Arnold Schwarzenegger is without a doubt one of the most famous actors in the world, As
the former Governor of the state of California, he's also one of the most well-known politicians.
He became a box-office juggernaut in the 80s and 90s after appearing in numerous commercially
successful action films such as The Terminator, Predator, and Total Recall.
Even today, the films that he appeared in continue to delight fans across the globe.
Arnold got his start as a professional bodybuilder, but not long after appearing in the documentary
Pumping Iron in 1977, he retired from that career path and gained international recognition
as a Hollywood action film star.
His first big break came when he appeared in the fantasy epic Conan the Barbarian in
1982.
He then skyrocketed to fame after appearing in the Terminator films, which as of 2022,
there are five.
Not only is Schwarzenegger fantastic in action flicks, but he has also shined in comedies
as well including 1988s Twins, 1990s Kindergarten Cop, and 1996s Jingle All The Way.
As a Republican candidate, Schwarzenegger was elected in a special recall election to
the office of Governor of California in 2003.
In 2008, he won his reelection bid.
After reaching his term limit, the 'Governator' returned to acting.
Since then, he's appeared in films such as the 2010s The Expendables and its two sequels,
2014s Sabotage, and most recently 2019s Terminator: Dark Fate.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a very fascinating man.
Throughout his storied life and career, his path has taken many unexpected twists and
turns.
Over the decades, he’s continued to defy expectations while always pushing forward
to try out new things.
He’s a man of many hats, and as such, he’s also someone with quite a few secrets.
Join Facts Verse as we discuss several little-known facts about Arnold Schwarzenegger.
He Went AWOL While In the Austrian Military
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on the 30th of July, 1947, in Graz, Austria.
He came from a family that wasn't very well off.
They didn't even have plumbing or a telephone in their house for crying out loud.
Talkin' about humble beginnings!
Arnold's father, Gustav, was the local police chief as well as a member of the Nazi party.
He didn't learn this fact about his dad until much later in his life.
As a child, Arnold's father frequently pitted him against his older brother, Meinhard, in
rigorous athletic contests, but it wasn't until Schwarzenegger discovered his love for
bodybuilding that he found his true calling.
Since he couldn’t afford to commercially make ones, Arnold made his own weights at
a local metalworking shop in town.
He continued to train and tone his body until he was conscripted to a mandatory one-year
tour of duty with the Austrian Army in 1965.
During his time in the service, Schwarzenegger left the base without permission so that he
could enter a bodybuilding contest in Germany.
Although he ended up winning the competition, because of going AWOL, he had to spend seven
days in military prison.
He Knows How To Drive A Tank
While Arnold was serving in the Austrian military, he received training on how to operate a tank.
Evidently, the vehicle held a lot of sentimental value for him because he eventually ended
up buying it and having it shipped to America.
In 2000, he lent the tank out to the Motts Military Museum in Ohio.
It has since been returned to him, and he has plans to give rides in it to disadvantaged
youth in LA as a reward for working diligently in school.
He Won A Golden Globe For One Of His Earliest Roles
Arnold scored several supporting roles throughout the ‘70s as his acting career was beginning
to take shape.
One of his first roles was that of Joe Santo, a bodybuilder training to compete in the Mr.
Universe competition, in the Jeff Bridges-directed film Stay Hungry.
He was clearly a natural fit for the role, as he was essentially a real-world incarnation
of Joe Santo, but even though the script fell well within his comfort zone, he threw all
of himself into the role anyway.
To prepare for the role, he lost a significant amount of weight.
This actually caused him some trouble in his own bodybuilding career, but that sacrifice
seemed to pay off, as that performance ended up netting him a Golden Globe.
He’s The Youngest Mr. Universe Of All Time
Long before he was zipping through time as a ruthless cyborg and battling all sorts of
villainous sorcerers and alien creatures, Arnold was, as we previously touched on, a
champion bodybuilder.
At the tender age of 20, he won the annual Mr. Universe Competition, making him the youngest
individual to ever do so.
In the years that followed, Arnold continued to compete in the yearly competition.
He could of hung up his speedo and called it quits after clinching that first victory,
but instead he went on to win the coveted title a staggering four more times before
retiring from the sport of bodybuilding in 1980 at age 33.
Before retiring, however, Arnold came to America where he had dreams of becoming a famous actor
and ended up winning the Mr. Olympia competition seven times.
These victories eventually led him to appear in that "Pumping Iron' documentary, which
in turn gave his budding acting career a much-needed boost.
He Used To Lay Bricks For A Living
Before he was a legendary bodybuilder, actor, and Governor, Arnold was already a very successful
businessman.
After coming to America in the late 60s, he had a profitable bricklaying business in California.
He started the business in 1968 when he was just 21 and ‘fresh off the boat’ so to
speak.
His business partner was fellow bodybuilder Franco Columbo.
Interestingly, Arnold actually dethroned Franco in the Mr. Olympia competition.
At least there weren’t any hard feelings!
Arnold's business ended up becoming successful largely because of how he's always been very
business savvy.
Following the San Fernando earthquake of 1971, there was a significant rise in demand for
building materials.
No doubt, this event helped bring him a wealth of new clients as well.
He Played Soccer Before Bodybuilding
Even though he’s always been very athletic, Arnold’s first passion wasn’t actually
bodybuilding.
He got his start in sports by playing soccer.
Largely he did this in an attempt to impress his controlling and overbearing dad, but he
soon discovered that he actually really enjoyed the sport.
According to him, at this point in his story, he was in shape but quite skinny.
To try and put a little meat on his bones, Arnold’s soccer coach took him and his teammates
to the local gym to do some weight training.
Arnold had to have been about 14 or 15 at the time, and from that moment on, he knew
that bodybuilding was going to play a significant role in his future.
Not long after that, he quit soccer and started pursuing a career as a pro bodybuilder.
His First Film Is A Campy Cult Classic
Arnold was given his first shot as an actor when he was cast in the title role in the
B-Movie Hercules in New York in 1969.
In that flick, Hercules, having grown bored of his life on Mount Olympus, sets off to
the Big Apple to engage in all sorts of hijinks.
One memorable scene involved Hercules getting into a fight with a bear in Central Park.
In another, he gets into a chase following a car full of mobsters while driving an actual
chariot.
If you haven't seen it, Hercules In New York, in all of its cheesy campiness, is a certifiable
classic.
When appearing in the film, Arnold had only just recently learned how to speak English.
His accent was reportedly so thick that the film’s producers were concerned that no
one was going to be able to understand him.
Because of these worries, Arnold’s voice was dubbed over by another voice actor for
the film’s release.
In case you’re curious about watching the original cut, you can now find a version of
the film with Arnold’s vocal track intact.
He Drew Inspiration Form Other Athletes-Turned-Actors
Arnold has always been a pretty smart guy, but he didn't come up with his successful
plan of transitioning from bodybuilding to acting on his own.
He freely admits that he was highly influenced by other actors who got their start as athletes.
By observing their paths and doing his best to follow their examples, Arnold was able
to plot out a course to Hollywood stardom.
One of his biggest inspirations was Johnny Weissmuller, who played Tarzan in a series
of films that came out in the 1940s and 1950s.
Before he was an actor, Weissmuller was an Olympic swimmer.
Another individual whose career Schwarzenegger took many notes from was Steve Reeves, a fellow
Mr. Universe champ who went on to enjoy a successful Hollywood career.
He Lived With His Coach’s Family
Arnold's rough childhood meant that he received very little love or support from his blood
family.
Fortunately, he found a surrogate family of sorts when he relocated to London and moved
in with his bodybuilding coach's family.
That coach, Charles Bennett, was actually one of the judges at Arnold's first Mr. Universe
competition.
And while he didn't take the W at that first competition, Bennett saw that he had a lot
of potential and offered to be his personal coach.
Since Arnold had been raised in poverty and he’s pretty much the epitome of a ‘rags
to riches’ story, he couldn’t afford room and board while he was training to be a professional
bodybuilder.
So, when Bennett offered to let the 19-year-old aspiring athlete into his home, he was overwhelmed
with gratitude.
Coming from an abusive background, Arnold had never experienced this sort of kindness
before.
No doubt, it played a major role in the development of his character as a young man.
He Came To America With Nothing
Arnold’s family was so poor that he still vividly remembers the momentous day that they
got their first refrigerator.
While growing up in such conditions undoubtedly taught him to be humble, it also only made
him all the more so determined to achieve his dream of becoming a Hollywood success
story when he first came to America in ‘68.
At 21, barely knowing a lick of English, and with just a few dollars in his pocket, Arnold
started training at Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, California as soon as he arrived in the country.
His plan was simple.
He was going to train for the Mr. Olympia competition, and nothing was going to come
between him and victory.
Once in California, he befriended a few pro wrestlers, including Superstar Billy Graham,
who greatly helped him to remain focused on the prize.
Like we said in the intro, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a man of many masks.
Throughout his life, he's accomplished far more than most ever even dreamed of.
Starting from the bottom and working your way up to the top is no easy feat, but Arnold
never once lost sight of his vision.
He came to America with plans of making it big – and he did just that.
We're just about out of time for this video, but we'd love to hear from you.
Did you know that Arnold Schwarzenegger's father was a Nazi and that when he was serving
in the Austrian military, Arnold went AWOL and ended up having to spend time in jail?
Let us know in the comments.
And as always, thanks for watching.