Schwarzenegger beganlifting weights at age 15 and won theMr. Universe title aged 20, and subsequently theMr. Olympia title seven times. He is tied withPhil Heath for the joint-second number of all-time Mr. Olympia wins, behindRonnie Coleman andLee Haney, who are joint-first with eight wins each. Nicknamed the "Austrian Oak" in his bodybuilding days, he is regarded as one of the greatestbodybuilders of all time.[4][5] He has written books and articles about bodybuilding, including the autobiographicalArnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder (1977) andThe New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (1998).[6][7] TheArnold Sports Festival, the second-most prestigious bodybuilding event after the Mr. Olympia competition, is named after him.[8] He appeared in the bodybuilding documentaryPumping Iron (1977), which set him on his way to a career in films.[9]
According to Holocaust scholarMichael Berenbaum, Gustav Schwarzenegger served "in theaters of the war where atrocities were committed. But there is no way to know from the documents whether he played a role."[18] Gustav's background received wide press attention during the2003 California gubernatorial recall election in which Schwarzenegger was elected.[22]
Gustav married Aurelia on October 20, 1945; he was 38 and she was 23. According to Schwarzenegger, his parents were very strict: "Back then in Austria it was a very different world ... if we did something bad or we disobeyed our parents, the rod was not spared."[23] He grew up in a Catholic family.[24] Gustav preferred his elder son, Meinhard, over Arnold.[25] His favoritism was "strong and blatant", which stemmed from unfounded suspicion that Arnold was not his biological child.[26] Schwarzenegger says that his earliest childhood memory is of climbing into his parents' bed during a bad thunder-and-lightning storm and cuddling between his mother and father.[27] He has said, however, that his father had "no patience for listening or understanding your problems".[24] He had a good relationship with his mother, with whom he kept in touch until her death.[28]
In an interview withFortune in 2004, Schwarzenegger told how he suffered what "would now be calledchild abuse" at the hands of his father: "My hair was pulled. I was hit with belts. So was the kid next door. It was just the way it was. Many of the children I've seen were broken by their parents, which was the German-Austrian mentality. They didn't want to create an individual. It was all about conforming. I was one who did not conform, and whose will could not be broken. Therefore, I became a rebel. Every time I got hit, and every time someone said, 'You can't do this,' I said, 'This is not going to be for much longer because I'm going to move out of here. I want to be rich. I want to be somebody.'"[19]
At school, Schwarzenegger was reportedly academically average but stood out for his "cheerful, good-humored, and exuberant" character.[24] He struggled with reading and was later diagnosed as beingdyslexic.[29][30] Money was a problem in their household; Schwarzenegger recalled that one of the highlights of his youth was when the family bought a refrigerator.[26] His father Gustav was an athlete, and wished for his sons to become champions inBavarian curling.[31] Influenced by his father, Schwarzenegger played several sports as a boy.[24]
Schwarzenegger beganweight training in 1960 when hissoccer coach took his team to a local gym.[17] At age 14, he chosebodybuilding over soccer as a career.[11][32] He later said, "I actually started weight training when I was 15, but I'd been participating in sports, like soccer, for years, so I felt that although I was slim, I was well-developed, at least enough so that I could start going to the gym and startOlympic lifting."[23] However, his official website biography claims that "at 14, he started an intensive training program with Dan Farmer, studied psychology at 15 (to learn more about the power of mind over body) and at 17, officially started his competitive career."[33] During a speech in 2001, he said, "My own plan formed when I was 14 years old. My father had wanted me to be a police officer like he was. My mother wanted me to go to trade school."[34]
Schwarzenegger in 1971
Schwarzenegger took to visiting a gym inGraz, where he also frequented the local movie theaters to see films with bodybuilding idols such asReg Park,Steve Reeves andJohnny Weissmuller.[23] When Reeves died in 2000, Schwarzenegger fondly remembered him: "As a teenager, I grew up with Steve Reeves. His remarkable accomplishments allowed me a sense of what was possible when others around me didn't always understand my dreams. Steve Reeves has been part of everything I've ever been fortunate enough to achieve." In 1961, Schwarzenegger met former Mr. Austria Kurt Marnul, who invited him to train at the gym in Graz.[17] He was so dedicated as a youngster that he broke into the local gym on weekends to train even when it was closed. "It would make me sick to miss a workout ... I knew I couldn't look at myself in the mirror the next morning if I didn't do it." When asked about his first cinema experience as a boy, he replied: "I was very young, but I remember my father taking me to the Austrian theaters and seeing somenewsreels. The first real movie I saw, that I distinctly remember, was aJohn Wayne movie."[23] In Graz, he was mentored by Alfred Gerstl, who had Jewish ancestry and later becamepresident of the Federal Council, and befriended his son Karl.[35][36]
Schwarzenegger's brother, Meinhard, died in a car crash on May 20, 1971.[17] He wasdriving drunk and died instantly; Schwarzenegger did not attend his funeral. Meinhard was engaged to Erika Knapp, and they had a three-year-old son namedPatrick. Schwarzenegger paid for Patrick's education and helped him to move to the U.S.[26] Schwarzenegger's father, Gustav, died of a stroke on December 13, 1972.[17] InPumping Iron, Schwarzenegger claimed that he did not attend his father's funeral because he was training for a bodybuilding contest. Later, he and the film's producer said this story was taken from another bodybuilder to show the extremes some would go to for their sport and to make Schwarzenegger's image colder to create controversy for the film.[37] However, Barbara Baker, his first serious girlfriend, recalled that he informed her of his father's death without emotion and that he never spoke of his brother.[38] Over time, he has given at least three versions of why he was absent from his father's funeral.[26]
Schwarzenegger served in theAustrian Army in 1965 to fulfill theone year of service required at the time of all 18-year-old Austrian males.[17][33] During his army service, he won the Junior Mr. Europe contest.[32] He wentAWOL during basic training so he could take part in the competition and then spent a week in military prison: "Participating in the competition meant so much to me that I didn't carefully think through the consequences." He entered another bodybuilding contest in Graz, at Steirerhof Hotel, where he placed second. He was voted "best-built man of Europe", which made him famous in bodybuilding circles. "TheMr. Universe title was my ticket to America—the land of opportunity, where I could become a star and get rich."[34] Schwarzenegger made his first plane trip in 1966, attending theNABBA Mr. Universe competition in London.[33] He placed second in the Mr. Universe competition, not having the muscle definition of American winnerChester Yorton.[33]
Charles "Wag" Bennett, one of the judges at the 1966 competition, was impressed with Schwarzenegger and offered to coach him. As Schwarzenegger had little money, Bennett invited him to stay in his crowded family home above one of his two gyms inForest Gate, London. Yorton's leg definition had been judged superior, and Schwarzenegger, under a training program devised by Bennett, concentrated on improving his. Staying in theEast End of London helped Schwarzenegger improve his rudimentary English.[39][40] Living with the Bennetts also changed him as a person: "Being with them made me so much more sophisticated. When you're the age I was then, you're always looking for approval, for love, for attention and also for guidance. At the time, I wasn't really aware of that. But now, looking back, I see that the Bennett family fulfilled all those needs. Especially my need to be the best in the world. To be recognized and to feel unique and special. They saw that I needed that care and attention and love."[41]
Also in 1966, at Bennett's home, Schwarzenegger had the opportunity to meet childhood idolReg Park, who became his friend and mentor.[41][42] The training paid off and, in 1967, Schwarzenegger won the title for the first time, becoming the youngest ever Mr. Universe at age 20.[33] He would go on to win the title another three times.[32] He then returned toMunich, where he attended business school and worked at Rolf Putziger's gym, where he worked and trained from 1966 to 1968 before returning to London in 1968 to win his next Mr. Universe title.[33] He frequently toldRoger C. Field, his English coach and friend in Munich at the time, "I'm going to become the greatest actor!"[43]
Schwarzenegger, who dreamed of moving to the US since age ten, and saw bodybuilding as his avenue of opportunity,[44] realized his dream by moving to the US in October 1968 at age 21, speaking little English.[32][17] There he trained atGold's Gym inVenice, Los Angeles, California, underJoe Weider's supervision. From 1970 to 1974, one of Schwarzenegger's weight training partners wasRic Drasin, aprofessional wrestler who designed the original Gold's Gym logo in 1973.[45] Schwarzenegger also became good friends with professional wrestlerSuperstar Billy Graham. In 1970, at age 23, Schwarzenegger captured his firstMr. Olympia title in New York, and would go on to win the title seven times.[33]
The immigration law firm Siskind & Susser has stated that Schwarzenegger may have been anillegal immigrant at some point in the late 1960s or early 1970s because of violations in the terms of hisvisa.[46]LA Weekly said in 2002 that Schwarzenegger was "the most famous US immigrant", who "overcame a thick Austrian accent and transcended the unlikely background of bodybuilding to become the biggest movie star in the world in the 1990s".[44]
In 1977, Schwarzenegger's autobiography and weight-training guide,Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder, was a huge success.[17] In 1977, he posed for the gay magazineAfter Dark.[47][48] After taking an assortment of courses atSanta Monica College in California (including English classes), as well as further upper division classes at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles as part of UCLA's extension program, he accumulated enough credits to be "within striking distance" of graduation. In 1979, he enrolled in theUniversity of Wisconsin–Superior as a distance education student, completing most of his coursework by correspondence and flying out to Superior to meet professors and take final exams. In May 1980, he formally graduated and earned hisbachelor's degree in business administration and marketing.[49][50] He received hisUnited States citizenship in 1983.[51] He received anhonorary degree fromStockton University in 2023.[52]
Bodybuilding career
Schwarzenegger is considered among the most important figures in the history of bodybuilding,[8] and his legacy is commemorated in theArnold Classic annual bodybuilding competition. He has remained a prominent face in bodybuilding long after his retirement, in part because of his ownership of gyms and fitness magazines. He has presided over numerous contests and awards shows.
For many years, he wrote a monthly column for the bodybuilding magazinesMuscle & Fitness andFlex. Shortly after being elected governor, he was appointed the executive editor of both magazines, in a largely symbolic capacity. The magazines agreed to donate $250,000 a year to the Governor's various physical fitness initiatives. When the deal, including the contract that gave Schwarzenegger at least $1 million a year, was made public in 2005, many criticized it as being aconflict of interest since the governor's office made decisions concerning regulation ofdietary supplements in California.[53] Consequently, Schwarzenegger relinquished the executive editor role in 2005.[53] American Media Inc., which ownsMuscle & Fitness andFlex, announced in March 2013 that Schwarzenegger had accepted their renewed offer to be executive editor of the magazines.[53]
One of the first competitions he won was the Junior Mr. Europe contest in 1965.[17] He won Mr. Europe the following year, at age 19.[17][33] He would go on to compete in many bodybuilding contests, and win most of them. His bodybuilding victories included five Mr. Universe wins (4 –NABBA [England], 1 –IFBB [USA]), and seven Mr. Olympia wins, a record which would stand untilLee Haney won his eighth consecutive Mr. Olympia title in 1991.
Schwarzenegger continues to work out. When asked about his personal training during the 2011Arnold Classic he said that he was still working out a half an hour with weights every day.[54]
Powerlifting/weightlifting
During Schwarzenegger's early years in bodybuilding, he also competed in severalOlympic weightlifting andpowerlifting contests. Schwarzenegger's first professional competition was in 1963[55] and he won two weightlifting contests in 1964 and 1965, as well as two powerlifting contests in 1966 and 1968.[2]
In 1967, Schwarzenegger won theMunich stone-lifting contest, in which a stone weighing 508 German pounds (254 kg / 560 lb) is lifted between the legs while standing on two footrests.
Schwarzenegger in 1974, doing the 'front double biceps' pose
Schwarzenegger's goal was to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world, which meant becomingMr. Olympia.[17][33] His first attempt was in 1969, when he lost to three-time championSergio Oliva. However, Schwarzenegger came back in 1970 and won the competition, making him the youngest ever Mr. Olympia at the age of 23, a record he still holds to this day.[33]
He continued his winning streak in the 1971–1974 competitions.[33] He also toured different countries sellingvitamins, as inHelsinki, Finland in 1972, when he lived at theYMCA Hotel Hospiz (nowadays Hotel Arthur[58]) on Vuorikatu and presented vitamin pills at theStockmann shopping center.[59][60]
For the1975 Mr. Olympia competition, filmmakers George Butler and Robert Fiore persuaded Schwarzenegger to compete again and film his training in the bodybuilding documentary calledPumping Iron. Schwarzenegger had only three months to prepare for the competition, after losing significant weight to appear in the filmStay Hungry withJeff Bridges. Although lighter than usual, Schwarzenegger was once again in top form and won the title for the sixth consecutive time,[33] beatingFranco Columbu. After the contest, Schwarzenegger announced his retirement from professional bodybuilding.[33]
Schwarzenegger came out of retirement again to compete in the 1980 Mr. Olympia.[17] Schwarzenegger was training for his role inConan, and he got into such good shape because of the running, horseback riding and sword training, that he decided he wanted to win the Mr. Olympia contest one last time. He kept this plan a secret in the event that a training accident would prevent his entry and cause him to lose face. Schwarzenegger had been hired to providecolor commentary for network television when he announced at the eleventh hour that, while he was there, "Why not compete?" Schwarzenegger ended up winning the event with only seven weeks of preparation. Having been declared Mr. Olympia for a seventh time, Schwarzenegger then officially retired from competition. This victory (subject of the documentaryThe Comeback) was highly controversial, though, as fellow competitors and many observers felt that his lack of muscle mass (especially in his thighs) and subpar conditioning should have precluded him from winning against a very competitive lineup that year.[8][61]Mike Mentzer, in particular, felt cheated and withdrew from competitive bodybuilding after that contest.[62][61]
List of competitions
Arnold Schwarzenegger in bodybuilding competitions
Schwarzenegger has acknowledged usingperformance-enhancinganabolic steroids while they were legal, writing in 1977 that "steroids were helpful to me in maintaining muscle size while on a strict diet in preparation for a contest. I did not use them for muscle growth, but rather for muscle maintenance whencutting up."[66] He has called the drugs "tissue building".[67]
In 1999, Schwarzenegger sued Willi Heepe, a German doctor who publicly predicted his early death on the basis of a link between his steroid use andlater heart problems. Since the doctor never examined him personally, Schwarzenegger collected a US$10,000libel judgment against him in a German court.[68] In 1999, Schwarzenegger also sued and settled withGlobe, a U.S. tabloid which had made similar predictions about the bodybuilder's future health.[69]
Schwarzenegger wanted to move from bodybuilding into acting, finally achieving it when he was chosen to play the title role inHercules in New York (1970). Credited under the stage name "Arnold Strong", his accent in the film was so thick that his lines weredubbed after production.[32] His second film appearance was as hired muscle for a mobster inThe Long Goodbye (1973), which was followed by a much more significant part in the filmStay Hungry (1976), for which he won theGolden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor. Schwarzenegger has discussed his early struggles in developing his acting career: "It was very difficult for me in the beginning – I was told by agents and casting people that my body was 'too weird', that I had a funny accent, and that my name was too long. You name it, and they told me I had to change it. Basically, everywhere I turned, I was told that I had no chance."[23]
Schwarzenegger during filming forPumping Iron in 1975
1982–2003: Breakthrough and established action star
Schwarzenegger, pictured with 1987 world champion AmericanKaryn Marshall, presenting awards at the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame in 2011 inColumbus, Ohio
Schwarzenegger's breakthrough film was thesword and sorcery epicConan the Barbarian in 1982, which was a box-office hit.[11] This was followed by a sequel,Conan the Destroyer, in 1984, although it was not as successful as its predecessor.[71] In 1983, Schwarzenegger starred in the promotional videoCarnival in Rio.[72] In 1984, he made his first appearance as the eponymous character inJames Cameron's science fiction action filmThe Terminator.[11][32][73] It has been called his acting career's signature role.[74] Following this, Schwarzenegger made another sword and sorcery film,Red Sonja, in 1985.[71] During the 1980s, audiences had an appetite for action films, with both Schwarzenegger andSylvester Stallone becoming international stars.[32] During theSchwarzenegger–Stallone rivalry they attacked each other in the press, and tried to surpass the other with more on-screen killings and larger weapons.[75] Schwarzenegger's roles reflected his sense of humor, separating him from more serious action hero films. He made a number of successful action films in the 1980s, such asCommando (1985),Raw Deal (1986),The Running Man (1987),Predator (1987), andRed Heat (1988).
Twins (1988), a comedy withDanny DeVito, also proved successful. Speaking about the film Schwarzenegger said: "When I was the action hero in the '80s and '90s, they wouldn't allow me to do any comedy or anything for kids. They were like, "No, we know we are going to make money with you if you do action movies." So literally forTwins I took no salary — I just wanted to give it a shot. And it just happened to be my first movie to make $100 million domestically. So they realized that it works, Schwarzenegger can cross over."[76] The film netted Schwarzenegger the biggest paycheck of his career as he received over $40 million of the film's profits after expenses.[77]
Schwarzenegger's commercial peak was his return as the title character inTerminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), which was the highest-grossing film of the year. Film criticRoger Ebert commented that "Schwarzenegger's genius as a movie star is to find roles that build on, rather than undermine, his physical and vocal characteristics."[80] In 1993, theNational Association of Theatre Owners named him the "International Star of the Decade".[17] His next film project, the 1993 self-aware action comedyspoofLast Action Hero, was released oppositeJurassic Park, and did not do well at the box office. His next film, the comedy dramaTrue Lies (1994), was a popular spy film and saw Schwarzenegger reunited with James Cameron.
That same year, the comedyJunior was released, the last of Schwarzenegger's three collaborations with Ivan Reitman and again co-starring Danny DeVito. This film brought him his second Golden Globe nomination, this time forBest Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Around this time, Schwarzenegger was offered a lead role in the well received, box office hitThe Rock but turned it down, a decision he came to regret in the decades that passed.[81] He ultimately choose to makeEraser (1996), the Christmas comedyJingle All The Way (1996), and the comic book-basedBatman & Robin (1997), in which he played thesupervillainMr. Freeze instead. This was his final film before taking time to recuperate from a back injury.[citation needed] Following the critical failure ofBatman & Robin, his film career and box office prominence went into decline. He returned with the supernatural thrillerEnd of Days (1999), later followed by the action filmsThe 6th Day (2000) andCollateral Damage (2002), both of which failed to do well at the box office. In 2003, he made his third appearance as the title character inTerminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which went on to earn over $150 million domestically (equivalent to $256 million today).[82]
Arnold Schwarzenegger's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
In tribute to Schwarzenegger in 2002, Forum Stadtpark, a local cultural association, proposed plans to build a 25-meter-tall (80 ft)Terminator statue in a park in centralGraz. Schwarzenegger reportedly said he was flattered, but thought the money would be better spent on social projects and theSpecial Olympics.[83]
2004–2010: Hiatus
His film appearances after becoming Governor of California included a three-second cameo appearance inThe Rundown and the 2004 remake ofAround the World in 80 Days. In 2005, he appeared as himself in the filmThe Kid & I. He voicedBaron von Steuben in theLiberty's Kids episode "Valley Forge". He had been rumored to be appearing inTerminator Salvation as the original T-800; he denied his involvement,[84] but he ultimately did appear briefly via his image being inserted into the movie from stock footage of the firstTerminator film.[85][86] Schwarzenegger appeared in Sylvester Stallone'sThe Expendables (2010), where he made acameo appearance.
2011–2019: Return to acting and franchise success
In January 2011, just weeks after leaving office in California, Schwarzenegger announced that he was reading several new scripts for future films, one of them being the World War II action dramaWith Wings as Eagles, written byRandall Wallace, based on a true story.[87][88]
On March 6, 2011, at the Arnold Seminar of the Arnold Classic, Schwarzenegger revealed that he was being considered for several films, including sequels toThe Terminator and remakes ofPredator andThe Running Man, and that he was "packaging" a comic book character.[89] The character was later revealed to be the Governator, star of the comic book and animated series of the same name. Schwarzenegger inspired the character and co-developed it withStan Lee, who would have produced the series. Schwarzenegger would have voiced the Governator.[90][91][92][93]
On May 20, 2011, Schwarzenegger's entertainment counsel announced that all film projects currently in development were being halted: "Schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines."[94] On July 11, 2011, it was announced that Schwarzenegger was considering a comeback film, despite legal problems related to his divorce.[95] He starred inThe Expendables 2 (2012) as Trench Mauser,[96] and starred inThe Last Stand (2013), his first leading role in 10 years, andEscape Plan (2013), his first co-starring role alongside Sylvester Stallone. He starred inSabotage, released in March 2014, and returned as Trench Mauser inThe Expendables 3, released in August 2014. He starred in the fifth Terminator filmTerminator Genisys in 2015.[11][32][73][97] He then planned to reprise his role asConan the Barbarian inThe Legend of Conan,[98][99] later renamedConan the Conqueror.[100] However, in April 2017, producer Chris Morgan stated that Universal had dropped the project, although there was a possibility of a TV show. The story of the film was supposed to be set 30 years after the first, with some inspiration fromClint Eastwood'sUnforgiven.[101]
In September 2015, the media announced that Schwarzenegger was to replaceDonald Trump as host ofThe New Celebrity Apprentice.[102] This show, the 15th season ofThe Apprentice, aired during the 2016–2017 TV season. In the show, he used the phrases "you're terminated" and "get to the choppa", which are quotes from some of his famous roles (The Terminator andPredator, respectively), when firing the contestants.[103][104] In March 2017, following repeated criticisms from Trump, Schwarzenegger announced that he would not return for another season on the show. He also reacted to Trump's remarks in January 2017 via Instagram: "Hey, Donald, I have a great idea. Why don't we switch jobs? You take over TV because you're such an expert in ratings, and I take over your job, and then people can finally sleep comfortably again."[105]
In August 2016, his filming of action-comedyKilling Gunther was temporarily interrupted by bank robbers near the filming location inSurrey, British Columbia.[106] The film was released in September 2017. He was announced to star and produce in a film about the ruins ofSanxingdui calledThe Guest of Sanxingdui as an ambassador.[107]
On February 6, 2018,Amazon Studios announced they were working with Schwarzenegger to develop a new series,Outrider, in which he will star and executive produce. The western-drama set in the Oklahoma Indian Territory in the late 19th century will follow a deputy (portrayed by Schwarzenegger) who is tasked with apprehending a legendary outlaw in the wilderness, but is forced to partner with a ruthless Federal Marshal to make sure justice is properly served. The series would have been Schwarzenegger's first major scripted TV role[108] but was never completed.
Schwarzenegger returned to theTerminator franchise withTerminator: Dark Fate, which was released on November 1, 2019. It was produced by the series' co-creator James Cameron, who directed him previously in the first two films in the series and inTrue Lies.[109][110] It was shot inAlmería, Hungary and the US.[111]
2020–present: Streaming projects
In 2021, Schwarzenegger headlined the animated superhero streaming seriesSuperhero Kindergarten onKartoon Channel. He voiced the lead character Captain Fantastic, created byStan Lee,Andy Heyward, and himself.[112] He made a cameo inFXX adult animated sitcomLittle Demon during an episode.[113] He starred inNetflix docuseries based on his own lifeArnold (2023), covering his bodybuilding, acting, and political career.[114]
For the first time, Schwarzenegger played a leading role in a television series,FUBAR (2023), an action comedy on Netflix. He portrayed Luke Brunner, a veteran CIA operator. The show received mixed reviews but had a successful launch week, debuting at number one.[115][116] It was greenlit for a second season, which released in 2025.[117] The series was canceled after two seasons.
He voice acted the boastful monarch King Aelstrom in the episode "New World: The Once And Future King" in the anthology seriesSecret Level (2024) onAmazon Prime. His character was a parody of his ownConan character, endlessly failing to conquer an island, only to die and resurrect repeatedly.[118]
Schwarzenegger has been a registeredRepublican for many years. When he was an actor, his political views were always well known as they contrasted with those of many other prominent Hollywood stars, who are generally considered to be a left-wing andDemocratic-leaning community. At the2004 Republican National Convention, Schwarzenegger gave a speech and explained that he was a Republican because he believed the Democrats of the 1960s sounded too much likeAustrian socialists.[119]
I finally arrived here in 1968. What a special day it was. I remember I arrived here with empty pockets but full of dreams, full of determination, full of desire. Thepresidential campaign was in full swing. I remember watching theNixon–Humphrey presidential race on TV. A friend of mine who spoke German and English translated for me. I heard Humphrey saying things that sounded like socialism, which I had just left.But then I heard Nixon speak. He was talking about free enterprise, getting the government off your back, lowering the taxes and strengthening the military. Listening to Nixon speak sounded more like a breath of fresh air. I said to my friend, I said, "What party is he?" My friend said, "He's a Republican." I said, "Then I am a Republican." And I have been a Republican ever since.
Arnold Schwarzenegger on Capitol Hill in 1991 for an event related to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
I truly believe that the series has changed my life, and when you have such a powerful experience as that, I think you shouldn't keep it to yourself, so I wanted to share it with you. Being 'free to choose' for me means being free to make your own decisions, free to live your own life, pursue your own goals, chase your own rainbow without the government breathing down on your neck or standing on your shoes. For me that meant coming here to America, because I came from a socialistic country where the government controls the economy. It's a place where you can hear 18-year-old kids already talking about their pension. But me, I wanted more. I wanted to be the best. Individualism like that is incompatible with socialism. So I felt I had to come to America.[121][122]
Schwarzenegger goes on to tell of how he and his then wife Maria Shriver were inPalm Springs preparing to play a game ofmixed doubles when Milton Friedman's famous show came on the television. Schwarzenegger recalls that while watching Friedman'sFree to Choose, Schwarzenegger, "... recognized Friedman from the study of my own degree in economics, but I didn't know I was watching Free to Choose ... it knocked me out. Dr. Friedman expressed, validated and explained everything I ever thought or experienced or observed about the way the economy works, and I guess I was really ready to hear it."[122] Numerous critics state that Schwarzenegger strayed from much of Friedman's economic ways of thinking in later years, especially upon being elected Governor of California from 2003 through 2011.[123][124]
Schwarzenegger's first political appointment was as chairman of thePresident's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, on which he served from 1990 to 1993.[17] He was nominated by the then-President Bush, who dubbed him "Conan the Republican". He later served as chairman for the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under GovernorPete Wilson.
Between 1993 and 1994, Schwarzenegger was aRed Cross ambassador (a ceremonial role fulfilled by celebrities), recording several television and radiopublic service announcements to donate blood.
In an interview withTalk magazine in late 1999, Schwarzenegger was asked if he thought of running for office. He replied, "I think about it many times. The possibility is there because I feel it inside."The Hollywood Reporter claimed shortly after that Schwarzenegger sought to end speculation that he might run forgovernor of California. Following his initial comments, Schwarzenegger said, "I'm in show business – I am in the middle of my career. Why would I go away from that and jump into something else?"[125]
"Governator" redirects here. For the song, seeAmerican Idiot.
Schwarzenegger's official portrait as Governor of California, 2003
Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy in the2003 California recall election for Governor of California on the August 6, 2003, episode ofThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[32] Schwarzenegger had the most name recognition in a crowded field of candidates, but he had never held public office and his political views were unknown to most Californians. His candidacy immediately became national and international news, with media outlets dubbing him the "Governator" (referring toThe Terminator movies, see above) and "The Running Man" (the name of another one of his films), and calling the recall election "Total Recall" (another movie starring Schwarzenegger). Schwarzenegger declined to participate in several debates with other recall replacement candidates, and appeared in only one debate on September 24, 2003.[126]
PresidentGeorge W. Bush meets with Schwarzenegger after his successful election to the California Governorship.
On October 7, 2003, the recall election resulted in GovernorGray Davis being removed from office with 55.4% of theYes vote in favor of a recall. Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California under the second question on the ballot with 48.6% of the vote to choose a successor to Davis. Schwarzenegger defeated DemocratCruz Bustamante, fellow RepublicanTom McClintock, and others. His nearest rival, Bustamante, received 31% of the vote. In total, Schwarzenegger won the election by about 1.3 million votes. Under the regulations of theCalifornia Constitution, no runoff election was required. Schwarzenegger was the second foreign-born governor of California after Irish-born GovernorJohn G. Downey in 1862.
Schwarzenegger is amoderate Republican.[127] He says he is fiscally conservative and socially liberal.[128] On the issue of abortion, he describes himself aspro-choice, but supports parental notification for minors and a ban on partial-birth abortion.[129] He has supported gay rights, such as domestic partnerships, and he performed a same-sex marriage as governor.[130] However, Schwarzenegger vetoed bills that would have legalizedsame-sex marriage in California in 2005 and 2007.[131][132] He additionally vetoed two bills that would have implemented asingle-payer health care system in California in 2006[133][134] and 2008,[135] respectively.
Schwarzenegger was entrenched in what he considered to be his mandate in cleaning uppolitical gridlock. Building on a catchphrase from the sketch "Hans and Franz" fromSaturday Night Live (which partly parodied his bodybuilding career), Schwarzenegger called the Democratic State politicians "girlie men".[136]
Arnold Schwarzenegger in June 2010
Schwarzenegger's early victories included repealing an unpopular increase in the vehicle registration fee as well as preventing driver's licenses from being given out to illegal immigrants, but later he began to feel the backlash when powerful state unions began to oppose his various initiatives. Key among his reckoning with political realities was aspecial election he called in November 2005, in which four ballot measures he sponsored were defeated. Schwarzenegger accepted personal responsibility for the defeats and vowed to continue to seek consensus for the people of California. He later commented that "no one could win if the opposition raised 160 million dollars to defeat you". The U.S. Supreme Court later found the public employee unions' use of compulsory fundraising during the campaign had been illegal inKnox v. Service Employees International Union, Local 1000.[137]
Schwarzenegger, against the advice of fellow Republican strategists, appointed a Democrat, Susan Kennedy, as his Chief of Staff. He gradually moved towards a more politically moderate position, determined to build a winning legacy with only a short time to go until the next gubernatorial election.[citation needed]
Schwarzenegger ran for re-election against DemocratPhil Angelides, theCalifornia State Treasurer, in the2006 elections, held on November 7, 2006. Despite a poor year nationally for the Republican party, Schwarzenegger won re-election with 56.0% of the vote compared with 38.9% for Angelides, a margin of well over 1 million votes.[138] Around this time, many commentators saw Schwarzenegger as moving away from the right and towards the center of the political spectrum. After hearing a speech by Schwarzenegger at the 2006Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast, in which Schwarzenegger said, in part "How wrong I was when I said everyone has an equal opportunity to make it in America ... the state of California does not provide [equal] education for all of our children", San Francisco mayor and future governor of CaliforniaGavin Newsom said: "He's becoming a Democrat ... He's running back, not even to the center. I would say center-left."[139]
Some speculated that Schwarzenegger might run for theUnited States Senate in 2010, as his governorship would be term-limited by that time. Such rumors turned out to be false.[140][141]
Wendy Leigh, who wrote an unofficial biography on Schwarzenegger, claims he plotted his political rise from an early age using the movie business and bodybuilding as the means to escape a depressing home.[25] Leigh portrays Schwarzenegger as obsessed with power and quotes him as saying, "I wanted to be part of the small percentage of people who were leaders, not the large mass of followers. I think it is because I saw leaders use 100% of their potential – I was always fascinated by people in control of other people."[25] Schwarzenegger has said that it was never his intention to enter politics, but he says, "I married into a political family. You get together with them and you hear about policy, about reaching out to help people. I was exposed to the idea of being a public servant and Eunice andSargent Shriver became my heroes."[44]Eunice Kennedy Shriver was the sister ofJohn F. Kennedy, and mother-in-law to Schwarzenegger; Sargent Shriver is husband to Eunice and father-in-law to Schwarzenegger.[citation needed]
Schwarzenegger cannot run for U.S. president as he is not anatural-born citizen of the United States. Schwarzenegger is adual Austrian and United States citizen.[142] He has heldAustrian citizenship since birth andU.S. citizenship since becoming naturalized in 1983. Being Austrian and thus European, he was able to win the 2007European Voice campaigner of the year award for taking action against climate change with the CaliforniaGlobal Warming Solutions Act of 2006 and plans to introduce an emissions trading scheme with other US states and possibly with the EU.[143]
Governor Schwarzenegger during his visit toNaval Medical Center in San Diego, July 2010
Because of his personal wealth from his acting career, Schwarzenegger did not accept his governor's salary of $175,000 per year.[144]
Schwarzenegger's endorsement in theRepublican primaries of the2008 presidential election was highly sought; despite being good friends with candidatesRudy Giuliani and SenatorJohn McCain, Schwarzenegger remained neutral throughout 2007 and early 2008. Giuliani dropped out of the presidential race on January 30, 2008, largely because of a poor showing in Florida, and endorsed McCain. Later that night, Schwarzenegger was in the audience at a Republican debate at theRonald Reagan Presidential Library in California. The following day, he endorsed McCain, joking, "It's Rudy's fault!" (in reference to his friendships with both candidates and that he could not make up his mind). Schwarzenegger's endorsement was thought to be a boost for Senator McCain's campaign; both spoke about their concerns for the environment and economy.[145]
Governor Schwarzenegger played a significant role in opposingProposition 66, a proposed amendment of the CalifornianThree Strikes Law, in November 2004. This amendment would have required the third felony to be either violent or serious to mandate a 25-years-to-life sentence. In the last week before the ballot, Schwarzenegger launched an intense campaign[148] against Proposition 66.[149] He stated that "it would release 26,000 dangerous criminals and rapists".[150]
Although he began his tenure as governor with record high approval ratings (as high as 65% in May 2004),[151] he left office with a near-record low 23%,[152] only one percentage point higher than that of Gray Davis, his predecessor, when he was recalled in October 2003.[153]
In May 2010, Esteban Núñez pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 16 years in prison for thedeath of Luis Santos. Núñez is the son ofFabian Núñez, thenCalifornia Assembly Speaker of the House and a close friend and staunch political ally of then governor Schwarzenegger.[154][155][156][157]
As a personal favor to "a friend", just hours before he left office, and as one of his last official acts, Schwarzeneggercommuted Núñez's sentence by more than half, to seven years.[156][158][159] He believed that Núñez's sentence was "excessive" in comparison with the same prison term imposed on Ryan Jett, the man who fatally stabbed Santos.[160] Against protocol, Schwarzenegger did not inform Santos' family or the San Diego County prosecutors about the commutation. They learned about it in a call from a reporter.[159]
The Santos family, along with the San Diego district attorney, sued to stop the commutation, claiming that it violatedMarsy's Law. In September 2012, Sacramento County superior court judge Lloyd Connelly stated, "Based on the evidentiary records before this court involving this case, there was an abuse of discretion ... This was a distasteful commutation. It was repugnant to the bulk of the citizenry of this state." However, Connelly ruled that Schwarzenegger remained within his executive powers as governor.[154] Subsequently, as a direct result of the way the commutation was handled, GovernorJerry Brown signed a bipartisan bill that allows offenders' victims and their families to be notified at least 10 days before any commutations.[161] Núñez was released from prison after serving less than six years.[162]
During hisinitial campaign for governor in 2003, allegations of sexual and personal misconduct were raised against Schwarzenegger.[163] Within the last five days before the election, news reports appeared in theLos Angeles Times recounting decades-old allegations of sexual misconduct from six individual women.[164][163] Schwarzenegger responded to the allegations in 2004 admitting that he has "behaved badly sometimes" and apologized, but also stated that "a lot of [what] you see in the stories is not true".[165] One of the women who came forward was British television personalityAnna Richardson, who settled a libel lawsuit in August 2006 against Schwarzenegger; his top aide, Sean Walsh; and his publicist, Sheryl Main.[166] A joint statement read: "The parties are content to put this matter behind them and are pleased that this legal dispute has now been settled."[166][167] In 2023, Schwarzenegger revisited the issue while promoting his new three-part biographical documentary on Netflix calledArnold. Schwarzenegger stated that he was "totally wrong".[168]
Marijuana use
During this time a 1977 interview in adult magazineOui gained attention, in which Schwarzenegger discussed using substances such asmarijuana.[169] Schwarzenegger is shown smoking a marijuana joint after winning Mr. Olympia in 1975 in the documentary filmPumping Iron (1977). In an interview withGQ magazine in October 2007, Schwarzenegger said, "[Marijuana] is not a drug. It's a leaf. My drug was pumping iron, trust me."[170] His spokesperson later said the comment was meant to be a joke.[170]
Citizenship
Schwarzenegger in 2004
Schwarzenegger became anaturalized U.S. citizen on September 17, 1983.[171] Shortly before he gained his citizenship, he asked the Austrian authorities for the right to keep hisAustrian citizenship, as Austria does not usually allowdual citizenship. His request was granted, and he retained his Austrian citizenship.[172]
In 2005,Peter Pilz, a member of theAustrian Parliament from theAustrian Green Party, unsuccessfully advocated for Parliament to revoke Schwarzenegger's Austrian citizenship under Article 33 of the Austrian Citizenship Act, which states: "A citizen, who is in the public service of a foreign country, shall be deprived of his citizenship if he heavily damages the reputation or the interests of the Austrian Republic.". Pilz felt that Schwarzenegger's decision not to intervene in the executions ofDonald Beardslee andStanley Williams had done so.[142] The death penalty in Austria had been abolished in 1968.
Environmental record
On September 27, 2006, Schwarzenegger signed theGlobal Warming Solutions Act of 2006, creating the nation's first cap ongreenhouse gas emissions. The law set new regulations on the amount of emissions utilities, refineries, and manufacturing plants are allowed to release into the atmosphere. Schwarzenegger also signed a second global warming bill that prohibits large utilities and corporations in California from making long-term contracts with suppliers who do not meet the state's greenhouse gas emission standards. The two bills are part of a plan to reduce California's emissions by 25 percent to 1990s levels by 2020. In 2005, Schwarzenegger issued an executive order calling to reduce greenhouse gases to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.[173]
Schwarzenegger signed another executive order on October 17, 2006, allowing California to work with the Northeast'sRegional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. They plan to reducecarbon dioxide emissions by issuing a limited amount of carbon credits to each power plant in participating states. Any power plants that exceed emissions for the number of carbon credits will have to purchase more credits to cover the difference. The plan took effect in 2009.[174] In addition to using his political power to fight global warming, the governor has taken steps at his home to reduce his personal carbon footprint. Schwarzenegger has adapted one of hisHummers to run on hydrogen and another to run on biofuels. He has also installed solar panels to heat his home.[175]
In respect for his contribution to the direction of the US motor industry, Schwarzenegger was invited to open the 2009SAE World Congress in Detroit on April 20, 2009.[176]
In 2011, Schwarzenegger founded theR20 Regions of Climate Action to develop a sustainable,low-carbon economy.[177] In 2017, he joined French PresidentEmmanuel Macron in calling for the adoption of aGlobal Pact for the Environment.[178]In 2017, Schwarzenegger launched the Austrian World Summit,[179] an international climate conference that is held annually in Vienna, Austria. The Austrian World Summit is organized by the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative and aims is to bring together representatives from politics, civil society and business to create a broad alliance for climate protection and to identify concrete solutions to the climate crisis.
Presidential aspirations by the Austrian-born Schwarzenegger would be blocked by aconstitutional hurdle;Article II, Section I, Clause V, prevents individuals who are not natural-born citizens of the United States from assuming the office. TheEqual Opportunity to Govern Amendment in 2003 was widely accredited as the "Amend for Arnold" bill, which would have added anamendment to the U.S. Constitution allowing his run. In 2004, the "Amend for Arnold" campaign was launched, featuring a website and TV advertising promotion.[180][181]
In June 2007, Schwarzenegger was featured on the cover ofTime magazine withMichael Bloomberg, and subsequently, the two joked about a presidential ticket together.[182][183]
Business career
Schwarzenegger has also enjoyed a highly successful business career.[25][44] Following his move to the United States, Schwarzenegger became a "prolific goal setter" and would write his objectives at the start of the year on index cards, like starting a mail order business or buying a new car – and succeed in doing so.[38] As a result of his early business and investment success, Schwarzenegger became a millionaire by the age of 25, well before making a name for himself in Hollywood. His path to financial independence came as a result of his success as a proactive businessman and investor involved with a series of lucrative business ventures and real estate investments.[184]
Early ventures
In 1968, Schwarzenegger and fellow bodybuilderFranco Columbu started a bricklaying business. The business flourished thanks to the pair's marketing savvy and an increased demand following the1971 San Fernando earthquake.[185][186] When signs of profitability emerged as business began to pick up, Schwarzenegger and Columbu rolled over the profits from their bricklaying venture to go on and start their own mail-order business that sold bodybuilding and fitness-related equipment and instructional tapes.[17][185]
Investments
Schwarzenegger transferred profits from the mail-order business and his bodybuilding-competition winnings by rolling the proceeds into his first real estate investment: an apartment building he purchased for $10,000. Schwarzenegger made millions of dollars by investing in a variety of real estate holding companies both within the United States and around the world.[187][188] Schwarzenegger and fellow Hollywood veteran actor and industry adversarySylvester Stallonebrought their long-storied industry rivalry to an end by both investing in thePlanet Hollywood[189] chain of international theme restaurants (modeled after theHard Rock Cafe) along withBruce Willis andDemi Moore. However, Schwarzenegger severed his financial ties with the chain in early 2000.[190][191] Schwarzenegger remarked that the restaurant did not achieve the success that he had hoped for, claiming he wanted to focus his attention on "new US global business ventures" and his then-burgeoning acting career.[190]
Schwarzenegger also made a private commercial real estate investment in theEaston Town Center, a shopping mall based inColumbus, Ohio.[192] He has talked about some of the mentors who have helped him over the years in business: "I couldn't have learned about business without a parade of teachers guiding me ... fromMilton Friedman toDonald Trump ... and now,Les Wexner andWarren Buffett. I even learned a thing or two from Planet Hollywood, such as when to get out! And I did!"[34] He has significant equity ownership inDimensional Fund Advisors, an Austin-based investment firm.[193] Schwarzenegger is also the owner of Arnold's Sports Festival, a sports and fitness festival which he started in 1989 and which is held annually in Columbus, Ohio. It is a festival that hosts thousands of international health and fitness professionals which has also expanded into a three-day expo. He also owns a film production company called Oak Productions, Inc. and Fitness Publications, a joint book publishing venture partnered withSimon & Schuster.[194]
In 2018, Schwarzenegger partnered with basketball playerLeBron James to establish Ladder, a company that developed nutritional supplements to help athletes with severe cramps. The pair sold Ladder to Openfit for an undisclosed amount in 2020 after reporting more than $4 million in sales for that year.[195]
Restaurant
In 1992, Schwarzenegger and his wife opened a restaurant inSanta Monica called Schatzi On Main.Schatzi literally means "little treasure", and colloquially "honey" or "darling" in German. In 1998, he sold his restaurant.[196]
In 2024,Forbes estimated that Schwarzenegger was a billionaire.[197]
In June 1997, Schwarzenegger spent $38 million on a private Gulfstream jet.[198]
Regarding his private fortune, Schwarzenegger once quipped: "Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million, but I was just as happy when I had $48 million."[25]
In 2003, Schwarzenegger's net worth was conservatively estimated at $100 million to $200 million.[199]
After separating from his wife,Maria Shriver, in 2011, it was estimated that his net worth had been approximately $400 million, and even as high as $800 million, based on tax returns he filed in 2006.[200]
Commercial advertisements
Schwarzenegger has also appeared in a series of commercials for theMachine Zone gameMobile Strike as a military commander and spokesman.[201]
Personal life
Early relationships
In 1969, Schwarzenegger met Barbara Outland (later Barbara Outland Baker), an English teacher with whom he lived until 1974.[202] The couple first met six to eight months after his arrival in the U.S. Their first date was watching thefirst Apollo Moon landing on television.[38] They shared an apartment inSanta Monica, California, for three and a half years, and having little money, they would visit the beach all day or have barbecues in the back yard.[38] Although Baker claims that when she first met Schwarzenegger, he had "little understanding of polite society" and she found him a turn-off, she says, "He's as much aself-made man as it's possible to be—he never got encouragement from his parents, his family, his brother. He just had this huge determination to prove himself, and that was very attractive ... I'll go to my grave knowing Arnold loved me."[38] Schwarzenegger said of Baker in his 1977 memoir, "Basically it came down to this: she was a well-balanced woman who wanted an ordinary, solid life, and I was not a well-balanced man, and hated the very idea of ordinary life."[202] Baker has described Schwarzenegger as a "joyful personality, totally charismatic, adventurous, and athletic" but claims that towards the end of the relationship he became "insufferable—classically conceited—the world revolved around him".[203] Baker published her memoir in 2006,Arnold and Me: In the Shadow of the Austrian Oak.[204] Although Baker painted an unflattering portrait of her former lover at times, Schwarzenegger actually contributed to thetell-all book with a foreword, and also met with Baker for three hours.[204] Baker claims that she only learned of his being unfaithful after they split, and talks of a turbulent and passionate love life.[204] Schwarzenegger has made it clear that their respective recollection of events can differ.[204]
Schwarzenegger met his next lover,Beverly Hills hairdresser's assistant Sue Moray, onVenice Beach in July 1977. According to Moray, the couple led anopen relationship: "We were faithful when we were both in LA ... but when he was out of town, we were free to do whatever we wanted."[26]
Schwarzenegger met television journalist Maria Shriver, niece of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, at the Robert F. Kennedy Tennis Tournament in August 1977. He went on to have a relationship with both Moray and Shriver until August 1978 when Moray (who knew of his relationship with Shriver) issued an ultimatum.[26]
On May 9, 2011, Shriver and Schwarzenegger ended their relationship after 25 years of marriage with Shriver moving out of their Brentwood mansion.[215][216][217]
Pursuant to the divorce judgment, Schwarzenegger kept the Brentwood home, while Shriver purchased a new home nearby so that the children could travel between their parents' homes. They shared custody of the two youngest children.[218] Schwarzenegger came under fire after the initial petition did not include spousal support and a reimbursement of attorney's fees.[98] However, he claims this was not intentional and that he signed the initial documents without having properly read them.[98] He filed amended divorce papers remedying this.[98][219] Schwarzenegger and Shriver finalized their divorce in 2021, ten years after separating.[220][221]
In June 2022, a jury ruled that Maria Shriver was entitled to half of her ex-husband's post-divorce savings that he earned from 1986 to 2011, including a pension.[222]
On May 16, 2011, theLos Angeles Times revealed that Schwarzenegger had fathered a son,Joseph, more than 14 years earlier with an employee in their household, Mildred Patricia "Patty" Baena.[223][224][225] "After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago," Schwarzenegger said to theTimes. In the statement, Schwarzenegger did not mention that he had confessed to his wife only after she had confronted him with the information, which she had done after confirming with the housekeeper what she had suspected about the child.[226] Baena is ofGuatemalan origin. She was employed by the family for 20 years and retired in January 2011.[227] The pregnant Baena was working in the home while Shriver was pregnant with the youngest of the couple's four children.[228] Baena's son with Schwarzenegger was born five days after Shriver gave birth.[229][230] Schwarzenegger said that it took seven or eight years before he found out that he had fathered a child with his housekeeper. It was not until the boy "started looking like [him] ... that [he] put things together".[231] Schwarzenegger has taken financial responsibility for the child "from the start and continued to provide support".[232]KNX 1070 radio reported that, in 2010, he bought a new four-bedroom house with a pool for Baena and their son inBakersfield, California.[233] Baena separated from her husband, Rogelio, a few months afterJoseph's birth. She filed for divorce in 2008.[234] Rogelio said that the child's birth certificate was falsified and that he planned to sue Schwarzenegger for engaging in conspiracy to falsify a public document, a serious crime in California.[235]
When asked in January 2014, "Of all the things you are famous for ... which are you least proud of?" Schwarzenegger replied, "I'm least proud of the mistakes I made that caused my family pain and split us up."[236][237][238][239]
Accidents, injuries, and other health problems
Health problems
Schwarzenegger was born with abicuspid aortic valve, an aortic valve with only two leaflets, where a normal aortic valve has three.[240][241] He opted in 1997 for a replacement heart valve made from his ownpulmonary valve, which itself was replaced with a cadaveric pulmonic valve, in aRoss procedure; medical experts predicted he would require pulmonic heart valve replacement surgery within the next two to eight years because his valve would progressively degrade. Schwarzenegger apparently opted against a mechanical valve, the only permanent solution available at the time of his surgery, because it would have sharply limited his physical activity and capacity to exercise.[242]
On March 29, 2018, Schwarzenegger underwent emergency open-heart surgery for replacement of his replacement pulmonic valve.[243] He said about his recovery: "I underwent open-heart surgery this spring, I had to use a walker. I had to do breathing exercises five times a day to retrain my lungs. I was frustrated and angry, and in my worst moments, I couldn't see the way back to my old self."[244]
In 2020, 23 years after his first surgery, Schwarzenegger underwent a surgery for a new aortic valve.[245]
Accidents and injuries
On December 9, 2001, he broke six ribs and was hospitalized for four days after a motorcycle crash in Los Angeles.[246]
Schwarzenegger saved a drowning man in 2004 while on vacation in Hawaii by swimming out and bringing him back to shore.[247]
On January 8, 2006, while Schwarzenegger was riding hisHarley-Davidson motorcycle in Los Angeles with his son Patrick in the sidecar, another driver backed into the street he was riding on, causing him and his son to collide with the car at a low speed. While his son and the other driver were unharmed, Schwarzenegger sustained an injury to his lip requiring 15 stitches. "No citations were issued", said Officer Jason Lee, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman.[248] Schwarzenegger did not obtain his motorcycle license until July 3, 2006.[249]
Schwarzenegger tripped over his ski pole and broke his rightfemur while skiing inSun Valley, Idaho, with his family on December 23, 2006.[250] On December 26, he underwent a 90-minute operation in which cables and screws were used to wire the broken bone back together. He was released fromSt. Johns Hospital and Health Center on December 30, 2006.[251]
Schwarzenegger's private jet made an emergency landing atVan Nuys Airport on June 19, 2009, after the pilot reported smoke coming from the cockpit, according to a statement released by his press secretary. No one was harmed in the incident.[252]
On May 18, 2019, while on a visit to South Africa, Schwarzenegger was attacked anddropkicked from behind by an unknown malefactor while giving autographs to his fans at one of the local schools. Despite the surprise and unprovoked nature of the attack, he reportedly suffered no injuries and continued to interact with fans. The attacker was apprehended and Schwarzenegger declined to press charges against him.[253][254][255]
Schwarzenegger was involved in a multi-vehicle collision on the afternoon of Friday, January 21, 2022. Schwarzenegger was driving a blackGMC Yukon SUV near the intersections ofSunset Boulevard and Allenford Avenue in theBrentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, when his vehicle collided with a redToyota Prius. The driver of the Prius was transported to the hospital for injuries sustained to her head. Schwarzenegger was uninjured.[256][257][258]
Height
Schwarzenegger's official height of 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) has been brought into question by several articles. During his bodybuilding days in the late 1960s, it was claimed that he measured 6 ft 1.5 in (1.867 m). However, in 1988, both theDaily Mail andTime Out magazine mentioned that Schwarzenegger appeared noticeably shorter.[259] Prior to running for governor, Schwarzenegger's height was once again questioned in an article by theChicago Reader.[260] As governor, Schwarzenegger engaged in a light-hearted exchange with AssemblymanHerb Wesson over their heights. At one point, Wesson made an unsuccessful attempt to, in his own words, "settle this once and for all and find out how tall he is" by using a tailor's tape measure on the Governor.[261] Schwarzenegger retaliated by placing a pillow stitched with the words "Need a lift?" on the five-foot-five-inch (1.65 m) Wesson's chair before a negotiating session in his office.[262] DemocratBob Mulholland also claimed Schwarzenegger was 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) and that he wore risers in his boots.[263] In 1999,Men's Health magazine stated his height was 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m).[264]
Autobiography
Schwarzenegger's autobiography,Total Recall, was released in October 2012. He devotes one chapter called "The Secret" to his extramarital affair. The majority of his book is about his successes in the three major chapters in his life: bodybuilder, actor, and Governor of California.[265] Schwarzenegger released a second book in 2023 titledBe Useful: Seven Tools for Life, which features life advice and again touches on his life experiences.
Vehicles
Growing up duringAllied-occupied Austria, Schwarzenegger commonly saw heavy military vehicles such as tanks as a child.[266] As a result, he paid $20,000 to bring his Austrian ArmyM47 Patton tank (331) to the United States,[267] which he previously operated during his mandatory service in 1965. However, he later obtained his vehicle in 1991/2,[268] during his tenure as the Chairmen of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition,[269] and now uses it to support his charity.[268] His first car ever was anOpel Kadett in 1969 after serving in the Austrian army, then he rode aHarley-Davidson Fat Boy in 1991.[270]
Moreover, he came to develop an interest in large vehicles and became the first civilian in the U.S. to purchase aHumvee. He was so enamored by the vehicle that he lobbied the Humvee's manufacturer,AM General, to produce astreet-legal, civilian version, which they did in 1992; the first twoHummer H1s they sold were also purchased by Schwarzenegger. In 2010, he had one regular and three running on non-fossil power sources; one forhydrogen, one forvegetable oil, and one forbiodiesel.[271] Schwarzenegger was in the news in 2014 for buying a rareBugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. He was spotted and filmed in 2015 in his car, painted silver with bright aluminium forged wheels. His Bugatti has its interior adorned in dark brown leather.[272] In 2017, Schwarzenegger acquired aMercedes G-Class modified forall-electric drive.[273]
The Hummers that Schwarzenegger bought in 1992 are so large—each weighs 6,300 lb (2,900 kg) and is 7 feet (2.1 m) wide—that they are classified as large trucks, and U.S. fuel economy regulations do not apply to them. During the gubernatorial recall campaign, he announced that he would convert one of his Hummers to burn hydrogen. The conversion was reported to have cost about $21,000. After the election, he signed an executive order to jump-start the building of hydrogen refueling plants called theCalifornia Hydrogen Highway Network, and gained aUnited States Department of Energy grant to help pay for its projected US$91 million cost.[274] California took delivery of the first H2H (Hydrogen Hummer) in October 2004.[275]
Schwarzenegger was nicknamed the "Austrian Oak" in his bodybuilding days, "Arnie" or "Schwarzy" during his acting career,[276] and "the Governator" (a portmanteau of "Governor" and "Terminator") during his political career. He marriedMaria Shriver, a niece of the former U.S. presidentJohn F. Kennedy, in 1986. They separated in 2011 after he admitted to having fathered a child with their housemaid in 1997; their divorce was finalized in 2021.[277]
Schwarzenegger has been involved with theSpecial Olympics for many years after they were founded in 1968 by his later mother-in-lawEunice Kennedy Shriver.[278] In 2007, Schwarzenegger was the official spokesperson for the Special Olympics held in Shanghai, China.[279] Schwarzenegger believes that quality school opportunities should be made available to children who might not normally be able to access them.[280] In 1995, he founded the Inner City Games Foundation (ICG) which provides cultural, educational and community enrichment programming to youth. ICG is active in 15 cities around the country and serves over 250,000 children in over 400 schools countrywide.[280] He has also been involved with After-School All-Stars and founded the Los Angeles branch in 2002.[281] ASAS is an after school program provider, educating youth about health, fitness and nutrition.
Schwarzenegger had a collection of Marxist busts, which he requested from Russian friends during thedissolution of the Soviet Union, as they were being destroyed. In 2011, he revealed that his wife had requested their removal, but he kept the one ofVladimir Lenin present, since "he was the first".[283] In 2015, he said he kept the Lenin bust to "show losers".[284]
Schwarzenegger is a supporter of Israel, and has participated in a Los Angeles pro-Israel rally[285] among other similar events.[286] In 2004, Schwarzenegger visited Israel to break ground onSimon Wiesenthal Center'sMuseum of Tolerance Jerusalem, and to lay a wreath at theYad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, he also met with Prime MinisterAriel Sharon and PresidentMoshe Katsav.[287] In 2011, at theIndependence Day celebration hosted by the Israeli Consulate General in Los Angeles, Schwarzenegger said: "I love Israel. When I became governor, Israel was the first country that I visited. When I had the chance to sign a bill calling on California pension funds to divest their money from companies that do business withIran, I immediately signed that bill", then he added, "I knew that we could not send money to these crazy dictators who hate us and threaten Israel any time they have a bad day."[286]
Schwarzenegger with former Chancellor of AustriaChristian Kern in September 2017
Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy
In 2012, Schwarzenegger helped to found the Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, which is a part of theUSC Price School of Public Policy at theUniversity of Southern California.[299] The institute's mission is to "[advance] post-partisanship, where leaders put people over political parties and work together to find the best ideas and solutions to benefit the people they serve" and to "seek to influence public policy and public debate in finding solutions to the serious challenges we face".[300] Schwarzenegger serves as chairman of the institute.[301]
Schwarzenegger participating in a video promoting wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The video features appearances of all the living governors of California.
In 2017, Schwarzenegger condemnedwhite supremacists who were seen carrying Nazi and Confederate flags by calling their heroes "losers".[308]
In 2021, following theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack by supporters of President Donald Trump, Schwarzenegger posted a video address on social media in which he likened the insurrection toNazi Germany'sKristallnacht, which he described as "a night of rampage against the Jews carried out [by] the Nazi equivalent of theProud Boys." He spoke ofhis father's alcoholism, domestic violence, and abuse, and how it was typical of other former Nazis andcollaborators in thepost-war era; and described Trump as "a failed leader. He will go down in history as the worst president ever."[309][310]
In late March 2021, Schwarzenegger was interviewed byPolitico about the upcomingrecall election in California in which he said that "it's pretty much the same atmosphere today as it was then,"[311] and when he was asked about Newsom's claim of this being a "Republican recall" he responded that "this recall effort is sparked by ordinary folks," and that this was not a power grab by Republicans.[312][313]
Schwarzenegger has spoken out aboutCOVID-19, urging Americans to wear masks and practice social distancing. In August 2021, he said: "There is a virus here. It kills people and the only way we prevent it is: get vaccinated, wear masks, do social distancing, washing your hands all the time, and not just to think about, 'Well my freedom is being kind of disturbed here.' No, screw your freedom."[314]
On January 17, 2024, Schwarzenegger was detained by German authorities after failing to claim an item to customs agents after landing inMunich. A spokesperson for the customs agency said that Schwarzenegger would face criminal tax proceedings because he failed to declare an item that originated in a country that is not a part of the European Union. The item in question was a watch manufactured byAudemars Piguet, aSwiss company. A spokesperson for Schwarzenegger said that he was never asked to fill out a declaration form and he was compliant with officials upon his detainment. Schwarzenegger was held for three hours and was released after pre-paying potential taxes. The watch was subsequently auctioned off at a dinner inKitzbühel to raise funds for the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative the next day, fetching €270,000.[315][316]
On October 30, 2024, Schwarzenegger endorsedKamala Harris for president.[317]
Diet, health, and climate change
Schwarzenegger at the 2015 Munich Security Conference
At a 2015 security conference, Schwarzenegger calledclimate change the issue of our time,[318] and urged politicians to stop treating it as a political issue.[319] Next, in 2016, he collaborated on a campaign byWildAid, starring in thePSA, "Less Meat, Less Heat,"[320] that encourages people to eat less meat as a means of combating climate change.[321]
In February 2022, he said that he has "been about 80% plant-based for the past five years of my life",[324] and in 2025 he said that eats "mostly plants."[325] He also says that while he occasionally still consumes smaller amounts of animal products, following a mostlyplant-based diet is better for his "overall-health," and thatJames Cameron helped him to understand that it is better for the environment.[324]
Schwarzenegger has appeared in over 40 films, and has also ventured into directing and producing. He began his acting career primarily with small roles in film and television starting in 1969. In the 1980s, he became his primary character in two film franchises: asConan in theConan series and asThe Terminator in theTerminator series.
Schwarzenegger has received several awards and nominations for his work in films. InStay Hungry, one of his early roles, he won aGolden Globe Award for Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture. He has also been nominated for various awards for his roles inTerminator 2: Judgment Day,Junior, andTrue Lies. According toBox Office Mojo, a box office revenue tracking website, films in which Schwarzenegger has acted have grossed a total of more than $1.7 billion within the United States, with an average of $67 million per film and total $4.0 billion worldwide.[326] According toThe Numbers, another box office revenue tracking website, films in which Schwarzenegger has acted have total grossed around $4.5 billion worldwide.[327]
"A Day for Arnold" on July 30, 2007, inThal, Austria. For his 60th birthday, the mayor sent Schwarzenegger the enameled address sign (Thal 145) of the house where Schwarzenegger was born, declaring "This belongs to him. No one here will ever be assigned that number again".[333][341]
"Honor et Gloria" White Cross (No.179) – 2023; Ukrainian non-state decoration bestowed by the VGO "Kraina" (NGO) at the request of Mr Anatoliy Ostapenko (member of theVerkhovna Rada)[342]
Books
Schwarzenegger, Arnold (1977).Arnold: Developing a Mr. Universe Physique. Schwarzenegger.OCLC6457784.
^"profil: Schwarzeneggers Vater war SA-Mitglied".profil.Austria Press Agency. August 31, 2003. Archived fromthe original on March 21, 2025.Schwarzenegger wurde im Sommer 1942 verwundet, erkrankte an Malaria, befand sich in der Folge bis 1944 in Lazaretten und wurde dann als nicht mehr "feldverwendungsfähig" entlassen. (TRANSLATION: Schwarzenegger was wounded in the summer of 1942, fell ill with malaria, was subsequently in hospitals until 1944 and was then dismissed as no longer "field-capable".)
^Stelzl-Marx, Barbara; Bauer, Kurt; Hesztera, Gerald; Lewis, Mark; Neugebauer, Wolfgang; Lieske, Dagmar; Halbmayr, Brigitte; Pittroff, Benedikt; Hördler, Stefan; Loistl, Simone; Baumgartner, Gerhard; Garscha, Winfried R; Harten, Hans-Christian; Pohl, Dieter; Klemp, Stefan; Popielas, Daniel; Schreiner-Bozic, Marcus; Perzi, Niklas; Wallenstorfer, Richard; Kuretsidis-Haider, Claudia; Knoll, Harald; Beyrer, Michael; Muigg, Mario; Wenninger, Florian; Zerovnik, Martina; Stoffers, Nadjeschda; Hellensteiner, Peter; Mach, Stefan; Warlitsch, Doris (2024).Exekutive der Gewalt: Die österreichische Polizei und der Nationalsozialismus. Germany: Böhlau Wien. pp. 539–540.ISBN9783205218487. Archived fromthe original on November 19, 2025.Im Oktober 1938 nahm Gustav Schwarzenegger vermutlich an der Besetzung des Sudetenlandes und ab 1. September 1939 am Feldzug gegen Polen im rückwärtigen Operationsgebiet teil. Danach verblieb er in Polen, kam im Juni 1940 nach Frankreich, von wo er im Mai 1941 vorübergehend in die Heimat zurückkehrte. Ab Juni 1941 wurde er beim Überfall auf die Sowjetunion eingesetzt. Er gehörte als Stabsfeldwebel der motorisierten r. Kompanie der Feldgendarmerie-Abteilung 521 an. Im August 1942 erlitt er vor Leningrad eine schwere Verwundung, erkrankte später an Malaria und wurde nach längeren Aufenthalten in Lazaretten im Februar 1944 als »nicht mehr voll feldverwendungsfähig« entlassen. Ab Mai 1944 bis Kriegsende war er im Rang eines Hauptwachtmeisters der Gendarmerie als Preisüberwachungsbeamter beim Landrat in Mürzzuschlag eingeteilt. (TRANSLATION: In October 1938, Gustav Schwarzenegger presumably participated in the occupation of the Sudetenland and, from September 1, 1939, in the campaign against Poland in the rear area of operations. He then remained in Poland, arrived in France in June 1940, and from there temporarily returned to Germany in May 1941. From June 1941, he was deployed in the invasion of the Soviet Union. As a staff sergeant, he belonged to the motorized company of the 521st Field Gendarmerie (Military Police) Battalion. In August 1942, he suffered a severe wound near Leningrad, later contracted malaria, and after extended stays in military hospitals, was discharged in February 1944 as 'no longer fully fit for field duty.' From May 1944 until the end of the war, he was assigned to the district administration in Mürzzuschlag with the rank of Hauptwachtmeister (lit. 'head watch master;' master sergeant, senior sergeant or sergeant major) in the Ordnungspolizei (original text states 'Gendarmerie' but translator assumes 'Ordnungspolizei' was meant, as he was discharged and returned to OrPo service by this time, and 'Hauptwachtmeister' was an OrPo rank) as a price control officer.)
^Leeds, Jeff; Bates, James (August 22, 2003)."A degree of fame for each".Los Angeles Times.Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2023.
^Hyson, Sean (September 14, 2012)."Interview With Arnold".Sean Hyson: Fitness Distilled.Archived from the original on September 7, 2013. RetrievedJuly 1, 2015.
^Letterman, David (July 1994).David Letterman: Arnold Schwarzenegger interview (Television production).
^"History".Hotel Arthur.Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. RetrievedOctober 29, 2020.
^Schwarzenegger, Arnold (2012).Total Recall. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 141.ISBN978-1-84983-971-6.
^Buck, Jerry (April 22, 1990)."Arnold Schwarzenegger directs".Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Associated Press.Archived from the original on September 3, 2015. RetrievedOctober 19, 2014.
^Noonan, Peggy (October 14, 2003).What I Saw at the Revolution: A Political Life in the Reagan Era. New York: Random House. p. 384.ISBN978-0-8129-6989-4.
^Garvey, Megan; Salladay, Robert (November 1, 2004)."Prop. 66 in Tough Fight".Los Angeles Times.Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. RetrievedMarch 8, 2010.
^Cieply, Michael; Cohn, Gary; Eller, Claudia; Vincent, Roger (August 10, 2003)."Schwarzenegger Built a Vast Business Empire".Los Angeles Times.Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 22, 2023.
^Weintraub, Daniel."Schwarzenegger Blinked"(PDF). National Conference of State Legislators. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on June 4, 2007. RetrievedApril 18, 2008.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
