Austrian and American bodybuilder, actor and politician (born )
"Schwarzenegger" redirects here. For other people with the name, see Schwarzenegger (surname).
Arnold Schwarzenegger | |
|---|---|
Schwarzenegger in | |
| In office November 17, &#;– January 3, | |
| Lieutenant | |
| Preceded by | Gray Davis |
| Succeeded by | Jerry Brown |
| In office January 22, &#;– May 27, | |
| President | |
| Preceded by | Dick Kazmaier |
| Succeeded by | |
| Born | Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger () July 30, (age&#;77) Thal, Styria, Austria[a] |
| Citizenship | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Maria Shriver &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#; |
| Children | 5, including Katherine, Patrick and Joseph Baena |
| Parent | |
| Relatives | Chris Pratt (son-in-law) |
| Education | |
| Occupation |
|
| Signature | |
| Website | |
| Branch/service | Austrian Armed Forces |
| Years&#;of service | |
| Rank | Wehrmann |
| Unit | Belgier Barracks |
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (SHWORT-sə-neg-ər, Austrian German:[ˈarnɔltˈaːlɔʏsˈʃvartsn̩ˌɛɡɐ]ⓘ; born July 30, ) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. He served as the 38th governor of California from to [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. Nicknamed the "Austrian Oak" in his bodybuilding days, he is regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time.[6][7] He has written books and articles about bodybuilding, including the autobiographical Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder () and The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding ().[8][9] The Arnold Sports Festival, the second-most prestigious bodybuilding event after Mr. Olympia, is named after him.[10] He appeared in the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron (), which set him on his way to a career in films.[11]
After retiring from bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action star, with his breakthrough in the sword and sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian (),[12] a box-office success with a sequel in [13] After playing the title character in the science fiction film The Terminator (), he starred in Terminator 2: Judgment Day () and three other sequels. His other successful action films included Commando (), The Running Man (), Predator (), Total Recall (), and True Lies (), in addition to comedy films such as Twins (), Kindergarten Cop () and Jingle All the Way ().[14] At the height of his career, Schwarzenegger was known for his rivalry with Sylvester Stallone.[15] He is the founder of the film production company Oak Productions.[16]
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 , he was elected governor of California in a special recall election to replace Gray Davis, the governor at the time. He received 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 gubernatorial election with an increased vote share of percent to serve a full term.[17] In he reached his term limit as governor and returned to acting.
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born in Thal on July 30, ,[18] the second son of Gustav Schwarzenegger and his wife Aurelia (née Jadrny; –). Gustav was the local chief of police, and after the Anschluss in joined the Nazi Party and in the Sturmabteilung (SA). In World War II, Gustav served as a military policeman in the invasions of Poland, France and the Soviet Union, including the siege of Leningrad, rising to the title of Hauptfeldwebel.[19][20] He was wounded in the Battle of Stalingrad,[21] and was discharged in following a bout of malaria. According to Holocaust scholar Michael 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."[19] Gustav's background received wide press attention during the California gubernatorial recall election in which Schwarzenegger was elected.[22]
Gustav married Aurelia on October 20, ; he was 38 and she was 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 with Fortune in , Schwarzenegger told how he suffered what "would now be called child 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.'"[20]
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 being dyslexic.[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 in Bavarian curling.[31] Influenced by his father, Schwarzenegger played several sports as a boy.[24]
Schwarzenegger began weight training in when his football coach took his team to a local gym.[18] At age 14, he chose bodybuilding over football as a career.[13][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 start Olympic 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 , 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 took to visiting a gym in Graz, where he also frequented the local movie theaters to see films with bodybuilding idols such as Reg Park, Steve Reeves and Johnny Weissmuller.[23] When Reeves died in , 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 , Schwarzenegger met former Mr. Austria Kurt Marnul, who invited him to train at the gym in Graz.[18] 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 some newsreels. The first real movie I saw, that I distinctly remember, was a John Wayne movie."[23] In Graz, he was mentored by Alfred Gerstl, who had Jewish ancestry and later became president of the Federal Council, and befriended his son Karl.[35][36]
Schwarzenegger's brother, Meinhard, died in a car crash on May 20, [18] He was driving drunk and died instantly. Schwarzenegger did not attend his funeral. Meinhard was engaged to Erika Knapp, and they had a three-year-old son named Patrick. 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, [18] In Pumping 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 the Austrian Army in to fulfill the one year of service required at the time of all year-old Austrian males.[18][33] During his army service, he won the Junior Mr. Europe contest.[32] He went AWOL 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. "The Mr. 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 , attending the NABBA Mr. Universe competition in London.[33] He placed second in the Mr. Universe competition, not having the muscle definition of American winner Chester Yorton.[33]
Charles "Wag" Bennett, one of the judges at the 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 in Forest 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 the East 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 , at Bennett's home, Schwarzenegger had the opportunity to meet childhood idol Reg Park, who became his friend and mentor.[41][42] The training paid off and, in , Schwarzenegger won the title for the first time, becoming the youngest ever Mr. Universe at age [33] He would go on to win the title another three times.[32] He then returned to Munich, where he attended business school and worked at Rolf Putziger's gym, where he worked and trained from to before returning to London in to win his next Mr. Universe title.[33] He frequently told Roger 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 at age 21, speaking little English.[32][18] There he trained at Gold's Gym in Venice, Los Angeles, California, under Joe Weider's supervision. From to , one of Schwarzenegger's weight training partners was Ric Drasin, a professional wrestler who designed the original Gold's Gym logo in [45] Schwarzenegger also became good friends with professional wrestler Superstar Billy Graham. In , at age 23, Schwarzenegger captured his first Mr. 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 an illegal immigrant at some point in the late s or early s because of violations in the terms of his visa.[46]LA Weekly said in 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 s".[44]
In , Schwarzenegger's autobiography and weight-training guide, Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder, was a huge success.[18] In , he posed for the gay magazine After Dark.[47][48] After taking an assortment of courses at Santa Monica College in California (including English classes), as well as further upper division classes at the University of California, Los Angeles as part of UCLA's extension program, he accumulated enough credits to be "within striking distance" of graduation. In , he enrolled in the University 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 , he formally graduated and earned his bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing. He received his United States citizenship in [49] He received an honorary degree from Stockton University in [50]
Schwarzenegger is considered among the most important figures in the history of bodybuilding,[10] and his legacy is commemorated in the Arnold 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 magazines Muscle & Fitness and Flex. Shortly after being elected governor, he was appointed the executive editor of both magazines, in a largely symbolic capacity. The magazines agreed to donate $, 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 , many criticized it as being a conflict of interest since the governor's office made decisions concerning regulation of dietary supplements in California.[51] Consequently, Schwarzenegger relinquished the executive editor role in [51] American Media Inc., which owns Muscle & Fitness and Flex, announced in March that Schwarzenegger had accepted their renewed offer to be executive editor of the magazines.[51]
One of the first competitions he won was the Junior Mr. Europe contest in [18] He won Mr. Europe the following year, at age [18][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 until Lee Haney won his eighth consecutive Mr. Olympia title in
Schwarzenegger continues to work out. When asked about his personal training during the Arnold Classic he said that he was still working out a half an hour with weights every day.[52]
During Schwarzenegger's early years in bodybuilding, he also competed in several Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting contests. Schwarzenegger's first professional competition was in [53] and he won two weightlifting contests in and , as well as two powerlifting contests in and [4]
In , Schwarzenegger won the Munich stone-lifting contest, in which a stone weighing German pounds (&#;kg / &#;lb) is lifted between the legs while standing on two footrests.
Schwarzenegger's goal was to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world, which meant becoming Mr. Olympia.[18][33] His first attempt was in , when he lost to three-time champion Sergio Oliva. However, Schwarzenegger came back in 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 – competitions.[33] He also toured different countries selling vitamins, as in Helsinki, Finland in , when he lived at the YMCA Hotel Hospiz (nowadays Hotel Arthur[56]) on Vuorikatu and presented vitamin pills at the Stockmann shopping center.[57][58] In , Schwarzenegger was once again in top form, and won the title for the sixth consecutive time,[33] beating Franco Columbu. After the Mr. Olympia contest, Schwarzenegger announced his retirement from professional bodybuilding.[33]
Months before the Mr. Olympia contest, filmmakers George Butler and Robert Fiore persuaded Schwarzenegger to compete and film his training in the bodybuilding documentary called Pumping Iron. Schwarzenegger had only three months to prepare for the competition, after losing significant weight to appear in the film Stay Hungry with Jeff Bridges. Although significantly taller and heavier, Lou Ferrigno proved not to be a threat, and a lighter-than-usual Schwarzenegger convincingly won the Mr. Olympia.
Schwarzenegger came out of retirement, however, to compete in the Mr. Olympia.[18] Schwarzenegger was training for his role in Conan, 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 provide color 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 documentary The 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.[10][59]Mike Mentzer, in particular, felt cheated and withdrew from competitive bodybuilding after that contest.[60][59]
Schwarzenegger has acknowledged using performance-enhancinganabolic steroids while they were legal, writing in 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 when cutting up."[64] He has called the drugs "tissue building".[65]
In , Schwarzenegger sued Willi Heepe, a German doctor who publicly predicted his early death on the basis of a link between his steroid use and later heart problems. Since the doctor never examined him personally, Schwarzenegger collected a US$10, libel judgment against him in a German court.[66] In , Schwarzenegger also sued and settled with Globe, a U.S. tabloid which had made similar predictions about the bodybuilder's future health.[67]
Main article: Arnold Schwarzenegger filmography
Schwarzenegger wanted to move from bodybuilding into acting, finally achieving it when he was chosen to play the title role in Hercules in New York (). Credited under the stage name "Arnold Strong", his accent in the film was so thick that his lines were dubbed after production.[32] His second film appearance was as a mob hitman in The Long Goodbye (), which was followed by a much more significant part in the film Stay Hungry (), for which he won the Golden 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 drew attention and boosted his profile in the bodybuilding film Pumping Iron (),[13][32] elements of which were dramatized. In , he purchased the rights to the film, its outtakes, and associated still photography.[68] In , he made guest appearances in single episodes of the ABC sitcom The San Pedro Beach Bums and the ABC police proceduralThe Streets of San Francisco. Schwarzenegger auditioned for the title role of The Incredible Hulk, but did not win the role because of his height. Later, Lou Ferrigno got the part of Dr. David Banner's alter ego. Schwarzenegger appeared with Kirk Douglas and Ann-Margret in the comedy The Villain. In , he starred in a biographical film of the s actress Jayne Mansfield as Mansfield's husband, Mickey Hargitay.
Schwarzenegger's breakthrough film was the sword and sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian in , which was a box-office hit.[13] This was followed by a sequel, Conan the Destroyer, in , although it was not as successful as its predecessor.[69] In , Schwarzenegger starred in the promotional video Carnival in Rio.[70] In , he made his first appearance as the eponymous character in James Cameron's science fiction action film The Terminator.[13][32][71] It has been called his acting career's signature role.[72] Following this, Schwarzenegger made another sword and sorcery film, Red Sonja, in [69] During the s, audiences had an appetite for action films, with both Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone becoming international stars.[32] During the Schwarzenegger-Stallone rivalry they attacked each other in the press, and tried to surpass the other with more on-screen killings and larger weapons.[73] 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 s, such as Commando (), Raw Deal (), The Running Man (), Predator (), and Red Heat ().
Twins (), a comedy with Danny DeVito, also proved successful. Total Recall () netted Schwarzenegger $10&#;million (equivalent to $ million today) and 15% of the film's gross. A science fiction script, the film was based on the Philip K. Dick short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale". Kindergarten Cop () reunited him with director Ivan Reitman, who directed him in Twins. Schwarzenegger had a brief foray into directing, first with a episode of the TV series Tales from the Crypt, "The Switch",[74] and then with the telemovieChristmas in Connecticut.[75] He has not directed since.
Schwarzenegger's commercial peak was his return as the title character in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (), which was the highest-grossing film of the year. Film critic Roger 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."[76] In , the National Association of Theatre Owners named him the "International Star of the Decade".[18] His next film project, the self-aware action comedy spoofLast Action Hero, was released opposite Jurassic Park, and did not do well at the box office. His next film, the comedy drama True Lies (), was a popular spy film and saw Schwarzenegger reunited with James Cameron.
That same year, the comedy Junior 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 for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. It was followed by the action thriller Eraser (), the Christmas comedy Jingle All The Way (), and the comic book-based Batman & Robin (), in which he played the supervillainMr. Freeze. This was his final film before taking time to recuperate from a back injury. Following the critical failure of Batman & Robin, his film career and box office prominence went into decline. He returned with the supernatural thriller End of Days (), later followed by the action films The 6th Day () and Collateral Damage (), both of which failed to do well at the box office. In , he made his third appearance as the title character in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines