- Born
- Birth nameArnold Alois Schwarzenegger
- Nicknames
- Arnie
- Austrian Oak
- Conan the Republican
- Styrian Oak
- The Governator
- The Running Man
- Conan the Governor
- The Machine
- Height1.88 m
- 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 Hollywood's 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 megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger is a true "rags to riches" tale of a penniless immigrant making it in the land of opportunity, the United States of America. Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born July 30, 1947, in the town of Thal, Styria, Austria, to Aurelia Schwarzenegger (born Jadrny) and Gustav Schwarzenegger, the local police chief. 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 1970s, 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 (1970), then director Bob Rafelson cast Arnold in Stay Hungry (1976) 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 (1977) 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 (1979) opposite Kirk Douglas, and he portrayed Mickey Hargitay in the well- received TV movie The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980).
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 (1982) 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 (1982), 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 - Kẻ Hủy Diệt (1984). Made on a relatively modest budget, the high voltage action / science fiction thriller Kẻ Hủy Diệt (1984) 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 (1985), Raw Deal (1986), Quái Thú Vô Hình (1987), Trốn Chạy Tử Thần (1987) and Báo Động Đỏ (1988) were all box office hits and Arnold could seemingly could no wrong when it came to picking winning scripts. The tongue-in-cheek comedy Anh Em Song Sinh (1988) 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 Tìm Lại Ký Ức (1990) and "feel good" Cảnh Sát Giữ Trẻ (1990) were both solid box office performers for Arnold, plus he was about to return to familiar territory with director James Cameron in Kẻ Hủy Diệt 2: Ngày Phán Xét (1991). 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. Kẻ Hủy Diệt 2: Ngày Phán Xét (1991) was arguably the zenith of Arnold's film career to date and he was voted "International Star of the Decade" by the National Association of Theatre Owners.
Remarkably, his next film Người Hùng Cuối Cùng (1993) 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 Lời Nói Dối Chân Thật (1994) co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold was the surprise hit of 1994! Following the broad audience appeal of Lời Nói Dối Chân Thật (1994), Schwarzenegger decided to lean towards more family-themed entertainment with Junior (1994) and Cuộc Chiến Giáng Sinh (1996), but he still found time to satisfy his hard-core fan base with Eraser (1996), as the chilling "Mr. Freeze" in Người Dơi và Robin (1997) and battling dark forces in the supernatural action of Ngày Lụi Tàn (1999). The science fiction / conspiracy tale Ngày Thứ Sáu (2000) played to only mediocre fan interest, and Tổn Thất Không Lường Trước (2002) had its 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 Kẻ Hủy Diệt 3: Người Máy Nổi Loạn (2003). 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 married TV journalist Maria Shriver in April, 1986 and the couple have four children.
In October of 2003 Schwarzenegger, running as a Republican, was elected Governor of California in a special recall election of then governor Gray Davis. The "Governator," as Schwarzenegger came to be called, held the office until 2011. Upon leaving the Governor's mansion it was revealed that he had fathered a child with the family's live-in maid and Shriver filed for divorce.
Schwarzenegger contributed cameo roles to Rượt Đuổi (2003), 80 Ngày Vòng Quanh Thế Giới (2004) and The Kid & I (2005). Recently, he starred in Biệt Đội Đánh Thuê 2 (2012), Chốt Chặn Cuối Cùng (2013), Kế Hoạch Đào Tẩu (2013), Biệt Đội Đánh Thuê 3 (2014), and Kẻ Hủy Diệt: Thời Đại Genysis (2015).- IMDb Mini Biography By: David Montgomery < djmont@aol.com> and davesusanv@gmail.com - Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American actor, filmmaker, businessman, author, and former politician and professional bodybuilder. He served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 to 2011.
Schwarzenegger began lifting weights at the age of 15, and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest seven times (1970-75, 1980). He remains a prominent presence in bodybuilding and has written many books and articles on the sport. The Arnold Sports Festival, considered the second most important bodybuilding event after Mr. Olympia, is named after him. He is regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, as well as the sport's most charismatic and famous ambassador.
Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon. His breakthrough film was the epic Conan the Barbarian (1982), a box-office hit that resulted in a sequel in 1984. He appeared as the title character in James Cameron's commercially successful sci-fi action film Kẻ Hủy Diệt (1984), and played a similar character in the films Kẻ Hủy Diệt 2: Ngày Phán Xét (1991), Kẻ Hủy Diệt 3: Người Máy Nổi Loạn (2003), Kẻ Hủy Diệt: Thời Đại Genysis (2015), and Kẻ Hủy Diệt: Vận Mệnh Đen Tối (2019). He starred in other successful action films such as Commando (1985), Trốn Chạy Tử Thần (1987), Quái Thú Vô Hình (1987), Tìm Lại Ký Ức (1990), Lời Nói Dối Chân Thật (1994), Anh Em Song Sinh (1988), Cảnh Sát Giữ Trẻ (1990), and Junior (1994).- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tango Papa
- SpouseMaria Shriver(April 26, 1986 - December 28, 2021) (divorced, 4 children)
- Children
- Parents
- RelativesMeinhard Schwarzenegger(Sibling)Patrick M. Knapp Schwarzenegger(Niece or Nephew)Lyla Maria Schwarzenegger Pratt(Grandchild)Eloise Christina Schwarzenegger Pratt(Grandchild)
- Frequent movie line: "I'll be back."
- Often has his character say comedic one-liners that punctuate the action
- Many of his films have his characters doing feats of strength to match his muscular look, e.g. Commando (1985) where he is first seen in the film carrying a whole tree trunk on his shoulder.
- Frequently has some type of action scene in bathrooms. (Kẻ Hủy Diệt 3: Người Máy Nổi Loạn (2003), Lời Nói Dối Chân Thật (1994) and Cảnh Sát Giữ Trẻ (1990).
- Films often have a chase sequence or action scene in a shopping mall. (Commando (1985), Cảnh Sát Giữ Trẻ (1990), Kẻ Hủy Diệt 2: Ngày Phán Xét (1991), Lời Nói Dối Chân Thật (1994) and Cuộc Chiến Giáng Sinh (1996)).
- He saved a man's life while on vacation in Hawaii in 2004 by swimming into the sea to rescue him from drowning.
- Second actor to be elected Governor of California. The first was Ronald Reagan.
- Refused to take the salary for Governor of California. Uses private jet at his own expense.
- 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.
- He kept the sword he used in Conan the Barbarian (1982) in the Governor's office when he served as California's governor.
- I was always interested in proportion and perfection. When I was 15 I took off my clothes and looked in the mirror. When I stared at myself naked, I realized that to be perfectly proportioned I would need 20-inch arms to match the rest of me.
- [Interview in "Starlog" magazine in 1991, explaining his reluctance to do sequels to most of his successful films from the '80s] There's so little time to do all the things I want to do that I can't see any reason to get bogged down in sequels.
- Everything I have ever done in my life has always stayed. I've just added to it . . . but I will not change. Because when you are successful and you change, you are an idiot.
- I know that if you leave dishes in the sink, they get sticky and hard to wash the next day.
- I would rather be Governor of California than own Austria.
- Chốt Chặn Cuối Cùng (2013) - $5,000,000 +25% of first dollar
- Kẻ Hủy Diệt 3: Người Máy Nổi Loạn (2003) - $29,250,000
- Tổn Thất Không Lường Trước (2002) - $25,000,000
- Ngày Thứ Sáu (2000) - $25,000,000
- Ngày Lụi Tàn (1999) - $22,000,000
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content