Arnold Schwarzenegger

"Schwarzenegger" redirects here. For other people with the name, see Schwarzenegger (surname).

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger in 2019
38th Governor of California
In office
November 17, 2003 – January 3, 2011
Lieutenant
Preceded byGray Davis
Succeeded byJerry Brown
Chairman of the President's Council
on Physical Fitness and Sports
In office
January 22, 1990 – May 27, 1993
President
Preceded byDick Kazmaier
Succeeded by
Personal details
Born
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger

(1947-07-30) July 30, 1947 (age 77)
Thal, Styria, Austria[a]
Citizenship
  • Austria
  • United States
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1986; div. 2021)​
Children5, including Katherine, Patrick and Joseph Baena
Parent
RelativesChris Pratt (son-in-law)
Education
Bodybuilding career
Bodybuilder
As entrant to the 1974 Mr. Olympia competition at Madison Square Garden
Personal info
NicknameThe Austrian Oak
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Weight
  • 235 lb (107 kg) (contest)[3]
  • 260 lb (118 kg) (off-season)
[3]
Professional career
Pro-debut
  • NABBA Mr. Universe
  • 1968
Best win
  • IFBB Mr. Olympia
  • 1970–1975, 1980; seven times
PredecessorSergio Oliva ('69)
Frank Zane ('79)
SuccessorFranco Columbu ('76, '81)
ActiveRetired 1980
Medal record
Men's bodybuilding
Representing  Austria
Mr Universe (amateur)
1st 1967
Mr Universe (pro)
1st 1968
1st 1969
1st 1970
Mr. Olympia
2nd 1969
1st 1970
1st 1971
1st 1972
1st 1973
1st 1974
1st 1975
1st 1980
Powerlifting[4]
Representing  Austria
International Powerlifting Championships
1st 1966 +80 kg
German Powerlifting Championships
2nd 1967 +80 kg
1st 1968 +80 kg
Graz-Paradise Keller Powerlifting Championships
2nd 1967 +80 kg
Men's weightlifting[4]
Representing  Austria
Styrian Junior Weightlifting Championships
1st 1964
German Austrian Weightlifting Championships
1st 1965
Occupation
  • Actor
  • bodybuilder
  • businessman
  • politician
  • author
Signature
Websitewww.schwarzenegger.com Edit this at Wikidata
Military service
Branch/serviceAustrian Armed Forces
Years of service1965
RankWehrmann
UnitBelgier Barracks
 This article is part of a series about
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Bodybuilding and business career

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (/ˈʃwɔːrtsənɛɡər/ SHWORT-sə-neg-ər, Austrian German: [ˈarnɔlt ˈaːlɔʏs ˈʃvartsn̩ˌɛɡɐ] ⓘ; born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and retired professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. He served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011.[5]

Schwarzenegger began lifting weights at age 15 and won the Mr. Universe title aged 20, and subsequently the Mr. Olympia title seven times. He is tied with Phil Heath for the joint-second number of all-time Mr. Olympia wins, behind Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney, who are joint-first with eight wins each. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest bodybuilders of all time,[6][7] and has written many books and articles about it.[8] The Arnold Sports Festival, considered the second-most important bodybuilding event after Mr. Olympia, is named after him.[9] He appeared in the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron (1977). After retiring from bodybuilding, he gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action star, with his breakthrough in the sword and sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian (1982),[10] a box-office success with a sequel in 1984.[11] After playing the title character in the science fiction film The Terminator (1984), he starred in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and three other sequels. His other successful action films included Commando (1985), The Running Man (1987), Predator (1987), Total Recall (1990), and True Lies (1994), in addition to comedy films such as Twins (1988), Kindergarten Cop (1990) and Jingle All the Way (1996).[12] He is the founder of the film production company Oak Productions.[13]

As a registered member of the Republican Party, Schwarzenegger chaired the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports during most of the George H. W. Bush administration. In 2003, he was elected governor of California in a special recall election to replace Gray Davis, the governor at the time. He received 48.6 percent of the vote, 17 points ahead of the runner-up, Cruz Bustamante of the Democratic Party. He was sworn in on November 17 to serve the remainder of Davis' term, and was reelected in the 2006 gubernatorial election with an increased vote share of 55.9 percent to serve a full term.[14] In 2011 he reached his term limit as governor and returned to acting.

Schwarzenegger was nicknamed the "Austrian Oak" in his bodybuilding days, "Arnie" or "Schwarzy" during his acting career,[15] and "the Governator" (a portmanteau of "Governor" and "Terminator") during his political career. He married Maria Shriver, a niece of the former U.S. president John 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.[16]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Finkelmeyer, Todd (November 11, 2009). "Campus Connection: Superior list of famous alumni?". The Cap Times. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  2. ^ Leeds, Jeff; Bates, James (August 22, 2003). "A degree of fame for each". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Arnold Schwarzenegger Pro Bodybuilding Profile". Bodybuilding.com. October 11, 2015. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Arnold Schwarzenegger's competitive bodybuilding history 1963–1966". GMV Productions. Archived from the original on May 6, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  5. ^ Kennedy, Robert F. Jr. (May 3, 2007). "The 2007 TIME 100". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  6. ^ Heffernan, Conor (August 11, 2016). "Who is the Best Bodybuilder Ever? An In-Depth Analysis". Physicalculturestudy.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  7. ^ Robson, David (April 10, 2015). "Who Is The Greatest Mr. Olympia Winner Of All Time? A Critical Review Of Past Mr. Olympia Champions!". Bodybuilding.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  8. ^ Gentilcore, Tony (March 2, 2018). "Lift Heavy To Build Muscle Like Arnold Schwarzenegger". Powerlifting.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  9. ^ "50 years of the Mr Olympia". Muscle Insider. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  10. ^ Hibberd, James (May 16, 2023). "Arnold Schwarzenegger Gets Candid on Career, Failures, Aging: 'My Plan Is to Live Forever'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference katzfilm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Ebert, Roger (June 17, 1988). "Red Heat movie review & film summary (1988)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  13. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (October 14, 2019). "Alibaba's Youku Boards 'Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten' With Arnold Schwarzenegger". Variety. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  14. ^ Kurtzman, Laura (January 5, 2007). "Schwarzenegger Sworn in for Second Term". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  15. ^ "Arnold Schwarzenegger at University of Houston Commencement: 'None of Us Can Make It Alone'". Time. May 15, 2017. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  16. ^ "Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver Officially Divorced". TMZ. December 28, 2021. Archived from the original on December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.