The Truth About Arnold Schwarzenegger
#10 Tough Upbringing
Coming up in Austria as the son of strict parents, Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t have
it easy early on. His older brother Meinhard was a clear favorite, as the action star and
politician remembered. According to him, his father had trouble believing Arnold was his
biological son and, as a result, he was met with swift and harsh punishment when he misbehaved
his parents. “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,” he explained in a past interview.
On top of that, his family endured extreme poverty, with one of his fondest memories
being the day his family actually got a refrigerator! It wasn’t until the age of 14 that Schwarzenegger
would discover his ticket to a better life...in the form of weights.
#9 Muscled Aspirations
Arnold’s parents originally had big plans for his future. While his mother hoped he’d
go to trade school, his father wanted to steer him towards a career in law enforcement. As
a young teenager, though, he found his passion in weightlifting and bodybuilding. Schwarzenegger
became so obsessed that when his local gym would shut down for the night, he’d force
his way in to make sure he got his pump in for the day! “It would make me sick to miss
a workout,” he was quoted as saying. “I knew I couldn’t look at myself in a mirror
the next morning if I didn’t do it.” His love for working out and sculpting his physique
was so strong, in fact, that he once broke military law to pursue his passion! While
serving in the Austrian Army, like all males in the country at the age of 18, Arnold went
AWOL and skipped out on basic training so that he could participate in the Junior Mr.
Europe competition...a choice that bought him a week in military jail. That didn’t
derail him though as he would go on to compete in the Mr. Universe competition, losing his
first time out to Chester Yorton due to his supposed inferior leg definition. But he took
care of his shortcomings by the time he was 20 as the youngest man ever to win the Mr.
Universe title. Three years later, Arnold took home his first Mr. Olympia title, making
him an international star ready to break out into the mainstream.
#8 Moving To America
After his time in Austria, Schwarzenegger decided to move to London when he was 19 and
lived with his bodybuilding coach as he sought to a chance at becoming Mr. Universe. Here
he began making his first attempts at learning English before eventually reaching his goal.
Then, at the age of 21, Arnold made the decision to pursue his acting dreams by moving to America
with little to no money or understanding of the English language. He made his home at
the famed Venice Beach and begun working out at Gold’s Gym, making friends with a number
of famed bodybuilders and professional wrestlers along the way, including Superstar Billy Graham.
He also met Franco Columbo, a peer in the bodybuilding profession, and in 1968 the two
began a brick-laying business on the side to help fund their passion. With an innate
mind for business, Schwarzenegger’s first company blossomed, especially after the 1971
San Fernando earthquake increased the demand for building materials. This would jumpstart
Arnold’s rags-to-riches tale, a life story which has gone on to be heralded as one of
the greatest American immigrant stories of the modern age.
#7 Heavyweight Hurdles
Though Schwarzenegger rose to stardom in the bodybuilding industry relatively quickly,
he still faced his fair share of obstacles on the way to the top. Despite his massive
size and ego displayed in an early documentary, Arnold wasn’t always filled to the brim
with confidence. He often fought feelings of anxiety until a friend helped him overcome
it through the use of Transcendental Meditation. Once he got his mind right, Schwarzenegger
would confess his true aspirations to an English coach while learning the language. His goals
stretched beyond weights and physical competition...Arnold claimed he was “going to become the greatest
actor.” Regardless of his accolades, though, Hollywood wasn’t initially welcoming to
the phenomenal strongman. “It was very difficult for me in the beginning,” he tells, “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.” His first film,
“Hercules in New York”, featured the six-foot-two, 260-pound actor under the name ‘Mr. Universe’
Arnold Strong. At the time, his accent was so thick that it dubbed over in post-production
and his next appearance in “The Long Goodbye” cast the Austrian actor as deaf and mute to
avoid the same problem!
#6 Breakthrough Roles
Playing larger-than-life characters on film would eventually become Arnold’s calling
card, but it wasn’t until the world got a glimpse of the man behind the muscles that
Schwarzenegger’s popularity began to skyrocket. The 1977 bodybuilding documentary “Pumping
Iron” put the Austrian actor on the map as it documented his Mr. Olympia victory over
Lou Ferrigno, known for his role as “The Incredible Hulk”...a role Ferrigno and Schwarzenegger
would later compete for as well! The film was well-received, though despite its label
as a documentary, many elements have since been recognized as being dramatized. The supposed
rivalry between the famous bodybuilders created a somewhat villainous portrayal of Schwarzenegger
marking his first official appearance in a film as a villain. Prior to “Pumping Iron,”
though, Arnold had already begun impressing peers with the 1976 drama “Stay Hungry”.
His performance as a bodybuilder in training for the Mr. Universe earned him a Golden Globe
for “Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture”! These back-to-back successes would lead to
his casting in the classic fantasy-action hit “Conan the Barbarian”, which blew
audiences away with its release in 1982. As the new symbol of barbaric manliness, Hollywood
began to see Schwarzenegger’s value as an action star and in 1984 he would become the
Terminator, a character many view as the actor’s trademark role. This science fiction blockbuster
not only bolstered Arnold’s career, but would launch one of the most accomplished
directors into stardom as well in James Cameron!
#5 Hollywood Icon
Upon his return to the Terminator franchise in 1991 with the release of “Terminator
2: Judgment Day,” Schwarzenegger made waves as the sequel earned a record opening at the
time of 52 million dollars during its opening Fourth of July five-day weekend. It would
gross 519.8 million dollars worldwide at the box office, and won numerous Academy, People’s
Choice, and MTV Movie awards. But by then, Arnold had already begun establishing himself
as a bonafide star with a series of popular films ranging from sci-fi action like Predator,
The Running Man and Total Recall to comedies like Twins and Kindergarten Cop. All the while,
Arnold built his brand with continual use of his trademark line: “I’ll be back,”
a phrase that’s stayed with him since the first Terminator film. Throughout his career,
Schwarzenegger has used the line in at least 18 separate films along with a number of speeches
in his career as a politician. He’s returned to the Terminator franchise for 6 different
films and starred in more than 65 films and television shows over the span of an almost
50-year acting career. And there’s more on the horizon as Arnold appears to have at
least another seven projects in the works over the coming years.
#4 Political Prowess
With his propensity to tout massive weaponry in his films, in addition to his brawny biceps,
it may come as no surprise that the Austrian is a longtime Republican. His affiliation
with the party stemmed from the stances of the 1960s Democratic party which, in his opinion,
were far too close to the Austrian socialists he had grown up. Raised under the tenets that
conformity was most important, he found President Richard Nixon’s beliefs of free enterprise,
a hands-off government and strong military to resonate with Schwarzenegger’s own idealistic
dreams of fortune, fame, and safety. In 1990, he found himself appointed to his first political
position as chairman of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition
under President George H. W. Bush. This appointment came after appearing in a Reagan-era anti-substance
music video called “Stop the Madness,” as well as accompanying Vice President Bush
during a campaign rally in 1988. In a 1999 interview with Talk magazine, Arnold voiced
an interest in running for office, saying “I think about it many times. The possibility
is there because I feel it inside.” But it wouldn’t be until 2003 that Arnold would
announce his foray into full-time politics, this time as a Republican candidate for Governor
of California. The announcement of his candidacy drew widespread attention, with the media
immediately employing his catalogue of work by calling him “The Running Man” and “The
Governator”. Surprising many, Schwarzenegger ended up garnering huge support, winning the
recall election by 1.3 million votes as only the second foreign-born Governor to be elected
since 1862!
#3 Governing Accomplishments
After coming into office, Schwarzenegger won points with his constituency early on with
acts like repealing an unpopular vehicle registration tax increase along with preventing the issuing
of driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. These victories, along with his innate charm
and favorable standing as a celebrity, earned him a record-high approval rating of somewhere
between 65 and 79 percent! However, after launching a special election in late 2005
in which four of his proposed ballot measures were defeated, the public began to turn against
the Austrian strongman. Though he took responsibility for these failures, he would later point out
the massive effort to oppose these measures by powerful state unions, citing the 160 million
dollars they spent to sway voters. It was later found that the public employee unions
had fundraised this money illegally, but that didn’t change Arnold’s defeat. In hopes
of better serving the people of California, and win his reelection, Schwarzenegger would
begin transitioning to more moderate stances, going so far as to reach across the aisle
and appoint Democrat Susan Kennedy as his Chief of Staff. He subsequently won the race
for California governorship once more in 2006, defeating Democrat Phil Angelides with a majority
vote of 56 percent. Maintaining his fiscally conservative beliefs, he would go on to be
more socially liberal, supporting equality in education, pro-choice stances on abortion,
and gay rights. Still, by the time he left office, his approval ratings had dropped to
a dismal 23 percent.
#2 Financial Success
Considering his humble beginnings, Arnold has had an incredible, fruitful career. His
catalogue of work has grossed more than four billion dollars worldwide, becoming one of
the most successful self-made millionaires in the process. As mentioned prior, his brick-laying
business grew immensely in a short amount of time before he began taking advantage of
his iconic physique by marketing mail-order instructional videos and exercise equipment.
As he turned this burgeoning popularity into one of the most successful acting careers
ever, Schwarzenegger’s net worth climbed to an estimated four to eight hundred million
dollars! This was before his 2011 divorce from his ex-wife of 25 years and Peabody award-winning
journalist Maria Shriver, though, and as such his fortune is thought to have shrunk since.
Still, Arnold knew how to live the lavish life in his heyday, being the first civilian
to ever commission a Humvee for everyday use. He would later use his riches to adapt his
Hummer collection to eco-friendly standards in accordance with his environmental focus,
as they were converted to run on biofuels and hydrogen.
#1 Elephant Encounter
In 2016, Schwarzenegger was on safari in South Africa when he had a run-in with one of the
few creatures in the world bigger than him: an African elephant! The great tusked mammal
chased the former governor’s safari vehicle through the wilderness, getting a little too
close for comfort in the process...at least to the average person. But Arnold is anything
but average, and in true iconic fashion, the Governator laughed it off as the elephant
was in pursuit. Rather than dwell on the danger of the scenario, he took the time afterwards
to use the footage in emphasizing the importance of elephant conservation. To his social media
audience, Schwarzenegger said, “I couldn’t have written this safari encounter better
if it was a movie. I’m absolutely in awe of these beautiful, strong animals, even though
some of us had to change our pants after this.” To dissuade elephant hunting, he told followers,
“take a photo, not a shot.”