From bodybuilder to blockbuster action star to comedy king to politician, we look at the remarkable life of a young Austrian boy who has courageously followed his every dream.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in July 1947. He was raised in a strict catholic household by his parents, who instilled in him a strong sense of ambition.
From a young age Arnie wanted to be a body builder and started to train and lift weights at 15. His ambition was to become the greatest body builder of all time.
He was even known to break into the gym and train until he would collapse from total exhaustion. His dream was finally realised when, at the age of 18, he went AWOL from the Austrian army to take part in the body building competition which was to earn him the title Mr Europa Junior.
This little move also earned him a short stint in prison. Two years, and much muscle pumping later, Arnie became the youngest ever Mr Universe.
Arnie studied marketing at the University of Munich for two years before leaving for America, at the invitation of muscle entrepreneur, Joe Weider, to study Business and Economics.
Arnie's body building success continued as he picked up the title of Mr. Olympia seven times and Mr Universe five times.
His first attempts at a movie career were under the guise of Arnold Black, starring in low-budget movies such as 'Hercules in New York' in 1969.
His first big break came in the comedy 'Stay Hungry' in 1976 for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture, leading to further successes in cult-films such as the 'Conan' series and the 'Terminator' series.
In 1982, he played a role ideal for him - a warrior in 'Conan The Barbarian' – which became a smash hit all over the globe. This was followed by the slightly less successful 'Conan The Destroyer' in 1984.
'Conan' kick-started his career but his next role catapulted him into stardom. He played the villain in 'Terminator' in 1984, which became a worldwide success and led to Arnie's catchphrase 'I'll be back'.
He then appeared in 'Commando' (1985), 'Raw Deal' (1986), 'Predator' (1987), 'The Running Man' (1987) and 'Red Heat' (1988), which were all box office smashes. Arnie then tried his hand at comedy starring in the 1988 film 'Twins' alongside Danny DeVito.
In 1990, he cemented his acting career with the successful 'Total Recall' and 'Kindergarten Cop', which was another light-hearted role. He then returned to the Terminator, starring in the sequel 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day', which had a larger budget than the previous film, in 1991. This was arguably the highlight of his career.
His 1993 film 'Last Action Hero' ended up being a flop in comparison but his 'I'll be back' phrase came true in 1994 when he starred in the surprise hit of the year 'True Lies'.
Arnie then focused on family-friendly entertainment in the form of 'Junior' (1994) and 'Jingle All The Way' (1996) before playing darker roles in 'Eraser' (1996), 'Batman & Robin' (1997) and 'End of Days' (1999).
This was followed by 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines' (2003), which was the weakest in the franchise, 'Welcome To The Jungle' (2003), 'Around The World in 80 Days' (2004) and 'The Kid and I' in 2005.
Arnie has whole-heartedly embraced the American way, loving the country from the moment he arrived, believing that the US has a much more positive outlook on life and aspirations than his home country. So much so that Arnie became a naturalised citizen in 1983.
Arnie has previously held positions within the American Government as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1990 and the weight lifting trainer for the Special Olympics weight training team.
More recently Arnie ran in the California elections for Governor and won, becoming the 38th Governor of California in 2003, taking a break from acting. He returned to film in 2010 in an uncredited role in 'The Expendables', and will appear in 'The Expendables 2' this year, followed by 'The Last Stand', 'Unknown Soldier' and 'The Swan' in 2013.
He married Maria Shriver in 1986 and they have four children together. They are currently undertaking divorce proceedings after the revelation that Schwarzenegger had a love child with another woman.
From a young age Arnie wanted to be a body builder and started to train and lift weights at 15. His ambition was to become the greatest body builder of all time.
He was even known to break into the gym and train until he would collapse from total exhaustion. His dream was finally realised when, at the age of 18, he went AWOL from the Austrian army to take part in the body building competition which was to earn him the title Mr Europa Junior.
This little move also earned him a short stint in prison. Two years, and much muscle pumping later, Arnie became the youngest ever Mr Universe.
Arnie studied marketing at the University of Munich for two years before leaving for America, at the invitation of muscle entrepreneur, Joe Weider, to study Business and Economics.
Arnie's body building success continued as he picked up the title of Mr. Olympia seven times and Mr Universe five times.
His first attempts at a movie career were under the guise of Arnold Black, starring in low-budget movies such as 'Hercules in New York' in 1969.
His first big break came in the comedy 'Stay Hungry' in 1976 for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture, leading to further successes in cult-films such as the 'Conan' series and the 'Terminator' series.
In 1982, he played a role ideal for him - a warrior in 'Conan The Barbarian' – which became a smash hit all over the globe. This was followed by the slightly less successful 'Conan The Destroyer' in 1984.
'Conan' kick-started his career but his next role catapulted him into stardom. He played the villain in 'Terminator' in 1984, which became a worldwide success and led to Arnie's catchphrase 'I'll be back'.
He then appeared in 'Commando' (1985), 'Raw Deal' (1986), 'Predator' (1987), 'The Running Man' (1987) and 'Red Heat' (1988), which were all box office smashes. Arnie then tried his hand at comedy starring in the 1988 film 'Twins' alongside Danny DeVito.
In 1990, he cemented his acting career with the successful 'Total Recall' and 'Kindergarten Cop', which was another light-hearted role. He then returned to the Terminator, starring in the sequel 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day', which had a larger budget than the previous film, in 1991. This was arguably the highlight of his career.
His 1993 film 'Last Action Hero' ended up being a flop in comparison but his 'I'll be back' phrase came true in 1994 when he starred in the surprise hit of the year 'True Lies'.
Arnie then focused on family-friendly entertainment in the form of 'Junior' (1994) and 'Jingle All The Way' (1996) before playing darker roles in 'Eraser' (1996), 'Batman & Robin' (1997) and 'End of Days' (1999).
This was followed by 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines' (2003), which was the weakest in the franchise, 'Welcome To The Jungle' (2003), 'Around The World in 80 Days' (2004) and 'The Kid and I' in 2005.
Arnie has whole-heartedly embraced the American way, loving the country from the moment he arrived, believing that the US has a much more positive outlook on life and aspirations than his home country. So much so that Arnie became a naturalised citizen in 1983.
Arnie has previously held positions within the American Government as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1990 and the weight lifting trainer for the Special Olympics weight training team.
More recently Arnie ran in the California elections for Governor and won, becoming the 38th Governor of California in 2003, taking a break from acting. He returned to film in 2010 in an uncredited role in 'The Expendables', and will appear in 'The Expendables 2' this year, followed by 'The Last Stand', 'Unknown Soldier' and 'The Swan' in 2013.
He married Maria Shriver in 1986 and they have four children together. They are currently undertaking divorce proceedings after the revelation that Schwarzenegger had a love child with another woman.
