Arnold Schwarzenegger
A Styrian in Hollywood
| Today, Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of Hollywood’s greatest stars. Born in Styria, he began as a professional athlete before turning full-time to film in 1975. But sport remains a very important issue for the „Styrian oak tree“, and Schwarzenegger promotes many sports events such as the Special Olympics.
1947 Arnold Schwarzenegger is born in Thal near Graz.
1965-1975 During his military service, Schwarzenegger wins the Junior Mr Europe title in Stuttgart in 1965. He then wins a series of titles in quick succession: the Styrian becomes Mr Universe, Mr World and – five times in succession – Mr Olympics.
1975-1983 After emigrating to the USA and ending his career in professional sports, he embarks on a cinema career. His second film, „Stay Hungry“ (1976), attracts the attention of the public and the press. His next film is the widely publicised „Conan the Barbarian“.
1984 The „Styrian oak tree“ achieves his international breakthrough with „Terminator“.
1985-1990 Films like „Twins“ and „Kindergarten Cop“ show the humorous side of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nonetheless, he remains faithful to the action genre and makes box office hits such as „Total Recall“.
Since 1991 „Terminator II“ is a hit, and so is „Planet Hollywood“ – the restaurant chain which Schwarzenegger opens together with fellow-actors Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Sylvester Stallone. In the mid-1990s, Schwarzenegger makes successful films like „Eraser“ and „Batman & Robin“. Shooting „Terminator III“ will be the Styrian-born American’s next project.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (*30.07. 1947)
| Even Hollywood stars of this magnitude started out small...
...on 30 July 1947 in Thal near Graz. Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born as the second son of chief police inspector Gustav Schwarzenegger and his wife Aurelia. His brother Meinhard, one year older than Arnold, was killed in an automobile accident in 1971.
Foundations of his career
Although his father, who was an athlete, encouraged his sons to participate in sports, Arnold did not discover bodybuilding until he was 15. Previously, like most of the boys his age, he had mainly been interested in soccer. But when the young soccer players went on an excursion to a fitness centre, Arnold discovered his love for weights and muscles. His father was not very pleased about his son’s sudden obsession with bodybuilding, since pumping iron was rather an unpopular sport in Austria at the time. But the future Mr Universe was undeterred. When his father refused to allow him to go to the fitness centre more than three times a week, he simply took the training machines home with him.
His first bodybuilding title
When he was called up for military service at 18, his efforts had already begun to bear fruit. And so he insisted on entering the Junior Mr Europe contest in Stuttgart – even though he was not given official leave. Back in the barracks, he spent seven days in the military prison for being absent without leave, but even his superior officers now had to acknowledge his talent – after all, he had come home with the Junior Mr Europe title. And so Arnold was permitted to continue his bodybuilding training during his military service.
Sportsman
After completing his military service in 1966, Arnold Schwarzenegger moved to Munich. He entered many contests and won most of them. When he took the Mr Universe title in 1968, the American bodybuilder Joe Weilder invited him to the USA. Only two years after arriving there, Schwarzenegger made his first film, „Hercules in New York“. He also continued to win bodybuilding contests such as Mr Olympia and Mr World. After the Styrian had become Mr Olympia for five years running, he retired from professional bodybuilding in 1975
Actor
| For „Stay Hungry“, his second film which was screened in 1976, Schwarzenegger received good reviews and also received the Golden Globe for „Best Young Actor“. Despite this success, the bodybuilder returned to professional sports and became Mr Olympia again in 1980. In the same year, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in business management. Returning to Hollywood, he made the film „Conan the Barbarian“. Soon afterwards, the star received US citizenship.
Breakthrough
| In 1984, Arnold Schwarzenegger made the film „Terminator“. This film, which soon achieved cult status, catapulted the Styrian to international superstardom. Action films remained his speciality from then on, but he also gave impressive displays of his talent for comedy in films like „Twins“ and „Kindergarten Cop“. On 26 April 1986 he married the television journalist Maria Shriver, with whom he now has four children.
Businessman
| His professional career too gave no causes for complaint. In 1987, the megastar received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1991, he and his fellow-actors Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore opened the „Planet Hollywood“ restaurant chain. He also acted in box office hits like „True Lies, „Junior“, „Eraser“ and „Batman and Robin“. His former home too paid homage to its famous son: The former Liebenauer stadium was renamed „Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium“ in 1997. However, in recent years the „Styrian oak tree“ has had to cope with difficulties as well. Shortly after he recovered from heart surgery, his mother Aurelia died in 1998. Her recipe for Apple Strudel is still a hit with guests at the restaurant „Schatzi“ in Santa Monica, California, which Schwarzenegger opened in 1992 and leased in 1998 to the Styrian ice cream mogul Charly Temmel.