Arnold
The Austrian Oak who became a Hollywood action star and California governor.
via Wikipedia: Arnold Schwarzenegger · see source
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, film producer, politician, and former professional bodybuilder who served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011. He began lifting weights at age 15 and won the Mr. Universe bodybuilding championship at age 20. He won the Mr. Olympia title seven times, tying with Phil Heath for the second-highest number of wins. Nicknamed the "Austrian Oak" in his bodybuilding days, he is regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He has written books and articles about bodybuilding, including the autobiographical Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder (1977) and The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (1998). The Arnold Sports Festival, the second-most prestigious bodybuilding event after the Mr. Olympia competition, is named after him. He appeared in the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron (1977), which set him on his way to a career in films.
Quick Facts
- Order
- 38th Governor of California
- Lieutenant
- Cruz Bustamante
- John Garamendi
- Mona Pasquil (acting)
- Abel Maldonado
- Took office
- November 17, 2003
- Left office
- January 3, 2011
- Predecessor
- Gray Davis
- Successor
- Jerry Brown
- Birth name
- Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger
- Born
- 30 July 1947
Lore & Background
Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Styria, the second son of Gustav Schwarzenegger and his wife Aurelia. Gustav was the local chief of police who joined the Nazi Party after the Anschluss in 1938 and served as a military policeman during World War II, including at the siege of Leningrad. Schwarzenegger has said his father had "no patience for listening or understanding your problems" and that he suffered what "would now be called child abuse" at his father's hands. He was raised in a Catholic household. At school he was academically average but stood out for his "cheerful, good-humored, and exuberant" personality. He struggled with reading and was later diagnosed with dyslexia. He began weight training in 1960 when his football coach took the team to a local gym, and at age 14 chose bodybuilding over football as a career. He served in the Austrian Army in 1965, went AWOL during basic training to compete in a bodybuilding contest, and spent a week in military prison. He won the Junior Mr. Europe contest during his service. His brother Meinhard died in a car crash on May 20, 1971, and his father Gustav died of a stroke on December 13, 1972.
Reader's Guide
Schwarzenegger's early life was shaped by strict parenting and a drive to escape poverty. He has said, 'I want to be rich. I want to be somebody.' He met former Mr. Austria Kurt Marnul in 1961, who invited him to train at a gym in Graz. He was so dedicated that he broke into the local gym on weekends to train when it was closed. His first plane trip was in 1966 to attend the NABBA Mr. Universe competition in London, where he placed second. He has said, 'The Mr. Universe title was my ticket to America—the land of opportunity, where I could become a star and get rich.' In Graz, he was mentored by Alfred Gerstl, who had Jewish ancestry and later became president of the Federal Council. Schwarzenegger paid for his nephew Patrick's education and helped him move to the U.S. In Pumping Iron, he claimed he did not attend his father's funeral because he was training for a bodybuilding contest, but later said the story was taken from another bodybuilder to create a colder image for the film. He has given at least three different explanations for why he did not attend his father's funeral.
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