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): $25,000,000
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): $15,000,000
Kindergarten Cop (1990): $12,000,000
The Terminator (1984): $75,000
Conan the Barbarian (1982): $250,000
Hercules in New York (1970): $12,000
Ranked #20 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Fourth child, a boy, born. [27 September 1997] Underwent heart surgery to correct a congenital heart valve condition. [April 1997] Called by the Guinness Book of World Records, "the most perfectly developed man in the history of the world." Noted fan of cigar smoking. His voice in Hercules in New York was dubbed. Was part-owner of Planet Hollywood and Schatzi restaurants. Advocate for the Republican party. He reprised his Terminator character for the theme park attraction T2 3-D: Battle Across Time, a short film which uses an enhanced 3-D process that makes the film really appear to jump out at the audience. His production company is Oak Productions. Became a US citizen. [1983] His wife Maria Shriver is a niece of the late President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy. Graduated from University of Wisconsin-Superior with a major in international marketing of fitness and business administration. [1979] Sold his Planet Hollywood stock off and is no longer a part owner of the chain. (2000) The soccer stadium in Graz, Austria (his home town) is named after him. Was considered for the title role in the 1970s TV series The Incredible Hulk, but was reportedly deemed not tall enough. His former bodybuilding competitor, Lou Ferrigno, ultimately won the part. After leaving Austria for the first time, he came to England to work, earning under £30 a week. Received an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin Superior, in 1996 in recognition of his charitable works. Son-in-law of Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver. At his bodybuilding peak his chest was 57", waist 34", biceps 22", thighs 28½", calves 20", and his competition weight was 235 lbs (260 lbs off-season). He and Warner Bros. agreed to postpone the release of Collateral Damage 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. [September 2001] 7 September 2001 - Sues International Game Technology for the unauthorized use of his voice and likeness in slot machine games. His lawyer told the press he was seeking $20 million in damages, which is the amount he believes he would have received had he approved the use. 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. Underwent a genioplasty -- a procedure in which his jaw has been moved back so that it no longer juts out. Was the first private citizen in the U.S. to own a Humvee (High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle). Lobbying in May 2002 to promote anti-juvenile delinquency initiative on California ballot that would commit the state to allocate $400 million for extracurricular activities and tutoring for students, kindergarten through ninth grade. Received an honorary doctorate from Chapman University in Orange, California. [June 2002] Franco Columbu was best man at Arnold's wedding. Underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff as a result of an injury on the set of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Was in a sling for 3-4 weeks, but it was not expected to delay the completion of the movie. [29 January 2003] Ranked #9 in Star TV's Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s (2003). The character Rainier Wolfecastle in The Simpsons is based on him. Won Mr. Olympia title seven times (1970-1975, 1980). James Cameron orginally wanted him for the role of Kyle Reese in The Terminator, but when Arnold walked into the restaurant to meet Cameron about the role, Cameron took one look at him and said "You're a machine!" and that's why he got the role of The Terminator. Announced his candidacy for the Governorship of California on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on August 6, 2003. Suffered a back injury (among other various assorted injuries) while filming Conan the Barbarian when the dogs who were chasing him jumped him from behind and he fell down the rock he was climbing to escape them. In Demolition Man, Sandra Bullock's character Lenina Huxley is telling Sylvester Stallone's character John Spartan about the Arnold Schwarzenegger Presidential Library, explaining that, based on the sheer popularity of Schwarzenegger's movies, a Constitutional amendment was passed in order for Schwarzenegger to run for President, which, according to Huxley, he did. In 2003, ten years after this film's release, Schwarzenegger ran for the office of Governor of California, and won the election on 7 October 2003. While Schwarzenegger is not eligible to run for the presidency by present laws (as a naturalized citizen, not a native-born citizen as required by the Constitution), most past presidents have been governors of their respective home states. Some members of Congress are currently considering an amendment to the Constitution to allow foreign-born US citizens to be allowed to run for the Presidency, specifically with Schwarzenegger in mind, although other members of Congress are strongly opposed to the idea. Had one elder brother, Meinhard (1946-1971). His mother was Aurelia Jadrny (1922 - 2 August 1998) and his father was Gustav Schwarzenegger (Graz, 1907 - 1973), married in Murzsteg, 20 October 1945. His mother's surname is Czech. Was elected Governor of California as a Republican on 7 October 2003. Turned down the role of John McClane in Die Hard. The role went to Bruce Willis instead. TV Guide selected Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to run for Governor of California as the greatest TV moment of 2003. Said that filming the climatic fight at the end of Predator was made difficult by the fact that the late Kevin Peter Hall, who played the Predator, couldn't see through his mask. 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). After he had started lifting weights as a teenager, he noticed that his body was becoming disproportionate. His arms, shoulders and chest were developing nicely, but his calves and lower legs weren't coming along as he wanted. To motivate himself to work harder on his calves, he cut off all of his pants (trousers) at the knee. Walking around like that, people would look at (and maybe even laugh at) the big man with 'chicken' legs. It worked. 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. Is one of only two actors to appear in all three of the 'Terminator' films (_The Terminator (1984)_ , Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines). The other is Earl Boen who portrayed the character of Dr. Peter Silberman in all three films. 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. Has his look-alike puppet in the French show _"Guignols de l'info, Les" (1988)_ . Went AWOL from the Austrian army to enter his first bodybuilding contest. Stumped for President George W. Bush the weekend before his re-election in Ohio, as Schwarzenegger has always had a strong relationship with Ohio. He was voted the 53rd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. Has played a character who died in only four of his films: _Terminator, The (1984)_ , Terminator 2: Judgment Day, End of Days and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. 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). Had his first romantic scene in a movie with actress Sandahl Bergman, in Conan the Barbarian. Is good friends with fellow bodybuilder Sven-Ole Thorsen...who, ironically, portrayed "Thorgrim," one of his leading foes in _Conan the Barbarian (1982)_ . Turned down a request to reprise his Conan character in Kull the Conqueror (originally titled "Conan the Conqueror"). Also, he was supposed to play Conan in Red Sonja, though ultimately, a new character was created who was essentially Conan in everything but name. 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. In German, the word "schwarzen" means "black," and "egger" means "ploughman." So "Schwarzenegger" is "Black Ploughman." His life strangely mirrors the life of Conan from _Conan the Barbarian (1982)_ . Conan was born in a small village and grew up to be a physically powerful man from years of slavery. After winning great fame as a gladiator, he is given to wine and women, but later rejects this hedonistic lifestyle and goes on to perform great heroic feats, and eventually he is crowned king. Arnold was born in a small Austrian town and took up weightlifting as he got older. After achieving success as a bodybuilder, he indulged in drug abuse and womanizing, but he later rejected this and went on to become a vocal supporter of social causes, and was eventually elected governor of California. 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. His famous line "I'll be back", which originated from The Terminator, was originally written as "I'll come back". Initially refused to star in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 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. While filming the behind the scenes documentary for the special edition DVD of Conan the Barbarian, the microphone hit him in the head at the end of the interview, to which he immediately joked "You see, I can't even do an interview about Conan without getting hurt". Addressed the Republican National Convention in 2004. The etymology for Arnold is "Eagle Power." Grew up in a house that had no phone, no fridge and no toilet. Was engaged to Brigitte Nielsen. [1985] Was the spokesperson for Japanese DirecTV, a competitor to Quentin Tarantino's endorsed local satellite TV operator SkyperfecTV. Was considered for the title role in Flash Gordon. 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. While filming Predator he became close friends with co- star Jesse Ventura, who was also later elected a state governor (Minnesota). John Milius originally intended him to do the narration of Conan the Barbarian but the studio didn't trust his accent, so the narration was performed by Mako instead, who played the wizard. Withdrew from the city of Graz the right to use his name in association with its soccer stadium and returned his "Ehrenring" (ring of honor) after some politicians in the town had started a campaign against Schwarzenegger due to his refusal to stop the execution of convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams (20 December 2005). The Green Party of Austria has resolved to strip Schwarzenegger of his Austrian citizenship due to his support for the death penalty. On 12 December 2005, Governor Schwarzenegger refused to grant clemency to quadruple murderer and former gang leader Stanley Tookie Williams, who had been on Death Row for 24 years. He was soundly defeated on all four propositions of his "special election" in November 2005, 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. Second actor to be elected Governor of California. The first was Ronald Reagan. Broke six ribs in a motorcycle crash (December 2001). February 2005 - he and his 12-year old son, Patrick, were injured in a traffic accident when a car ran into Arnold's motorcycle. Patrick was in a sidecar. Arnold received 15 stitches. 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." His performance as The Terminator in the "Terminator" films is ranked #40 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. Was asked to reprise his "Dutch" character from the first Predator film for the sequel, but he declined because he didn't like the script. He chose to do Terminator 2: Judgment Day instead. Children - Katherine Eunice (b. 1989), Christina Maria Aurelia (b. 1991), Patrick Arnold (b. 1993) and Christopher Sargent (b. 1997). Was asked to appear in a sequel to his 1985 film Commando but declined. Producer Joel Silver wanted Schwarzenegger to play "Doctor Manhattan" in a film adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel _Watchmen (2008)_ at one point. He keeps the sword he used in Conan the Barbarian in the Governor's office in California. Is a huge fan of professional wrestling. Easily re-elected as Governor of California. [November 7, 2006] He is the first member of the Kennedy family to become a state Governor. Broke his right femur while skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho (23 December 2006). 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. In 1992 Schwarzenegger joined President George Bush in New Hampshire and asked voters to "send a message to Pat Buchanan: Hasta la vista, baby.". Related to actor George Wyner, who is also a close friend. Early in his career he appeared as a contestant on The Dating Game. Was considered for the role of Judge Dredd in Judge Dredd in the early development stages. The part went to fellow Planet Hollywood founder Sylvester Stallone.