Arnold Schwarzenegger at Brian's Drive-In Theater

biography

Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, in Thal, Styria, Austria, where his father worked as a policeman. Since he didn't envision himself as a great intellectual, he turned to bodybuilding while in his teens as a way to be better in sports. Watching Reg Park's Hercules films encouraged Schwarzenegger to devote more time to bodybuilding, and soon he became addicted, so much so that during a stint in the Austrian army in the mid 1960s, he went AWOL in order to compete in a contest. He left Austria in 1966 for London, where he trained with Charles Bennett, who introduced Schwarzenegger to his idol, Reg Park. His training paid off; Schwarzenegger became the youngest ever Mr. Universe in 1967 at age 20. He relocated to the U.S. the following year, in 1968.

LEFT: Arnold Schwarzenegger and his mentor Reg Park in a 1968 photo. CENTER: Beefcake photo. RIGHT: Schwarzenegger lifts Betty Weider in an early 1970s photo used for a Joe Weider advertisement (thanks to Harold Forsko). You'll find more bodybuilding photos like these in the Arnold Schwarzenegger Gallery

While the overwhelming majority of Arnold Schwarzenegger's films are not B-movie drive-in flicks, he got his start as Hercules in the campy low-budget film Hercules in New York (1970; with Arnold Stang). With the prompting of his mentor Reg Park, Schwarzenegger accepted the lead role in Hercules in New York, not to build an acting career but as a way to build a bank account. Throughout the early to mid 1970s, he took on a handful of various roles, mostly on television shows. Ironically, the documentary Pumping Iron (1977; with Lou Ferrigno and Serge Nubret) was the catalyst for Schwarzenegger's subsequent acting career. The film was immensely popular and quickly made Schwarzenegger a household name. He was then cast in the comedies The Villain (1979; with Kirk Douglas, Ann-Margret, and Paul Lynde) and Scavenger Hunt (1979; with Richard Benjamin, Scatman Crothers, James Coco, Cloris Leachman, and Cleavon Little). In 1980, he was cast as bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay) in the made-for-television biopic The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980; with Loni Anderson and Ray Buktenica). His biggest films came out in the early 1980s: Conan the Barbarian (1982; with James Earl Jones and Max Von Sydow) and the sci-fi thriller The Terminator (1984; with Linda Hamilton), both of which spawned sequels.

the films of arnold schwarzenegger

Hercules in New York (1970)

Hercules in New York was Schwarzenegger's first film

Stay Hungry (1976)

LEFT: Promotional still from Stay Hungry. RIGHT: Ad mat for the film, which also features Jeff Bridges and Sally Field

Pumping Iron (1977)

Promotional still from Pumping Iron

The Streets of San Francisco (1972-1977 ABC TV Series)

Still taken during Schwarzenegger's 1977 guest appearance on The Streets of San Francisco

The Villain (1979)

Kirk Douglas, Ann-Margret, and Arnold Schwarzenegger

Released in 1979, The Villain was Schwarzenegger's second comedy. LEFT: As Handsome Stranger. RIGHT: With Kirk Douglas and Ann-Margret

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Schwarzenegger as the title character in Universal's adventure Conan the Barbarian

The Terminator (1984)

Schwarzenegger as The Terminator

Conan the Destroyer (1985)

Olivia d'Abo, Wilt Chamberlain, and Arnold Schwarzenegger

LEFT: Shot in Yuma, Arizona, Conan the Destroyer is the second entry in Dino De Laurentiis' successful Conan franchise. RIGHT: With Olivia d'Abo and Wilt Chamberlain

Commando (1985)

As John Matrix in the 2oth Century Fox actioner Commando

Raw Deal (1986)

From the crime thriller Raw Deal, produced by the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

Predator (1987)

From the 20th Century Fox sci-fi thriller Predator with Carl Weathers

Red Heat (1988)

With Jim Belushi in Tristar's action-comedy Red Heat

Eraser (1996)

As U.S. Marshal John 'The Eraser' Kruger in the Warner Bros. action flick Eraser. This film had a budget in excess of $100 million and earned more than twice its budget in its original release

arnold schwarzenegger today

In October 2003, Schwarzenegger, who ran as a Republican, was elected Governor of California in a recall election of Governor Gray Davis. Schwarzenegger was re-elected in 2007 and held the office until the end of his second term in 2011. Since his exit from politics, Arnold Schwarzenegger resumed his film career with great success, with appearances in The Expendables franchise and in other action thrillers. Now 75 years old, his acting career is showing no signs of slowing down. Schwarzenegger has at least four films in various stages of production.

His personal life hasn't been as smooth. The actor married television journalist Maria Shriver in 1986, but they parted ways in 2011 when it was discovered that Schwarzenegger had a love child with the couple's maid, who was born just a few days after Shriver's fourth child arrived. It took the couple ten years to finalize their divorce.

filmography

FILM
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) with Linda Hamilton
Iron Mask (2019) with Jason Flemyng and Jackie Chan
Killing Gunther (2017) with Bobby Moynihan
Aftermath (2017) with Scoot McNairy and Maggie Grace
Terminator Genisys (2015) with Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, Courtney B. Vance, and J.K. Simmons
Maggie (2015) with Abigail Breslin
The Expendables 3 (2014) with Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Harrison Ford, Dolph Lundgren, Mel Gibson, and Wesley Snipes
Sabotage (2014) with Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello, Josh Holloway, and Terrence Howard
Escape Plan (2013) with Sylvester Stallone, Jim Caviezel, Sam Neill, Vincent D'Onofrio, and 50 Cent
The Last Stand (2013) with Johnny Knoxville, Forest Whitaker, and Peter Stormare
The Expendables 2 (2012) with Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, and Bruce Willis
The Kid & I (2005) with Tom Arnold, Henry Winkler, and Jamie Lee Curtis
Around the World in 80 Days (2004) with Jackie Chan
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) with Claire Danes
Collateral Damage (2002)
The 6th Day (2000) with Robert Duvall
End of Days (1999) with Udo Kier
Batman and Robin (1997) with George Clooney
Eraser (1996) with James Caan
Jingle All the Way (1996) with Robert Conrad and Phil Hartman
Terminator 2: 3-D (1996) this short film is embedded in a Universal Studios Theme Park attraction
Junior (1994) with Danny DeVito
True Lies (1994) with Jamie Lee Curtis, Bill Paxton, and Tia Carrere
Dave (1993)
Last Action Hero (1993) with F. Murray Abraham
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Kindergarten Cop (1990) with Carroll Baker
Total Recall (1990)
Twins (1988) with Danny Devito
Red Heat (1988) with James Belushi
The Running Man (1987) with Jim Brown, Yaphet Kotto, and Jesse Ventura
Predator (1987) with Carl Weathers and Jesse Ventura
Raw Deal (1986) with Darren McGavin
Commando (1985) with Rae Dawn Chong
Red Sonja (1985) with Brigitte Nielsen
The Terminator (1984) with Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, and Rick Rossovich
Conan the Destroyer (1984) with Wilt Chamberlain, Grace Jones, and Jeff Corey
Conan the Barbarian (1982) with James Earl Jones and William Smith
The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980) with Loni Anderson as Jayne Mansfield. Schwarzenegger portrays Mickey Hargitay
Scavenger Hunt (1979) with Richard Benjamin and Willie Aames
The Villain (1979) with Kirk Douglas, Ann-Margret, Paul Lynde, and Ruth Buzzi
Pumping Iron (1977) with Lou Ferrigno and Serge Nubret
Stay Hungry (1976) with Jeff Bridges, Sally Field, and Robert Englund
The Long Goodbye (1973) with Sterling Hayden and Elliott Gould
Hercules in New York (aka Hercules Goes Bananas) (1970) with Arnold Stang and Taina Elg
TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Tales from the Crypt, episode The Switch, originally aired in 1990
The Streets of San Francisco, episode Dead Lift, originally aired March 10, 1977
The Dating Game, as a contestant, originally aired in 1974.

links

Schwarzenegger.com: The Official Web Site
Visit this site for news about Arnold Schwarzenegger's life and career.

Go to the Other Hercules Heroes page, featuring Peter and David Paul, Paul Wynter, Jacques Sernas, and Richard Lloyd.

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Watch the trailer for Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1982 adventure Conan the Barbarian

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Watch these clips from Arnold Schwarzenegger's early bodybuilding days

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This page premiered August 24, 1998.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger

(b. July 30, 1947)