Arnold Schwarzenegger

Only the second governor in California's history to be born in a foreign country. John Downey, the 7th Governor of California, was born in Ireland and served from 1860-1862.

His mother was Aurelia Jadrny (2 July 1922 - 2 August 1998) and his father was Gustav Schwarzenegger (Graz, 17 August 1907 - 1 December 1972), married in Murzsteg, 20 October 1945. His mother's surname is Czech.

Had one elder brother, Meinhard (1946-1971).

Early in his career he appeared as a contestant on "The Dating Game" (1965).

Trophies won as athlete: 1965 Mr. Europe Jr.. Held in Germany. 1966 Best Builed Man of Europe/Mr. Europe/International Powerlifting-Championship/. All 3 events held in Germany. 1967 NABBA Mr. Universe Amateurs. Held in London. 1968 NABBA Mr. Universe Proffesional. Held in London. 1968 National Championship Weightlifting. Held in Germany. 1968 IFBB Mr. International. Held in Mexico. 1969 IFBB Mr. Universe Amateurs. Held in New York. 1969/1970 NABBA Mr. Universe Proffesional. Both times held in London. 1970 Mr. World. Held in Columbus, Ohio. 1970-1975 5 times in a row IFBB Mr. Olympia. Held in New York 1970/1973/1974, Paris 1971, Essen 1972, Pretoria 1975. 1980 For the 6th time IFBB Mr. Olympia. Held in Sydney, Australia.

His voice in Hercules in New York (1969) was dubbed.

Won Mr. Olympia title seven times (1970-1975, 1980).

Before he became a household name, Schwarzenegger appeared with bodybuilding buddies Franco Columbu and Frank Zane on the sleeve of Grand Funk Railroad's 1974 album "All the Girls in the World Beware!!!" Band member faces were cleverly superimposed on their muscle-bound bodies.

Was attached to do another film adaptation of the pulp hero Doc Savage (after the failed 1975 film) in the late 1990s, but the project never got off the ground.

Was considered for the title role in the 1970s TV series "The Incredible Hulk" (1978), but was reportedly deemed not tall enough. His former bodybuilding competitor, Lou Ferrigno, ultimately won the part.

1979: Graduated from University of Wisconsin-Superior with a major in international marketing of fitness and business administration.

Was considered for the title role in Flash Gordon (1980). The part eventually went to Sam J. Jones instead, because producer Dino De Laurentiis felt Schwarzenegger's German accent was ill-suited for this role. DeLaurentiis (in his heavy Italian accent) told Schwarzenegger, "You have an accent! I cannot use you for Flash Gordon! No! Flash Gordon has no accent! I cannot use you! No!" Ironically, Jones had to temporarily get rid of his own Texas accent for said role.

Suffered a back injury (among other various assorted injuries) while filming Conan the Barbarian (1982) when the dogs who were chasing him jumped him from behind and he fell down the rock he was climbing to escape them.

Had his first romantic scene in a movie with actress Sandahl Bergman, in Conan the Barbarian (1982).

Is good friends with fellow bodybuilder Sven-Ole Thorsen who, ironically, portrayed "Thorgrim," one of his leading foes, in Conan the Barbarian (1982).

His life strangely mirrors the life of Conan from Conan the Barbarian (1982). Conan was born in a small village and grew up to be a physically powerful man, due to years of slavery. After winning great fame as a gladiator, he is given to wine and women, but later rejects this hedonistic lifestyle and goes on to perform great heroic feats and eventually is crowned king. Arnold was born in a small Austrian town and took up weightlifting as he got older. After achieving success as a bodybuilder, he indulged in drug abuse and womanizing, but he later rejected this and went on to become a vocal supporter of social causes, and was eventually elected governor of California.

While filming the behind the scenes documentary for the special edition DVD of Conan the Barbarian (1982), the microphone hit him in the head at the end of the interview, to which he immediately joked "You see, I can't even do an interview about Conan without getting hurt".

John Milius originally intended him to do the narration of Conan the Barbarian (1982) but the studio didn't trust his accent, so the narration was performed by Mako instead, who played the wizard.

He keeps the sword he used in Conan the Barbarian (1982) in the Governor's office in California.

Has been crucified in two movies: Conan the Barbarian (1982) and End of Days (1999), where he was tied to a cross.

1983: Became a US citizen.

James Cameron originally wanted him for the role of Kyle Reese in The Terminator (1984), but after reading the script, Arnold asked Cameron to let him play the part of the Machine. Cameron replied "No, no! Reese is the star! He's the big hero! And the Terminator hardly has any lines!" but Arnold asked him to "trust me".

Has played a character who died in only four of his films: The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), End of Days (1999) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003).

His famous line "I'll be back", which originated from The Terminator (1984), was originally written as "I'll come back".

Due to the dismal failure of Conan the Destroyer (1984), Schwarzenegger rarely ever did sequels to his own movies. He's turned down sequels to Commando (1985), Predator (1987), Total Recall (1990) and True Lies (1994), as well as the third Conan film which became Kull the Conqueror (1997). The only exception he ever made was Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003).

Was asked to appear in a sequel to his 1985 film Commando (1985) but declined.

Had stitches in his hand from the taking-off-airplane-to-tarmac stunt he performed for Commando (1985).

Said that filming the climatic fight at the end of Predator (1987) was made difficult by the fact that the late Kevin Peter Hall, who played the Predator, couldn't see through his mask.

Was considered for the role of the gentle giant Fezzik in the 1970s when William Goldman's book "The Princess Bride" was first proposed to be made into a film (The Princess Bride (1987)).

While filming Predator (1987) he became close friends with co- star Jesse Ventura, who was also later elected a state governor (Minnesota).

Was asked to reprise his "Dutch" character from the first Predator (1987) film for the sequel, but he declined because he didn't like the script. He chose to do Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) instead.

Acted with another future governor, Jesse Ventura, of Minnesota, in Predator (1987) and The Running Man (1987).

Turned down the role of Animal Mother in Full Metal Jacket (1987) and opted to do The Running Man (1987) instead.

Was the original choice to play the title character in RoboCop (1987).

Turned down the role of John McClane in Die Hard (1988). The role went to Bruce Willis instead. Ironically, Willis has a line in the film where he says that the terrorists "have enough explosives to orbit Arnold Schwarzenegger".

Children with Maria Shriver: Katherine Schwarzenegger (born on December 13, 1989), Christina Maria Aurelia (born on July 23, 1991), Patrick Schwarzenegger (born on September 18, 1993) and Christopher Sargent Shriver (born on September 27, 1997). Joseph Baena, born on October 2, 1997 with Mildred Patricia Baena who was housekeeper in the family until 2011.

The character Rainier Wolfecastle in "The Simpsons" (1989) is based on him.

Children - Katherine Eunice (born December 13, 1989), Christina Maria Aurelia (born July 23, 1991), Patrick Arnold (born September 18, 1993) and Christopher Sargent Shriver (September 27, 1997).

The character "Arnold the Pitbull", featured on "Tiny Toon Adventures" (1990), voiced by Rob Paulsen, was a parody of him.

8/6/03: Announced his candidacy for the Governorship of California on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (1992).

TV Guide selected Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (1992) to run for Governor of California as the greatest TV moment of 2003.

1992: He joined President George Bush in New Hampshire and asked voters to "send a message to Pat Buchanan: Hasta la vista, baby".

In Demolition Man (1993), Sandra Bullock's character Lenina Huxley is telling Sylvester Stallone's character John Spartan about the Arnold Schwarzenegger Presidential Library, explaining that, based on the sheer popularity of Schwarzenegger's movies, a Constitutional amendment was passed in order for Schwarzenegger to run for President, which, according to Huxley, he did. In 2003, ten years after this film's release, Schwarzenegger ran for the office of Governor of California, and won the election on 7 October 2003. While Schwarzenegger is not eligible to run for the presidency by present laws (as a naturalized citizen, not a native-born citizen as required by the Constitution), most past presidents have been governors of their respective home states. Some members of Congress are currently considering an amendment to the Constitution to allow foreign-born US citizens to be allowed to run for the Presidency, specifically with Schwarzenegger in mind, although other members of Congress are strongly opposed to the idea.

Was considered for the role of Judge Dredd in Judge Dredd (1995) in the early development stages. The part went to fellow Planet Hollywood founder Sylvester Stallone.

Considered for the main role in Strange Days (1995) but the job went to Ralph Fiennes instead.

He reprised his Terminator character for the theme park attraction T2 3-D: Battle Across Time (1996), a short film which uses an enhanced 3-D process that makes the film really appear to jump out at the audience.

1996: Received an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Superior, in recognition of his charitable works.

October 1997: Ranked #20 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.

April 1997: Underwent heart surgery to correct a congenital heart valve condition.

Turned down a request to reprise his Conan character in Kull the Conqueror (1997) (originally titled "Conan the Conqueror"). Also, he was supposed to play Conan in Red Sonja (1985), though ultimately, a new character was created who was essentially Conan in everything but name.

Was considered for the role of President James Mitchell in Air Force One (1997).

Was considered for the role of Harry Stamper in Armageddon (1998).

2000: Sold off his Planet Hollywood stock and is no longer a part owner of the chain.

Is the only person to receive Razzie nominations for Worst Actor, Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Screen Couple (with himself cloned) in the same year. All for the same movie, The 6th Day (2000).

He ended his association with Planet Hollywood early in 2000, saying the investment had not had the level of success he had expected.

December 2001: Broke six ribs in a motorcycle crash.

September 2001: He and Warner Bros. agreed to postpone the release of Collateral Damage (2002) indefinitely in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks on America. The plot centers around a firefighter who lost his family in a terrorist bomb attack.

June 2002: Received an honorary doctorate from Chapman University in Orange, CA.

May 2002: Lobbied to promote anti-juvenile delinquency initiative on California ballot that would commit the state to allocate $400 million for extracurricular activities and tutoring for students, kindergarten through ninth grade.

Honored by the Congressional Award in Washington, DC on June 25, 2002 with the Horizon Award. The Horizon Award is a special recognition from the Joint Leadership of the United States Congress and the Congressional Award Board of Directors. The Horizon Award is presented to individuals from the private sectors who have contributed to expanding opportunities for all Americans through their own personal contributions, and who have set exceptional examples for young people through their successes in life.

1/29/03: Underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff as a result of an injury on the set of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). Was in a sling for three to four weeks, but it was not expected to delay the completion of the movie.

2003: Ranked #9 in Star TV's Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s.

Initially refused to star in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) because James Cameron, who created the character and directed the first two films, would not be directing the third installment. Arnold tried to persuade Cameron to do the third film but Cameron declined and, feeling that the Terminator character was as much Arnold's as it was his own, Cameron advised Arnold to just do the third film and ask for a lot of money.

2004: Addressed the Republican National Convention.

He has been nominated for a Razzie Award as Worst Actor eight times during his career, and in 2004 received a special award for being the "Worst Razzie Loser of Our First 25 Years."

He saved a man's life while on vacation in Hawaii in 2004 by swimming into the sea to rescue him from drowning.

Attended the funeral of Ronald Reagan in 2004, whom he considered a great hero.

With the exception of Around the World in 80 Days (2004), in which he only appeared in a supporting role, has starred in three movies with the word "Day" in the title, and all three make a biblical reference: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), End of Days (1999) and The 6th Day (2000).

Withdrew from the city of Graz the right to use his name in association with its soccer stadium and returned his "Ehrenring" (ring of honor) after some politicians in the town had started a campaign against Schwarzenegger due to his refusal to stop the execution of convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams (20 December 2005).

November 2005: He was soundly defeated on all four propositions of his "special election", which cost the state of California an estimated $45 million. Schwarzenegger accepted personal responsibility for the defeat, and appointed a Democrat as his new Chief of Staff.

February 2005: He and his 12-year-old son Patrick were injured in a traffic accident when a car ran into Arnold's motorcycle. Patrick was in a sidecar. Arnold received 15 stitches.

In his childhood considered John Wayne his idol and role model. As Governor of California, he issued a proclamation making 26 May 2007 "John Wayne Day" in the state.

Late October 2007: Personally flew to Malibu, CA, to survey the damage done by wildfires before any other politician, including the President.

Considered for the role of "Robert Neville" in I Am Legend (2007) back in 1996, with Ridley Scott as the director.

Publicly endorsed his close friend Senator John McCain's bid to win the Republican nomination for the 2008 presidential election.

Producer Joel Silver wanted Schwarzenegger to play "Doctor Manhattan" in a film adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel Watchmen (2009) at one point.

Was seriously considered for the role of "Dr. Manhattan/Jon Osterman" in one of the many failed attempts at adapting Alan Moore's "Watchmen" into film. Ultimately, director Zack Snyder cast Billy Crudup for the 2009 adaptation.