Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American actor, businessman, former bodybuilder and politician. He won Mr. Olympia seven times, became one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars with The Terminator franchise, Predator and True Lies, and served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011. He has since starred in Netflix’s FUBAR.

Arnold Schwarzenegger quick facts

Full name	Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger
Date of birth	30 July 1947
Birthplace	Thal, Styria, Austria
Citizenship	Austrian and American (since 1983)
Profession	Actor, businessman, former politician, bodybuilder
Titles	Mr. Olympia (7 times)
Office	Governor of California (2003–2011)
Children	Katherine, Christina, Patrick, Christopher and Joseph Baena

Early life

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born on 30 July 1947 in Thal, Austria, the second son of local police chief Gustav Schwarzenegger and Aurelia Schwarzenegger. He began weight training as a teenager, won Mr. Universe at 20 and moved to the United States in 1968.

Career

1967 Wins Mr. Universe at 20
1970 Wins the first of seven Mr. Olympia titles
1982 Stars in Conan the Barbarian
1984 Stars in The Terminator
1987 Stars in Predator
1991 Stars in Terminator 2: Judgment Day
2003 Elected governor of California
2011 Leaves office and returns to acting
2023 Stars in Netflix’s FUBAR; publishes Be Useful

Bodybuilding

Schwarzenegger dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning seven Mr. Olympia titles, and the documentary Pumping Iron made him a star.

Hollywood and politics

His action films have grossed more than $5.4 billion. As a Republican, he was elected governor of California in a 2003 recall election and re-elected in 2006, and remains the last Republican to hold the office.

Family

Schwarzenegger married journalist Maria Shriver in 1986; they separated in 2011 and divorced in 2021. They have four children: Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher. He also has a son, actor Joseph Baena, born in 1997.