Schwarzenegger, Arnold (1947-…), is an American motion-picture actor and a former governor of California . He served as Republican governor of California from 2003 to 2011. As an actor, Schwarzenegger is known for his roles in action films. He also has appeared on television.
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, in Graz, Austria. He chose a career in bodybuilding at the age of 15. Schwarzenegger won his first bodybuilding title in 1965. He later won the bodybuilding competition title Mr. Universe five times and the title Mr. Olympia seven times.
Schwarzenegger attracted notice as an actor when he played himself in the documentary Pumping Iron (1977). His first starring roles were in the action epic films Conan the Barbarian (1982) and Conan the Destroyer (1983). Schwarzenegger achieved star status playing a combination of man and machine in the science-fiction film The Terminator (1984). That film and its first sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), made him one of the most popular and highest-paid stars in films. Schwarzenegger also starred in the “Terminator” sequels Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Genisys (2015), and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019). Schwarzenegger’s other films include The Expendables 2 (2012) and the sequel The Expendables 3 (2014); The Last Stand and Escape Plan (both 2013); and Sabotage (2014).
Schwarzenegger became a United States citizen in 1983. From 1990 to 1993, Schwarzenegger served as chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. In 2002, he promoted California’s Proposition 49, a proposed act to increase funds for after-school programs. California voters approved Proposition 49 in November 2002.
Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California in October 2003 in a recall election—that is, a special election to decide whether someone should be removed from office. He replaced Democratic Governor Gray Davis in November, partway through Davis’s term. In 2006, Schwarzenegger was reelected for a full term as governor. See California (The 2000’s) .
Schwarzenegger is the author of several books on body building. He also wrote the autobiographies Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder (1977) and Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story (2012). In 2017, Schwarzenegger hosted the reality television series “The New Celebrity Apprentice.” He replaced the American businessman Donald J. Trump , who was elected U.S. president in 2016.
