Arnold Schwarzenegger

Date of Birth	30 July 1947 , Thal, Styria, Austria
Birth Name	Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger
Nicknames	Arnie Austrian Oak Conan the Republican Styrian Oak The Governator The Running Man Conan the Governor The Machine
Height	6' 2" (1.88 m)

Biography

Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian/American actor, politician and businessman who started his career out as a weight-lifter. Born July 30, 1947 in Thal, Styria, Austria, Schwarzenegger with a keen interest in physical fitness and seemingly indomitable drive, parlayed his notoriety as a five-time Mr. Universe and seven-time Mr. Olympia champion to turn himself into a Hollywood movie star and public personality. After a series of false starts as the dumb-beefcake in several poor films Schwarzenegger got his big break in the title role of director John Milius's Conan the Barbarian (1982). Several sequels followed but the actor wisely played against the heroic type to take the eponymous villain role in The Terminator (1984) with director 'James Cameron' and making the line, "I'll be back" a catch-phrase of the mid-80s. Schwarzenegger solidified his place as an action hero in films like Predator (1987), Total Recall (1990), _Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1992)_ and True Lies (1994), but proved to have wider range than anyone expected by pulling off comedic roles too, which he did in Twins (1988), Kindergarten Cop (1990), and others. In April, 1986 he married TV correspondent, Maria Shriver (a relation to the Kennedy political dynasty) and the couple had 4 children. Eventually a string of less-than-successfully received pictures, such as Jingle All the Way (1996), Eraser (1996), End of Days (1999), The 6th Day (2000), and Collateral Damage (2002) proved that the "Austrian Oak," as he had been nicknamed during his weight-lifting years, could be felled.

In October of 2003 Schwarzenegger, running as a Republican, was elected Governor of California in a special recall election of then governor Gray Davis. The "Governator," as Schwarzenegger came to be called, held the office until 2011. Upon leaving the Governor's mansion it was revealed that he had fathered a child with the family's live-in maid and Shriver filed for divorce.

He is currently in The Expendables 2 (2012) and expected to next be seen in The Last Stand (2013), Escape Plan (2013) and The Unknown Soldier.

Growing up in a small, isolated village in Austria, he turned to bodybuilding as his ticket to a better life. Prior to that he served a mandatory one year in the Austrian military (beginning in 1965). After conquering the world as arguably the greatest bodybuilder who ever lived, he went to America to make his name in motion pictures. Hampered by his impossible name and thick accent, success eluded him for many years. It wasn't until he found the tailor-made role of Conan that he truly came into his own as a performer. A succession of over-the-top action films made him an international box office star. By alternating violent action films with lighter, comedic fare, he has solidified his position as one of the most popular - if not the most popular - movie stars in the world. After his long, and successful movie career, he ran in the California recall. He is now the Governor of California, yet another celebrity to be elected to the position.