Personality - Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947 in Thal, Austria. His parents were Aurelia and Gustav Schwarzenegger, and his elder brother was Meinhard, who was their father’s favorite.

Black Plowman

Gustav Schwarzenegger was the Chief of Police of Thal. He had also been head of the German military police during the war years in Belgium. The name "Schwarzenegger" has the tough-sounding meaning of ‘Black Plowman’. Gustav Schwarzegger was something of a legend. Little did he know that his second son would also become a living legend.

Strict Upbringing

Gustav was a strict disciplinarian. For example, he would make Arnold eat every meal with books pressed tightly under his arms to teach him to keep his elbows to his side while he ate. If a book fell from under his arms, Arnold would be severely punished. His father would make Arnold and Meinhard compete in races, studies, and even boxing matches. Gustav would humiliate the loser with scornful remarks. Every Sunday, Arnold and Meinhard had to choose among hiking, visiting a farm, seeing a play, going to a museum, or an art show. After their Sunday excursion, their father made them write a 10-page essay describing their day which he graded on Monday morning, and mistakes were not tolerated. Arnold would try hard to win a few words of praise from his father who would rarely praise him.

Distraught Son

Right from their early age, Gustav made the sons participate in all kinds of sports excluding the ones which were mild, physically. The Schwarzenegger brothers loved to skate, went skiing, hiking, swimming, and played a lot of ping-pong. Gustav always kept Arnold and Meinhard competing with each other in sports and at school. Their father’s sharp and scrutinizing eye would never be far away from them as even their home was just above the police station where their father worked. Gustav would also keep an eye on their school grades, because he was aware that homework would always take a backseat because of their extreme interest in sports which he had himself encouraged. Arnold’s brother, Meinhard, was a very talented soccer player at school. Gustav was very impressed and felt very proud of him whenever he won a trophy for playing exceptionally well, and he never let Arnold forget that Meinhard was better at soccer than him. In one of his more benevolent moods, he indicated to Arnold that he would like him to be a star soccer player like his brother. Arnold did his best to please his father and became a very good soccer player at school. Yet for Gustav, Meinhard remained a far better player.

Firm Spirit

This, in fact, fortified Arnold’s spirit to work harder. He felt sad, not because Meinhard was favored more by his father but because his father would never praise his best efforts.

It is said that a special event or occurrence in one’s life starts off the reaction that ultimately leads one to his or her destiny.

And that is what happened to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

One of the modes of entertainment provided to the Schwarzenegger boys (i.e. on rare occasions) was the local cinema hall. Arnold loved to watch movies, especially the Hercules series, which he watched over and over again. Reg Park was his idol and so was George Reeves. After he saw Olympic swimming champion Johnny Weismuller when he came to Graz, Arnold decided that he would work towards having a better physique. He started to collect all the muscle magazines he could lay his eyes on. His fascination for the strength and muscles that he saw in the magazines grew, and a picture of what he wanted to achieve gradually formed in his mind.

Arnold had already been introduced to weightlifting during a soccer team field trip to a local gym in Graz. He had intently watched the dedicated bodybuilders training, and it impressed him.

At 13, Arnold had decided what he wanted to become.

Rebel with a Cause

‘I want to be the best bodybuilder in the world’ was the declaration that Arnold made to Gustav, his father. Gustav was furious and told his son not to cherish this stupid notion, as in those times bodybuilding was not a respectable sport. It was considered a sport suitable only for homosexuals. But, Arnold was firm on his decisions. To show his father that he was serious, he dropped out of the soccer team. Punishment by his father did not change his mind. Gustav finally relented but on the terms that he was to visit the gym not more than three times a week. Arnold agreed and soon improvised a gym at home to keep up his workouts. When it came to training, dedication always took priority with Arnold. Nothing would stop him then.

Unstoppable

One Sunday, the gym was closed. This did not pose an obstacle to Arnold, as he soon broke in and started to work with the weights. The gym, as it was closed, had its heating system shut off and the weather conditions were so harsh that the barbells kept sticking on to his hands due to the frost. No obstacle could stand between him and his training and soon he was training seven days a week. His father, with the practical view in mind that Arnold should learn something that would help him earn his bread, had him apprenticed to a carpenter for three years. To his parent’s dismay, he quit school and stopped going to church.

But the training went on.
The Past Meets the Future

In 1961, Arnold met Kurt Marnul, who was the former Mr Austria. Kurt Marnul was impressed by the energetic young man’s physique and asked him if he wanted to train in the Athletic Union in Graz. Arnold, of course, grabbed the chance. He entered his first competition at the Graz Hotel and came second.

Well Built Ancestors

When Arnold turned 18 in 1965, he joined the Austrian army for mandatory service. Gustav and his wife Aurelia were confident that the rigors of Army life would cure him of his obsession with bodybuilding although they did admire their son behind his back. Gustav used to say that Arnold had inherited his physique from his grandfather, i.e. Gustav’s father, Karl Schwarzenegger. Nevertheless, they earnestly hoped that the Army would rid their son of his mania for bodybuilding, but Arnold proved to be tougher than they had imagined.

AWOL with A Dream

While at the Army camp, he heard that the Junior Mr Europe Bodybuilding Competition was to be held in Stuttgart. Arnold wanted to take part in the competition but he knew that he would never get an official permission from the Army. But he was adamant. Arnold turned AWOL (Absent Without Leave) and went to Stuttgart. He won the title of Junior Mr Europe. But when he returned, he was caught sneaking back into the camp and was thrown into jail for seven days. Despite going on AWOL to compete, Arnold became the company hero because of his determination and accomplishment. Army officials were also impressed and, in fact, gave him an order to keep continuing his training, which he did until he was released from service in 1966.

In 1966, Arnold was invited to move to Munich and train at the Putzinger gym. This was the year he stepped up from the junior division and started competing in the big leagues. The same year in September he flew to London to take part in the Mr Universe competition where he came second. He also won The Best Built Man in Europe, and the International Power Lifting Championship.

The Austrian Oak

When he was in London, for the Mr Universe competition, he was mobbed by other bodybuilders and fans from around the world. They had read about and seen pictures of the "Austrian Oak" as he had been nicknamed by the media. It was a heady experience for the young bodybuilder. He realized for the first time that he was becoming internationally famous, but he could not secure the title and came second. The title was won by an American named Chet Yorton, who not only had muscles and good moves but also had a good definition of his muscles. In spite of a massive body, Chet Yorton had his body totally chiseled like a statue.

Arnold, always ready to accept a challenge, threw himself into training again but this time he worked like a sculptor. Analyzing every part of his massive frame, he invented new exercises to separate and define the muscle groups. In 1967, he flew to London to compete in the Mr Universe contest again. With his new, incredibly buff and polished body, Arnold knew he could defeat Chet Yorton.

A New Adversary

But there was a new formidable contender now, Dennis Tinnerino, who had just won the Mr America competition. Everyone, including Arnold’s closest friends, were of the opinion that Tinnerino would easily win the tournament. But Arnold, with silent determination, resolved that he would win.

On the morning of the tournament, Dennis Tinnerino, to show his genuine goodwill and sportsmanship, came to Arnold to chat. During their conversation, he casually asked Arnold how he felt. In response, the massive Austrian leaned forward and locked his eyes with Tinnerino, and smiling his frigid smile (that is now one of his trademarks) in a voice that was free of malice but steeped in pure determination, he whispered "Fantastic ! It is the kind of day when you know you are going to win."

This was the day Arnold learned that a massive frame, and huge and finely defined muscles were not the only assets needed to win. You must have a strong will. Tinnerino performed extremely well that day, but he was no match for the Austrian.

At 20, Arnold became the youngest Mr Universe in history. Arnold had accomplished his dream.

The Land of the Free

In 1968, Schwarzenegger moved to the US, where he studied business and economics at the University of Wisconsin. He had recently lost his brother Meinhard in a car accident and unfortunately, his father too died of a stroke without seeing the success his son was soon to achieve. Arnold’s move to America was not a planned one. American bodybuilding champion, Joe Weider, was impressed with Arnold when after winning the Amateur Mr Universe title, he had moved on to win the professional Mr Universe title. Joe Weider invited Arnold to train in America.

Childhood Dream

Upon his graduation, he invested his contest earnings in various real estate projects and a bodybuilding equipment company. Two years after arriving in America, Schwarzenegger decided to try his hand at acting, which was also a childhood dream.

Mythological Debut

People always had a hard time pronouncing his last name ‘Schwarzenegger’, so for Hollywood, the land of the stars, he was billed as ‘Arnold Strong’. Under this name he made his debut in the low budget adventure Hercules in New York. The directors, deciding that his accent was too thick, had his voice dubbed in the movie. He struggled a lot to find suitable film work for a few years. He then landed his first substantial acting role in the offbeat comedy Stay Hungry in 1976, which starred Jeff Bridges and Sally Fields. In 1980, Arnold returned to bodybuilding and stunned everyone by capturing his seventh Mr Olympia.


In Love

Arnold met Maria Shriver in 1977, at a Tennis tournament. She was the daughter of Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy, who was the sister of John F Kennedy. Arnold and Maria became good pals.

Arnold soon proposed to her in a rowboat on Lake Tollersee in Austria. After an 8-year courtship, they married in 1986. They did not let their differing political views interfere with their love life. Arnold is a Republican and Maria is a Democrat.

Conan, The Rising Star

Perhaps with his seventh Mr Olympia, Arnold managed to rouse the most skeptical of the prominent figures of the Hollywood film industry, for soon he landed a major lead role in John Milius’ film. This movie was a sword-and-sorcery, new genre-type movie in which the story was totally centered around Arnold’s character. Conan The Barbarian was an adaptation of novelist Robert E Howard’s novel of ancient magical times. The story is about an orphan who becomes a slave and eventually becomes a powerful warrior. The sequel Conan The Destroyer was also quite successful. Hollywood finally noticed this bodybuilder-turned-actor, and many of them realized Arnold Schwarzenegger’s true potential. He was flooded with offers from quite a few producers. But he decided to be very careful in choosing his projects. He used to ask every producer or director to brief him about his role in the movie they were proposing.

Birth of the Cyborg

An offer by a little known director whose futuristic post-apocalyptic script appealed Arnold. The director was James Cameron, and he kept on telling Arnold that the role was perfect for him. Arnold, obviously, had come across many other people who had approached him with the ‘perfect’ role, but he was genuinely impressed by Cameron’s integrity and the logical and detailed manner in which he explained the details of the movie.

It was the story of a post-apocalyptic world where machines had taken control, but humans had created a resistance force to fight the machines. Led by a brilliant leader, the human resistance force becomes a great threat to the machines, who finally decide to send a cyborg into the past to terminate the mother of the human resistance leader, yet to be born. Arnold was to play the role of the indestructible cyborg sent into the past to hunt down the woman, played by Linda Hamilton.

Arnold’s Here !!

In 1985, after the huge success of The Terminator, another memorable action film was released : Commando, in which Arnold played the role of a Vietnam War veteran, Colonel John Matrix. The character leads a secluded post retirement life, away from the city, with his daughter, who is kidnapped by terrorists, aware of his war training and stealth skills order him to assassinate a prominent political figure for her safe return. Arnold, instead, disregards the threat and decides to rescue his daughter from the terrorists.

Arnold performed a couple of thrilling stunts in this movie that really awed the audience. One of the stunts had Arnold swinging from a huge decorative balloon, across the length of a wall onto a moving elevator, and another stunt had him being hit by a speeding car from which he instantly recovers and dashes off to find a car to pursue the speeder; sounds very simple, but of note is the fact that this happens in clear view of the camera. Commando still remains the favorite of fast-paced movie lovers.

In 1987, Arnold went on the fortify his already established action–hero image with Predator, a state-of-the-art thriller about a platoon of soldiers who encounter an alien who has come to earth for the pleasure of a chilling sport : hunting humans. It gradually hunts down each soldier until only the platoon leader, played by Arnold is left. The audience loved the movie, which some critics termed as being too graphically violent. The publicity posters for the movie sported a line that was to help in the building of the Arnold legend : "It came to Earth for the pleasure of hunting humans, this time it picked the wrong man to hunt." Another movie released the same year was The Running Man, based on a book by Stephen King, about a futuristic overpopulated world where the Attorney General endorses killing as a solution to the growing population problem. The Running Man, is a TV game-show where the participants are forced to compete for the ultimate prize : their life. In a return to the macho liner used for Predator, the line read, "They picked the wrong man to frame this time" once again creating awe among the audience. Although the critics said that the movie lacked a unique touch, it did good business and kept Arnold in the list of the great action stars.

The Cyborg Who Came Back

In 1991, Arnold once again returned to the role responsible for his superstardom. He and James Cameron joined forces to re-create T-800, the cyborg from the future. Although this time, he is sent from the future to protect the adolescent counterpart of the future leader of the human resistance. The machines not to be outdone, send an even more lethal nemesis, T-1000, to eliminate the young boy. In fact, to one who had seen the first movie and had not seen the trailers of the sequel, it would appear that Arnold had the same kind of role right until the moment when the android, wearing a leather jacket, and biker sunglasses points his shotgun at the boy and says ‘get down’ and shoots at the liquid-metal terminator behind. The movie wielded special effects technology that revolutionized the industry, and earned Edward Furlong accolades for his portrayal of T-1000, the advanced cyborg made of liquid metal, able to take the form and appearance of anyone he touches. At the time of its release, Terminator 2 held the notable distinction of being the most expensive movie ever produced. With over 200 million dollars in box-office sales, the returns were equally impressive, making Terminator 2 one of the highest grossing films of all time.

Critics acknowledged that, for once, Arnold was pitted against a more fitting and indestructible opponent. Terminator 2 : Judgement Day forever immortalized Arnold as the king of action-heroes.

The Star’s New Planet

In 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the help of fellow stars and shareholders Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and his ex-wife Demi Moore, opened the first Planet Hollywood in New York. Inspired by the acclaimed Hard Rock Cafe Chain. Planet Hollywood treats guests to a variety of foods while surrounding them with wall-to-wall movie memorabilia. Arnold, who has always been a hands-on type of a businessman, got involved personally when they were deciding what memorabilia to feature. Planet Hollywood has become a tremendous success and has grown into a 50 + restaurant chain, with locations all over the world. But due to some personal reasons, he later detached himself from the restaurant.

Although, he is no longer a part of Planet Hollywood, he still owns the restaurant Schatzi On Main. He also owns Oak Productions, a film company; World Gym Enterprises; All Star Fitness Products; and the real estate company - Arnold Properties.

Unlikely Comedian

Arnold, in spite of his tough and macho image, is still a humorous and cheerful guy at heart, who does not mind to be the butt of a good joke himself and he always urges the scriptwriters to add a little humor to his lines. His famous one-liner ‘I’ll be back’ was first intoned by the cyborg in The Terminator. The audience could not help but give out a nervous chuckle when the Terminator walks into a police station to inquire about Sarah Connor, and when he learns that she is in the building, leans toward the inattentive police-officer at the reception and in a voice without emotion, says : "I’ll be back," walks out of the station, and immediately returns crashing through the walls of the police precinct. Though the scene is immediately followed by the android’s massacre of all the police officials in the building, the audience admits there is a dark kind of humor in the interface between the cyborg and the official. Aware of the audience’s taste, Arnold had the scriptwriters write a load of funny one-liners in Commando, a lot of which were his own creations. One of the most memorable parts in Commando is the scene wherein after his daughter is kidnapped by them, the terrorist’s henchmen come to the airport to see off John Matrix (Arnold’s character) on his way to complete his forced assassination assignment. One of the henchmen pushes a 20-dollar bill into Arnold’s pocket, saying he might need it in an emergency. Arnold gives him an icy stare and says :

Matrix: You are a good guy, Sully. I like you.

Sully : Yeah ?

Matrix : Sure, that is why I am going to kill you last.

What makes this part even more funnier is that after jumping from the airplane and a car chase, he, holding the same terrorist upside down over the side of a cliff with just one hand, urges the gangster to reveal his daughter’s whereabouts and warns him that the hand by which he is holding him is his ‘weak arm’.
Matrix : Hey, I remember saying something about killing you last.

Sully : (hysterically) Yeah, Yeah, that’s what you said !!.

Matrix : I lied ! (drops Sully)

Commando still remains one of Arnold’s favorites.

His love for humor caused him to ignore all warnings and work in Twins in 1988. The movie’s about an experiment where scientists, wanting to create the ‘perfect man’, combine the genes of a few great people of the world. Only the experiment misfires into not a single baby but twins. The film had him co-starring with Danny DeVito with whom he later worked in Junior (1994).

Another comedy was Kindergarten Cop in 1990, where he plays a hard cop who does not like kids, but inevitably has to go undercover as a kindergarten teacher. The movie had quite a few funny moments. The contrast itself between the massive former bodybuilder and the cute toddlers is enough to bring a smile to one’s lips.

Unforgiving Against Slander


Arnold, although he has a light and funny demeanor, is not forgiving when slander is committed against him. When a German heart specialist declared on a radio talk show that Arnold’s heart problems were the result of taking anabolic steroids, Arnold filed a suit against the doctor and won. He received $4,700, which he donated to Germany’s Special Olympics.

Arnold has driven many sports cars in reel-life and in real life owns a "Hummer" Humvee, a massive three-tonne super-Jeep built used by the military. He also owns a Porsche 911, Carrera convertible, El Dorado Biarritz convertible, two Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and a Gulfstream III private jet. In 1996, he filed a five million dollar suit against a German magazine and the automobile manufacturer Gemballa USA, Arnold claimed that they used his photo without his permission in a car ad.

Losing Touch ?

In 1993, Arnold starred in the movie Last Action Hero. When it was in the making, it was promised to be Arnold’s best movie yet. Arnold collected a then unprecedented salary of $15 million for the film. The movie, about a child who magically enters the world of the movie he is watching slightly relates to a fantasy that Arnold had as a child. He was the executive producer for the film. But the movie, although made with great special effects and good action, failed to impress the audience and the critics, who said that the plot at times bordered on being totally ridiculous and without taste. The Last Action Hero was a flop.

Had Arnold lost his touch ?, was the question raised then.

Triumphant Return

True to his favorite line, Arnold proved the critics wrong and he was back with True Lies, which triumphed at the box-office. Directed by James Cameron and featuring notable performances by Jamie Lee Curtis, Bill Paxton, and Tom Arnold, the action-laced comedy proved to be a summer crowd-pleaser. True Lies, James Cameron’s third project with Arnold, (the first two being The Terminator movies), was a movie about a secret agent who works for a top secret government organization, and who keeps his real job a secret even from his 15-year-old daughter and his bored wife, who thinks that her husband is a bank executive. The plot was a very meticulous one with once again very hilarious moments, dazzling special effects and state-of-the-art action. A stunt performed by Arnold almost cost him his life. There is a scene in the movie where Arnold chases a terrorist on a motorcycle onto the top of a building, all the while riding a horse. When the terrorist makes a dazzling jump onto a lower building with a swimming pool on the roof, Arnold’s character is supposed to follow the terrorist onto the lower building, but working with animals can be quite dangerous especially while doing a stunt. The horse suddenly went out of control and Arnold narrowly escaped slipping off the building and hurtling to ground level. The movie had another funny one-liner for the promotion of the film which was quite appropriate : "When he said "I do", he never said what he did."

A Disappointing Turn

After a disappointing turn in uneven comedies like Jingle All the Way and Junior, Schwarzenegger returned to action features with a no-holds-barred performance as Batman’s nemesis Mr. Freeze in 1997’s Batman and Robin, but even the high-powered backing of Warner Bros. Studios did not help this movie in becoming a hit. He could not regain his earlier stronghold on the box-office, but this hard-driven man showed no signs of slowing down.

In 1997, Arnold had to undergo heart surgery because of a congenital heart condition, which ran in the family. He said that his grandmother had died of the same condition after refusing to have a surgery. His children, Arnold says, proved to be the best medicine a father can have, and sure enough the surgery had no complications and Arnold made a full recovery.

In 1999, he starred in the apocalyptic thriller End of Days. This was the first movie released after his open-heart surgery. While in the hospital, Arnold had received thousands of letters from fans who wished him well and many who were fearful for his life. Arnold promised his fans "that he would be back" and back with a great movie.

End of Days was that movie. The film is about an ex-police officer who starts working as a bodyguard. He is also hopelessly depressed after his wife and daughter are killed by gangsters. His character is also that of a suicidal alcoholic who does not believe in God, having lost his faith after the death of his family, but finds himself pitched against the ultimate evil : Satan. The devil comes to the city to sire a world-dominating monster and Arnold’s character prevents him from getting to his would-be-wife, and Satan has a deadline. The movie consisted of intense scenes and great special effects. It is also the first movie showing Arnold shedding tears. Arnold tried to deliver a nonviolence message through the movie and tried to pass on the message of true faith. The movie, surprisingly, did not do well and even James Cameron was quoted as saying that the movie was "too intense."
Most recently, Arnold took on the dual role of a cloned helicopter pilot in the science fiction feature The 6th Day and Collateral Damage. He is also slated to star in the third movie in the Terminator series, which is scheduled for release in 2002.

Presidential Praise

In January 1990, thanks to President George Bush, whom Arnold supported during his campaign, Arnold took on the role of Chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. Arnold’s objective as chairman was to improve the fitness and well-being of today’s children while increasing parental involvement. He toured the US, doing school lectures, benefits, and public service messages between his very busy film schedule. George Bush spoke about Arnold at a fundraiser once, and was quoted: "Arnold is amazing! He works so hard to increase fitness awareness in children, more than the job requires. He is the biggest movie star on the planet and he cares. He doesn’t have to…but he cares."

A Guiding Light


In 1991, Arnold became the Executive Commissioner of the Hollenbeck Inner–City Games in Los Angeles. In 1995, together with Hollenbeck Youth Center Director Danny Hernandez, he established the Inner–City Games Foundation. The Games were created to provide opportunities for inner-city youth to participate in year–round sports, educational, cultural and community enrichment programs; to build confidence and self-esteem; to encourage youth to say no to gangs, drugs, violence and say yes to hope, learning and life. The Games also offer Olympic–style sports competitions and clinics across the country. From its origins in Los Angeles, the Games now encompass 12 cities across the country and continue to grow.

Arnold received an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 1996 from his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Superior. He had graduated from the university with a major that emphasized international marketing of fitness and business administration. The doctorate recognized Arnold’s contributions to health and fitness, speaking out against prejudice, and creating positive opportunities for Inner-City children.

In February 2000, Arnold made a trip to a middle school in Florida for the Inner–City Games. There, sitting and talking among the children, he says he realized how important it was for people to do positive things in the lives of children. He talked to over 500 children that day and told them that they were the true action heroes and that he and the grown-ups of the world were counting on them. Arnold has since made similar trips across America to deliver such messages to encourage them.

Childhood Hero

In 2000, Arnold suffered a great loss with the passing away of his childhood idol and good friend, Steve Reeves, the champion bodybuilder, with whom Arnold shared many attributes; Reeves was handsome, had an extraordinary physique, loved his sport, and was driven as a perfectionist. Arnold says that as a teenager, he had grown up with Steve Reeves. He was the hero Arnold cheered for in the cinema, and the champion bodybuilder whose pictures hung in Arnold’s room, inspiring and challenging him to be the best.

A Family Man

Despite his successful life, Arnold says that his most successful venture was his marriage to Maria. They have four children, Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher. The family remains supportive to one another.

His family remains the axis on which his world revolves. He takes deep interest in his children’s studies, and he does say that he is a little more strict than the average American father when it comes to the children’s homework. Recently, while he was shooting for the Christmas feature Jingle All the Way, he was asked how the lavish set built for the film was compared to the Christmas’ he had had when he was a child.

‘We never used to get toys’ he says ‘We never ever had seen toys, really. We used to get something practical like a sweater or something.’


Political Ambition

When Arnold was asked whether his political aspirations would include his running for president, he replied in the affirmative. He was then asked if that would be possible as his being foreign-born does not make him eligible for running for president.

Arnold smiled and said, "I was told that I would never make it in bodybuilding, for Austrians won ski races, not bodybuilding competitions."

True Role Model

Arnold Schwarzenegger stands as the greatest and most successful bodybuilder in history and a box-office superstar. Arnold is truly an example that proves, if you want to do something bad enough, you can achieve it. He overcame many obstacles to achieve his goals in life, and did everything to the best of his ability. Arnold Schwarzenegger, no doubt, is considered a true role model.