From a country boy in Austria to the top of the world.
After being dubbed by the Guinness Book of World Records as “the most perfectly developed man in the history of the world,” holding a pivotal role in modernizing bodybuilding, becoming one of Hollywood’s best-known actors, involving himself with philanthropic work, and holding the office of Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life has been remarkable to say the least.
That being said, Arnold still has his eyes set forward, chasing many goals he has yet to accomplish. As it stands, he leaves behind a legacy inspiring others to take the initiative, build their courage, and achieve greatness.
The Early Years
Arnold Schwarzenegger learning in his home town Thal, Austria.
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is the second son of local police chief Gustav Schwarzenegger and Aurelia nee Jadnry. Born in the small village of Thal, Austria on July 30, 1947, he grew up in a strict, conservative environment that included attending Sunday Catholic Mass every week with his family.
Arnold’s early life was not easy and not just because of financial troubles, he experienced his fair share of familial problems, too, but money was a significant issue. Arnold told a story from his childhood about how buying a refrigerator for the household had been one of the family’s highlights.
Unfortunately for Arnold, his father had always favored his older brother, Meinhard. Because of this and also because of his parents’ German-Austrian mentality, Arnold was often physically punished by his father, but it didn’t end there. He also suffered mental hardship as his father continuously ridiculed his dreams of moving from Austria to America and becoming a world-class bodybuilder.
The behavior eventually drove a wedge between them, though it ultimately served to help Arnold, cultivating within him a dauntless attitude which pushed him relentlessly forward in his mission to become a world-class bodybuilder, no matter how tough the road became.
The Start of a Distinguished Bodybuilding Career
True to his word, Schwarzenegger determinedly pursued his goal of becoming a renowned bodybuilder. He demonstrated this tenacity in 1965 when he served his term in the Austrian Army as required by law. Even though there was next to no equipment or time to train, Arnold persisted in his pursuit to build muscle.
Unlike his peers who would rest in preparation for the next grueling task after every military drill, Schwarzenegger would go out and train in whatever way he could. His resolve was so strong that at one point he went AWOL from the military to compete in the Junior Mr Europe competition; a mighty 7-hours away on a train, in another country, undeterred with the consequences that lay in his wake.
Fortunately, he won the competition and his commanding officers saw his potential. So instead of being sent to solitary confinement, he was instead banished to the kitchen to help with the cooking, giving him the opportunity to eat even more food to support his growth.
Winning also came with respect from his superiors which provided Arnold the freedom to set up his own weight room he used to train for 4 hours a day. On top of these perks, coming first also lead Arnold to receive a job offer from Germany’s biggest gym and his first major step toward achieving his dream, giving him the motivation to quit the army.
A soldier leaving the army to help on the farm or because of family illness was often accepted, but departing to pursue a bodybuilding career was unheard of. Luckily, with the help of some unsafe incidents that included a tank drag race that saw him smash into a wall, the army was more than happy to release Arnold earlier than anticipated and allow him pursue his ambition to become a world-class bodybuilder.
Without hesitation Arnold made the most of this chance, heading straight to Munich, the “boom town” where he could explore more opportunities. Although he didn’t even know the language let alone his way around, Arnold settled in quite quickly and soon met one of his best mates, Franco Columbu.
“Compared to the other competitions I’d seen, Mr Universe was the big time.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Entering the Mr Universe
It didn’t take living in Munich long for Arnold to become accustomed to the lifestyle. He began picking up bad habits such as drinking and partying, putting his goals at risk. Luckily, Arnold eventually got back into gear and began focusing on his first Mr Universe competition in London where he placed 2nd behind Chester Yorton.
Coming second was an enormous feat and being both the rookie and an unknown bodybuilder propelled muscle magazines to make dashing headlines including: “Next year he’s going to win.” This soon lead to more opportunities, including a rapid return trip to London. This time, though, Arnold was accommodated by Wag Bennet, an owner of two reputable gyms on top of being a judge at the Mr Universe.
This connection seemingly became the spark for many more. Not only was Arnold able to meet new people such as Reg Park (Arnold’s idol), the winner of multiple Mr Universe titles and an established actor, but he was also able to learn many things along the way to fix his flaws, most notably his posing.
In 1967, the year following his historic second place finish and as predicted by countless established bodybuilding magazines, Arnold did indeed win the Mr Universe for the first time. And with that also came a free plane ticket to South Africa, courtesy of Reg Park, which had been a promised reward if Arnold won.
The trip was eye-opening for Arnold, and he gained a deep insight into how bodybuilding exhibitions and promotions worked. But more importantly, Arnold was able to learn from Reg and see how his persona and mindset led to his success. A success that allowed Reg to own a marvelous house overlooking the city thus reminding Arnold to “keep (his) sights high.”
Reg Park instilled into Arnold the phrase: “the mind is the limit.”
Often when a person rapidly rises in fame, around the corner is often a setback waiting to occur. For Arnold, it happened just before the 1968 Mr Universe. Arnold was going about with his usual routine and collecting his paycheck in Munich. This time though, his boss would only allow him to take his earnings if he signed a contracting that guaranteed his boss would also be his agent, allowing the man to take a cut of all Arnold’s future earnings. At first glance, Arnold was in shock. He couldn’t believe what the contract stated, but eventually the situation sunk in and Arnold declined.
Nevertheless, right around the corner from this unfortunate event, things began to brighten up. Arnold managed to secure his second Mr Universe title, and soon after he received a call from Joe Weider, the head of the bodybuilding world, giving him the opportunity to fly to the US and compete in the American version of Mr Universe.
For the first time, Arnold set his sights on Sergio Oliva, the Mr Olympia champion who would go on to become his rival in the years to come. Coming off a win, Arnold held himself in high-esteem believing he would win with sheer size. What he didn’t account for was that the American judges took symmetry and conditioning into account much more than their European counterparts. As a result, Arnold came in second, a placement he bitterly resented.
After the loss, Arnold became extremely depressed. Not only did he believe he had disappointed Joe Weider, but he had no money, no job, and all his worldly possessions could fit into a single gym bag. There was no doubt Arnold’s life looked bleak, and his dreams of becoming a world-class bodybuilder living in America had seemingly crumbled beneath him.
Until the day following his defeat when Arnold was interviewed by Weider. To his surprise, Weider offered him a sponsorship to live in America that included a car, living expenses, and an apartment ensuring that he could focus on bodybuilding. Arnold couldn’t believe his luck. During this time, getting paid to lift weights was unheard of, making him the first bodybuilder ever to achieve it. But Joe didn’t offer any of this out of sympathy. What he saw in Arnold was a prodigy in the making, even stating “you are going to be the greatest. Just wait and see.”
With this opportunity, Arnold began to make new goals and came to realize that the judges choosing him as second in Mr Universe had been, in fact, the correct decision. Arnold might have been bigger, but Zane was extremely proportioned and lean and deserved the win.
Living The American Dream
Arnold started his first week in America with a bang. Within only a few days, a friend lent Arnold a Pontiac GTO boasting 350 horsepower to drive. Being ecstatic that he passed a crucial milestone towards achieving his dream, Arnold got carried away and ended up crashing the car that very day. Fortunately, the car’s owner worked for a dealership and had his pick of any used car, so he didn’t even bat an eyelid at the incident.
After the crash, Arnold wanted another fresh start and immediately began settling into his new country. One of the first lessons he learned came while he trained at Gold’s gym. By seeing photos of Reg Park, Dave Draper, Frank Zane and Serge Nubret, Arnold recognised that winning the Mr Universe contest in London didn’t make him anywhere near the best bodybuilder in the world. To be the best, he had to compete with the best, and at the time, there was no one better than Sergio Oliva, sitting at a whopping 230-pounds.
“There was no question that Sergio was still way out of my reach.” – Arnold
The next year, 1969, Arnold competed against Sergio at the Mr Olympia. With a full year focused entirely on building his physique and preparing for the competition, Sergio still beat him, taking the title for the third consecutive year. Arnold even stated:
“I did my best trade-mark pose- the three-quarters back- but that wasn’t enough to turn it. He was simply still head of me.”
On Top of the Bodybuilding World
1970 was a pivotal moment in bodybuilding. In the span of two weeks, Arnold’s future dominance was displayed to the world as he beat his Idol, Reg Park, at the Mr Universe; Sergio, for the first time at the Mr World, and taking out the overall crown as the Mr Olympia for the first time.
The year after, Arnold won the Olympia with ease as Sergio had been barred from the contest due to a dispute between federations. The joy of winning the most prestigious bodybuilding competition quickly dissipated when he heard news of his brother’s tragic death only a few days after. But Austria lay half way around the world, and there was no way he could make the funeral in time. Nonetheless, like Champions do, he overcame this distress and continued with his journey to becoming not only the world’s best bodybuilder but also a blockbuster actor.
Winning the Mr Olympia in 1972 was quite unique. For the first time, he was able to compete in front of his parents who realized that “this is what (Arnold) used to talk about – his dream that we didn’t buy into.” Showing his parents the realization of his dream was one of his biggest triumphs. But his parents, particularly his dad, weren’t comfortable with being proved wrong and returned home shortly after.
The Golden Era.
Without Sergio competing in the IFBB anymore, there wasn’t anyone left in Arnold’s league to compete with. As a result, Schwarzenegger won the 1973 Mr Olympia uncontested. The following year though, Arnold faced an up-and-coming bodybuilder, Lou Ferrigno, who was said to be the next ‘Arnold’ aiming to take the Olympia throne. But once they competed, Arnold dominated Lou and convincingly showed him the vast separation between their physiques.
Having already achieved everything he could in bodybuilding, Arnold thought he’d found the end of the road. However, with the production of the iconic documentary Pumping Iron, Arnold was pushed into competing for his six-straight win which became a contributing factor to the film was extremely successful. Which seemingly put bodybuilding onto the world map, and many bodybuilders, including Arnold, found themselves famous seemingly overnight.
From there, Arnold began focusing on his acting career with many opportunities ahead of him. In 1980, however, the shooting for Conan the Barbarian movie halted six weeks before the Mr Olympia due to political issues in the country it was being filmed. Being the opportunist man Arnold was, he saw a fortuitous opportunity to make a surprising comeback and reclaim the Olympia, the event having grown significantly since the release of Pumping Iron, and he took it.
Although Arnold did end up winning, his competing in the contest ended up being quite controversial. Many factors stemmed this dispute including the fact Arnold competed without registering (which had no rule on at the time), every other bodybuilder, except Arnold, signed a petition against the bodybuilding rules, and the Mr Olympia experienced its first non-unanimous decision in its storied history.
In hindsight, Arnold admitted that the episode wasn’t great for the sport as divisiveness was instigated and the old camaraderie of bodybuilding eroded. Eventually, Arnold reconciled with all those involved. Nevertheless, it took many years. In the end, this became the closing of Arnold’s prestigious bodybuilding career.
Life in Hollywood: “I’m Going to Become the Greatest Actor!”
After establishing himself as a mighty force in bodybuilding, Arnold decided to retire from active participation in contests and set his eyes on acting instead, like his idol Reg Park.
Arnold did not have it easy in this endeavor. Like a lot of Hollywood actors, he had his fair share of struggles when it came to finding jobs or directors who would take him seriously. He shared in a 2008 interview:
“It was very difficult for me in the beginning — 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.”
Arnold in the movie Conan the Barbarian
But hard work paid off, because soon Arnold began receiving projects where he could demonstrate his acting skills, though his first acting stint in Hercules in New York was disastrous. Because his accent was so thick, the film’s editing team chose to dub his lines after production. But by the time his third movie, Stay Hungry, came out Arnold had gained enough of a reputation to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for New Male Star of the Year.
Because of his combination of good looks and physique, he quickly gained fame in Hollywood and on the international scene finding himself in roles that required a strong physique. Among his notable films are Conan the Barbarian and the Terminator series which saw him catapult to the A-list action stars together with Sylvester Stallone.
But Arnold showed his versatility in acting by taking on comedy roles as well. Examples are: Last Action Hero, True Lies, and Twins. Not all of these films became top grossers in the box office, but they showed a different side of Arnold that most people did not know about.
Among all the movies that Arnold made, none made him more famous than the science fiction thriller Terminator series. He appeared in The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and Terminator Genisys which was release in 2015. It is through these movies — particularly the first one — that Arnold made his mark in Hollywood, delivering popular lines like “I’ll be back” with a monotone voice and a straight, expressionless face.
To-date, Arnold’s films have grossed over $3 billion on the international scene, and he continues to appear in action films such as a cameo appearance in The Expendables and a more significant role in The Expendables 2.
Governor Arnold
Although children from the eighties and nineties know Arnold Schwarzenegger as a Hollywood actor and as a bodybuilder, kids from later generations know him more because of his political career.
Arnold announced his candidacy for governor in the 2003 California recall election. Despite being the only candidate who did not have a political background or experience, he won the election by a landslide 48.6 percent vote after earning the titles “The Governator” and “The Running Man” during the campaign period.
One of Arnold’s early victories as governor came when he repealed an unpopular vehicle registration fee hike. He also successfully disallowed illegal immigrants from receiving driver’s licenses. However, there were also several setbacks in his political career, like when powerful state unions started opposing his programs. Despite several losses of his initiatives, he continued to serve the citizens of California, even running for a second term as governor. All in all, he was governor for seven years, from 2003 to 2010.
Perhaps one of Arnold’s greatest legacies during his time in public office is his action against global warming. In September 2006, Arnold signed the Global Warming Solutions Act which created California’s first cap on greenhouse gas emissions. As part of the law’s provisions, manufacturing plants and refineries were regulated on the amount of emissions they could release to the atmosphere. Arnold also signed a second global warming bill, this time prohibiting big corporations in California from dealing with suppliers who violate the state’s standards on greenhouse gas emissions.
Never mind that Arnold’s other initiatives were thwarted by the opposition. The bodybuilder-turned-actor-turned-governor would always be remembered for his fight against global warming during his time in the political arena.
Arnold during his tenure as the Governor of California.
An Entrepreneurial Mindset
Despite his many other activities, Arnold Schwarzenegger had proven business prowess since the early days of his career when he opened a bricklaying business with his fellow bodybuilder Franco Columbu in 1969. Using their marketing savvy, the pair made the business grow, and then used its profits to start a mail order business that sold bodybuilding and fitness training equipment, showing that they had not forgotten their roots.
Aside from the bricklaying and mail order businesses, Arnold also invested in real estate, starting with an apartment he purchased for $10,000. He also explored the food business, running the Schatzi On Main restaurant in Santa Monica from 1992 to 1998.
Arnold also invested in other ventures, including the investment firm Dimensional Fund Advisors, and Planet Hollywood (from which he got out in early 2000). Arnold owns Arnold’s Sports Festival, an event that is annually held in Columbus, Ohio. The festival hosts thousands of health and fitness professionals from different states and countries.
Capping off his business ventures are Oak Productions, Inc., a movie production company, and Fitness Publications, a joint publishing imprint with Simon & Schuster.
The Schwarzenegger Legacy
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s story is not your ordinary rags to riches story. His includes a journey crossing miles of ocean to a new land, defying the odds stacked against him because of his nationality, and rising to the top despite obstacles to his goals. He taught that anyone could be anything they want to be if they work hard for it, as proven by his transition from award-winning bodybuilder to acclaimed international actor to respected government official, and of course, successful entrepreneur.
“For me life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
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