Arnold Schwarzenegger Biography

NAME: Arnold Schwarzenegger

OCCUPATION: Film Actor, Governor

BIRTH DATE: July 30, 1947 (Age: 64)

PLACE OF BIRTH: Graz, Austria

ZODIAC SIGN: Leo

Professional bodybuilder, actor, California governor. Born on July 30, 1947, near Graz, Austria. Schwarzenegger first became famous as a bodybuilder. He began strength training in his teens and went on to become a world champion bodybuilder, winning numerous awards for his amazing physique. He won the Mr. Universe title five times and the Mr. Olympia title six times. He immigrated to the United States in the late 1960s.

After acting in a few small parts, Schwarzenegger received a Golden Globe Award for Best Newcomer for his performance in Stay Hungry (1976). He was also featured in Pumping Iron (1977), a bodybuilding documentary. With his intense physical strength and size, Schwarzenegger was a natural for action films. He became a leading figure in several popular 1980s action movies, including Conan the Barbarian (1982). Schwarzenegger also starred as a deadly machine from the future in The Terminator (1984).

The spectacular Total Recall (1990) and "feel good" Kindergarten Cop (1990) were both solid box office performers for Arnold, plus he was about to return to familiar territory with director James Cameron in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). The second time around for the futuristic robot, the production budget had grown from the initial film's $6.5 million to an alleged $100 million for the sequel, and it clearly showed as the stunning sequel bristled with amazing special effects, bone-crunching chases & stunt sequences, plus state of the art computer-generated imagery. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) was arguably the zenith of Arnold's film career to date and he was voted "International Star of the Decade" by the National Association of Theatre Owners. Remarkably, his next film Last Action Hero (1993) brought Arnold back to Earth with a hard thud as the self-satirizing, but confusing plot line of a young boy entering into a mythical Hollywood action film confused movie fans even more and they stayed away in droves making the film an initial financial disaster. Arnold turned back to good friend, director James Cameron and the chemistry was definitely still there as the "James Bond" style spy thriller True Lies (1994) co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold was the surprise hit of 1994!

Following the broad audience appeal of True Lies (1994), Schwarzenegger decided to lean towards more family-themed entertainment with Junior (1994) and Jingle All the Way (1996), but he still found time to satisfy his hard-core fan base with Eraser (1996), as the chilling "Mr. Freeze" in Batman & Robin (1997) and battling dark forces in the supernatural action of End of Days (1999). The science fiction / conspiracy tale The 6th Day (2000) played to only mediocre fan interest, and Collateral Damage (2002) had it's theatrical release held over for nearly a year after the tragic events of Sept 11th 2001, but it still only received a lukewarm reception. It was time again to resurrect Arnold's most successful franchise and, in 2003.

His second term in office did not run as smoothly. Schwarzenegger struggled to help the state through difficult financial times. After leaving office in January 2011, he has sought to revive his career in the entertainment industry. Schwarzenegger announced plans to work with famed comic book creator Stan Lee on a new animated series inspired by his time in office. He will voice a character known as the Governator.