Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American actor, producer, businessman, retired bodybuilder, and former politician who served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011. As of 2021, he is the most recent Republican governor of California. Arnold was involved heavily in sports as a child but chose bodybuilding over soccer when he was 14. Arnold has said that he suffered from child abuse by his father growing up and it was somewhat normal in society then as parents wanted their children to conform. He served a year in the Austrian Army as was required. He went AWOL during training to win the Junior Mr. Europe contest. His career in bodybuilding continued and he moved to California and went on to win Mr. Olympia seven times.
Arnold’s brother died in a car accident in 1971 because he was drinking and driving.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s father, Gustav, served in World War II as a Hauptfeldwebel, after voluntarily joining the Nazi Party in 1938. He was later discharged in 1941, after suffering a bout of malaria.
Arnold paid for his brother’s son’s education and helped him move to the U.S.
In his first Mr. Universe competition, Schwarzenegger came second to Chester Yorton because Yorton’s leg definition was judged to be superior.
Arnold was shooting ‘Pumping Iron’ in the U.S. when his father died. He did not attend his funeral.
Arnold once won the Munich stone-lifting contest, in which he lifted a 560 lb stone between his legs.
Arnold stayed in touch with his mother until she died.
In 1977, Arnold made an interesting life decision: he posed nude for the gay magazine “After Dark.”
While still in Europe Arnold was voted best built man in Europe, which led to him becoming famous.
Schwarzenegger struggled with anxiety and learned how to overcome it when a friend taught him Transcendental Meditation.
In the Mr. Universe content in 1966 in London Arnold placed second to Chester Yorton.
Schwarzenegger admitted to using anabolic steroids when they were legal. He called the drugs “tissue building.”
Arnold won Mr. Universe in 1967. He was 20 and the youngest to win the title.
In his first film, “Hercules in New York,” Schwarzenegger’s accent was so thick that his lines had to be dubbed after production. In his second film, he played a deaf-mute.
Arnold moved to California in 1968. He started a bricklaying business and was successful, and began to sell bodybuilding equipment.
In 1993, he was named by the National Association of Theater Owners as the “International Star of the Decade.”
Arnold started acting in the 1970s. He was in Hercules in New York, and The Long Goodbye.
Arnold’s first political appointment was as chairman on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
In 1976 Arnold won a Golden Globe for New Male Star of the Year.
In 2006, Schwarzenegger signed the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, creating the nation’s first cap on greenhouse gas emissions.
Arnold’s breakthrough role was in Conan the Barbarian in 1982. He performed many stunts and suffered a back injury.
He also signed another bill prohibiting large utilities and corporations in California from making long-term contracts with suppliers who do not meet the state’s greenhouse gas emission standards.
Arnold Schwarzenegger married Maria Shriver in 1986. She is the niece of President John F. Kennedy. They had four children together named Christopher, Patrick, Christina, and Katherine.
In addition to fighting global warming through politics, Schwarzenegger also took steps to reduce his personal carbon footprint by adapting one of his Hummers to run on hydrogen and another to run on biofuels.
In 1984 Arnold starred in the Terminator and in 1987 Arnold was in the movie Predator.
In an April 2010 report, ethics watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named Schwarzenegger one of the 11 “worst governors” in the United States because of various ethics issues during his terms as governor.
Arnold continued to act in movies such as True Lies (1994), The 6th Day (2000), Terminator 2 (1991) Junior (1994), Batman and Robin (1997), End of Days (1999), The Expendables 1, 2 and 3, Terminator 2,3, and Genisys, and many more.
Although he began his tenure as governor with a record-high 89%, he left with a record low 23%.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a registered Republican and often had views that contrasted with other well-known celebrities.
Schwarzenegger is quite the savvy businessman, starting with bricklaying business, then a mail order business, a real estate investment venture, a chain of international theme restaurants, a shopping mall, a sports festival, and a movie production company.
Arnold announced his bid for Governor of California in 2003 while on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Schwarzenegger was the first civilian to purchase a ‘Humvee’.
Arnold won his seat as governor in a special election. He did so well that he was elected again in 2006.
Arnold’s safari vehicle was charged by an elephant while he was in South Africa.
In 2011 Arnold left office as Governor and soon after his marriage ended. It was discovered that he had fathered a child with a staff member in his household.
In 2004, Schwarzenegger saved a drowning man in Hawaii by swimming out and bringing him back to shore.
Arnold has written a memoir titled Total Recall.
Schwarzenegger did not vote for Donald trump in the 2016 US Presidential election, the first time he did not vote for the Republican candidate since becoming a citizen in 1983.
Arnold has had a very public battle with President Donald Trump since Donald was elected U.S. President.
Before his divorce, he was worth anywhere between $400 and $800 million.
Arnold has been involved with the Special Olympics for many years. They were founded by his ex-wife’s mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
