won Arnold new fans who saw a more comedic side to the muscle bound actor once described by Australian author / TV host Clive James as "a condom stuffed with walnuts".

The spectacular Total Recall and "feel good" Kindergarten Cop were both solid box office performers for Arnold, plus he was about to return to familiar territory with director James Cameron in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The second time around for the futuristic robot, the production budget had grown from the initial film's $6.5 million to an alleged $100 million for the sequel, and it clearly showed as the stunning sequel bristled with amazing special effects, bone crunching chases & stunt sequences, plus state of the art computer generated imagery. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was arguably the zenith of Arnolds film career to date and he was voted "International Star of the Decade" by the National Association of Theatre Owners. Remarkably, his next film Last Action Hero brought Arnold back to Earth with a hard thud as the self-satirizing, but confusing plot line of a young boy entering into a mythical Hollywood action film confused movie fans even more and they stayed away in droves making the film an initial financial disaster. Arnold turned back to good friend, director James Cameron and the chemistry was definitely still there as the "James Bond" style spy thriller True Lies co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold was the surprise hit of 1994 !

Following the broad audience appeal of True Lies, Schwarzenegger decided to lean towards more family themed entertainment with Junior and 'Jingle All the Way (1996)_ , but he still found time to satisfy his hard core fan base with Eraser, as the chilling "Mr. Freeze" in Batman & Robin and battling dark forces in the supernatural action of End of Days. The science fiction / conspiracy tale _6th Day, The (2000) played to only mediocre fan interest, and Collateral Damage had it's theatrical release held over for nearly a year after the tragic events of Sept 11th 2001, but it still only received a lukewarm reception. It was time again to resurrect Arnold's most successful franchise, and in 2003, Schwarzenegger pulled on the biker leathers for the third time for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Unfortunately, directorial duties passed from James Cameron to Jonathan Mostow and the deletion of the character of "Sarah Connor" aka Linda Hamilton and a change in the actor playing "John Connor" - Nick Stahl took over from Edward Furlong - making the third entry in the "Terminator" series the weakest to date.

Schwarzenegger contributed cameo roles to The Rundown, Around the World in 80 Days and _Kid & I, The (2005) and took political office in 2003 as the Governor of California, effectively suspending his film career for the foreseeable future.

Schwarzenegger married TV journalist 'Maria Shriver' in April, 1986 and the couple have four children.


Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003): $30,000,000
Collateral Damage (2002): $25,000,000
The 6th Day (2000): $25,000,000
End of Days (1999): $22,000,000
Batman & Robin (1997): $25,000,000
Jingle All the Way (1996): $20,000,000
Eraser (1996): $20,000,000
Junior (1994): $15,000,000
True Lies (1994): $15,000,000
Last Action Hero (1993): $15,000,000
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991): $12,000,000
Kindergarten Cop (1990): $12,000,000
Total Recall (1990): $11,000,000
Red Heat (1988): $8,000,000
The Terminator (1984): $75,000
Conan the Barbarian (1982): $250,000
Hercules in New York (1970): $12,000

October 1997: Ranked #20 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. April 1997: Underwent heart surgery to correct a congenital heart valve condition. Noted fan of cigar smoking. Was part-owner of Planet Hollywood and Schatzi restaurants. He reprised his Terminator character for the theme park attraction T2 3-D: Battle Across Time (1996), a short film which uses an enhanced 3-D process that makes the film really appear to jump out at the audience. 1983: Became a US citizen. 1979: Graduated from University of Wisconsin-Superior with a major in international marketing of fitness and business administration. The soccer stadium in Graz, Austria (his home town) is named after him. After leaving Austria for the first time, he came to England to work, earning under £30 a week. Son-in-law of Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver. September 2001: He and Warner Bros. agreed to postpone the release of Collateral Damage (2002) indefinitely in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks on America. The plot centers around a firefighter who lost his family in a terrorist bomb attack. Childhood friends stated that he often said his goals in life were to move to America, become an actor, and marry a Kennedy. He accomplished all three. Was the first private citizen in the U.S. to own a Humvee (High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle). June 2002: Received an honorary doctorate from Chapman University in Orange, CA. 1/29/03: Underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff as a result of an injury on the set of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). Was in a sling for three to four weeks, but it was not expected to delay the completion of the movie. The character Rainier Wolfecastle in "The Simpsons" (1989) is based on him. James Cameron originally wanted him for the role of Kyle Reese in The Terminator (1984), but after reading the script, Arnold asked Cameron to let him play the part of the Machine. Cameron replied "No, no! Reese is the star! He's the big hero! And the Terminator hardly has any lines!" but Arnold asked him to "trust me". Suffered a back injury (among other various assorted injuries) while filming Conan the Barbarian (1982) when the dogs who were chasing him jumped him from behind and he fell down the rock he was climbing to escape them. Had one elder brother, Meinhard (1946-1971). 10/7/03: Was elected Governor of California as a Republican. TV Guide selected Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (1992) to run for Governor of California as the greatest TV moment of 2003. Has the record for winning the most major bodybuilding events in history, 13 (1 Mr. Junior Western Europe, 7 Mr. Olympias, and 5 Mr. Universes). His father, Gustav Schwarzenegger, nicknamed him "Cinderella" as a child and his older brother, Meinhard, constantly picked on him growing up. Both men were killed while driving under the influence. Only the second governor in California's history to be born in a foreign country. John Downey, the 7th Governor of California, was born in Ireland and served from 1860-1862. Went AWOL from the Austrian army to enter his first bodybuilding contest. He was voted the 53rd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. Was considered for the role of the gentle giant Fezzik in the 1970s when William Goldman's book "The Princess Bride" was first proposed to be made into a film (The Princess Bride (1987)). Is good friends with fellow bodybuilder Sven-Ole Thorsen who, ironically, portrayed "Thorgrim," one of his leading foes, in Conan the Barbarian (1982). Is the only person to receive Razzie nominations for Worst Actor, Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Screen Couple (with himself cloned) in the same year. All for the same movie, The 6th Day (2000). Performed many of his own stunts in his films, owing largely to the fact that it was hard to find stunt doubles who matched his size. Billy D. Lucas, Joel Kramer and Peter Kent eventually became his personal stunt doubles and close friends. Initially refused to star in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) because James Cameron, who created the character and directed the first two films, would not be directing the third installment. Arnold tried to persuade Cameron to do the third film but Cameron declined and, feeling that the Terminator character was as much Arnold's as it was his own, Cameron advised Arnold to just do the third film and ask for a lot of money. 2004: Addressed the Republican National Convention. Grew up in a house that had no phone, no fridge and no toilet. Was considered for the title role in Flash Gordon (1980). The part eventually went to Sam J. Jones instead, because producer Dino De Laurentiis felt Schwarzenegger's German accent was ill-suited for this role. DeLaurentiis (in his heavy Italian accent) told Schwarzenegger, "You have an accent! I cannot use you for Flash Gordon! No! Flash Gordon has no accent! I cannot use you! No!" Ironically, Jones had to temporarily get rid of his own Texas accent for said role. John Milius originally intended him to do the narration of Conan the Barbarian (1982) but the studio didn't trust his accent, so the narration was performed by Mako instead, who played the wizard. The Green Party of Austria has resolved to strip Schwarzenegger of his Austrian citizenship due to his support for the death penalty. November 2005: He was soundly defeated on all four propositions of his "special election", which cost the state of California an estimated $45 million. Schwarzenegger accepted personal responsibility for the defeat, and appointed a Democrat as his new Chief of Staff. December 2001: Broke six ribs in a motorcycle crash. He has been nominated for a Razzie Award as Worst Actor eight times during his career, and in 2004 received a special award for being the "Worst Razzie Loser of Our First 25 Years." Was asked to reprise his "Dutch" character from the first Predator (1987) film for the sequel, but he declined because he didn't like the script. He chose to do Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) instead. Was asked to appear in a sequel to his 1985 film Commando (1985) but declined. Is a huge fan of professional wrestling. He is the first member of the Kennedy family to become a state Governor. Although German is his native language, all his movies have been dubbed into German by Thomas Danneberg for the German-speaking market because his strong Austrian accent doesn't fit with the type of roles he plays. Related to actor George Wyner, who is also a close friend. Was considered for the role of Judge Dredd in Judge Dredd (1995) in the early development stages. The part went to fellow Planet Hollywood founder Sylvester Stallone. Producer Joel Silver wanted Schwarzenegger to play "Doctor Manhattan" in a film adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel Watchmen (2009) at one point. Had stitches in his hand from the taking-off-airplane-to-tarmac stunt he performed for Commando (1985). Was attached to do another film adaptation of the pulp hero Doc Savage (after the failed 1975 film) in the late 1990s, but the project never got off the ground. Publicly endorsed his close friend Senator John McCain's bid to win the Republican nomination for the 2008 presidential election. He saved a man's life while on vacation in Hawaii in 2004 by swimming into the sea to rescue him from drowning. As an environmentally conscious politician, always uses carbon credits when flying between his governor's office in Sacramento to his house in L.A., California. Considered for the main role in Strange Days (1995) but the job went to Ralph Fiennes instead. Attended the funeral of Ronald Reagan in 2004, whom he considered a great hero. Honored by the Congressional Award in Washington, DC on June 25, 2002 with the Horizon Award. The Horizon Award is a special recognition from the Joint Leadership of the United States Congress and the Congressional Award Board of Directors. The Horizon Award is presented to individuals from the private sectors who have contributed to expanding opportunities for all Americans through their own personal contributions, and who have set exceptional examples for young people through their successes in life. Has starred in three movies with the word "Day" in the title, and with all three with a biblical reference: End Of Days, the 6th Day, and Terminator 2; Judgement Day. Was seriously considered for the role of Dr. Manhattan/Jon Osterman in one of the many failed attempts at adapting Alan Moore's Watchmen into film. Ultimately, director Zach Snyder cast Billy Crudup for the 2009 adaptation. Schwarzenegger means black plowman in German. Was considered for the role of President James Mitchell in Air Force One (1997).