Arnold Schwarzenegger Biography
Governor, Film Actor (1947–)
Early Years
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, near Graz, Austria. Schwarzenegger's childhood was far
from ideal. His father, Gustav, was an alcoholic police chief and one-time member of the Nazi Party, who
clearly favored Arnold's brother over his gangly, seemingly less athletic younger son.
Gustav is reported to have beaten and intimidated Arnold and, when he could, pitted his two boys against one
another. He also ridiculed Schwarzenegger's early dreams of becoming a body builder. "It was a very uptight
feeling at home," Schwarzenegger later recalled. So uptight and uncomfortable, in fact, that Schwarzenegger
would later refuse to attend the funeral of his father, who died in 1972, or his brother, who was killed in a car
crash in 1971.
As an escape, Arnold turned to the movies, in particular Reg Parker, a body builder and star in B-level Hercules
movies. The films also helped propel Schwarzenegger's own obsession with America, and the future he felt
awaited him there. Getting to his new country was the issue. Schwarzenegger found his answer in Joe Weider,
the man behind the International Federation of Body Building, an organization that sponsored contests such Mr.
Universe and Mr. Olympia.
Weider loved Schwarzenegger's bravado, sense of humor, and the potential he saw in the young body builder.
Weider's instincts couldn't have been more dead-on. In all, Schwarzenegger would win an unprecedented five
Mr. Universe titles and six Mr. Olympia crowns during his bodybuilding career.
Equally significant, Schwarzenegger, who had immigrated to the United States in 1968, helped propel the sport
into the mainstream, culminating in the 1977 documentary, Pumping Iron, which tells the tale of
Schwarzenegger's defense of his Mr. Olympia crown.
Making it in Hollywood
Since his first foray to the local movie house in his hometown of Graz, Arnold had dreamed of making it big in
Hollywood. With his ascension to the top of the bodybuilding world, it was only a matter of time before he'd
move over to the big screen.
After acting in a few small parts, Schwarzenegger received a Golden Globe Award for Best Newcomer for his
performance in Stay Hungry (1976). With his intense physical strength and size, Schwarzenegger was a natural
for action films. He became a leading figure in several popular 1980s action movies, including Conan the
Barbarian (1982). Schwarzenegger also starred as a deadly machine from the future in The Terminator (1984).
The science-fiction drama spawned two sequels—Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) andTerminator 3: Rise
of the Machines (2003).
Off-screen he continued his remarkable story, marrying into the Kennedy family by tying the knot with Maria
Owings Shriver, daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her husband R. Sargent Shriver.
Schwarzenegger's American story sounded improbable, except to those who knew him. "This is a man of
bottomless ambition," said George Butler, producer and director of Pumping Iron, in a 2003 interview. "It's
always been there ... He sees himself as mystically sent to America."
The 'Governator'
In 2003, Schwarzenegger again showed his resolve to succeed when he threw his hat into the ring for the
California governor's race and won a seat in a special election. In a state that was mired in severe budget woes,
the newly elected Republican governor promised to bring economic stability to his adopted state.
As expected, Schwarzenegger brought his own unique brand of confidence to his new job. "If they don't have
the guts, I call them 'girlie-men,'" he said of Democrats, early in his first term. "They should go back to the table
and fix the budget."
Still, as governor, Schwarzenegger worked to improve the state's financial situation, promote new businesses,
and protect the environment. In 2006, he easily won his bid for re-election. Throughout his career,
Schwarzenegger has credited former U.S. President Ronald Reagan as a personal inspiration. Remembering his
early years in the United States, Schwarzenegger once said, "I became a citizen of the United States when
[Reagan] was president, and he is the first president I voted for as an American citizen. He inspired me and
made me even prouder to be a new American."
His second term in office did not run as smoothly, however. Schwarzenegger struggled to help the state through
difficult financial times. After leaving office in January 2011, he sought to revive his career in the entertainment
industry. In March of that year, Schwarzenegger announced plans to work with famed comic book creator Stan
Lee on a new animated series inspired by his time in office.
Recent Publicity
In 2010, Schwarzenegger starred alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone in
the film The Expendables. In August 2012, he reunited with the film's cast for a follow-up film, The
Expendables 2. Just one week after the film's premiere, it had climbed to the No. 1 spot at the box office,
bringing in nearly $28.6 million.