LIFE+STYLE-CELEB | 24 Surprising Facts About Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
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Memento Maxima Digital Marketing @He Grew Up Poor
Today, Arnold Schwarzenegger has a net worth of $400 million. He is one of the richest men in California and lives in a $23 million mansion.
However, Schwarzenegger wasn’t always the richest kid on the block. In fact, he was born into a very poor family. His Austrian parents Gustav and Aurelia Schwarzenegger had very little money. Throughout Arnold’s entire childhood, his family couldn’t even afford indoor plumbing. He recalls one of the highlights of his younger years when the family finally saved up enough cash to buy a refrigerator.
Body Builder Boy
It turns out Arnold Schwarzenegger has been an athletic guy from day one. By fourteen years old, he already knew that he wanted to have an athletic career. By fifteen, he had already begun intensive weight training. And at seventeen, he began competing for the first time.
Schwarzenegger’s parents had different plans for him, though. His dad wanted him to be a police chief, just like he was. His mother wanted him to go to trade school. But Schwarzenegger decided to forge his own path.
A Minus Student
Although Arnold Schwarzenegger is a pretty smart guy, academics were never really his strong suit. He preferred to spend his time working on his bod instead of studying. His grades proved that. He didn’t fail any of his classes, but his grades stayed average and below average.
What truly got Schwarzenegger through high school was his cheerful and optimistic demeanor. His positive outlook allowed him to continue his school days while pumping iron and building up his muscles at the same time.
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Big Muscles, Big Dreams
When Arnold Schwarzenegger was a young man, he had big dreams. His ambitious dreams included becoming a professional bodybuilding champion and a famous actor.
Before all of that, though, Arnold Schwarzenegger had to follow through with his duties of being an Austrian citizen. At that time, it was required for all Austrian male teenagers to spend a year in the military. So Mr. Schwarzenegger was drafted to the army but somehow managed to compete in major weight championships at the same time.
A Star Behind Bars
Arnold may have grown up to become a huge political figure, but he actually spent some time behind bars before that happened.
This all happened during Schwarzenegger’s stint in the Austrian army. While he was in basic training, Arnold was not allowed to leave his basecamp, but he was desperate to attend Germany’s Mr. Europe contest. So he took a big risk and decided to escape from his bunker to attend the competition. He ended up winning, but upon returning to base he spent a few days in military prison for going AWOL.
Austria To America
Arnold Schwarzenegger had an enjoyable childhood in Austria, but his real goal was to get over to the United States and live the American dream. So he kept competing in hopes that eventually one of his wins would get him over to the States.
In a local Graz competition, he placed second for the best-built man in Europe. In 1966, Arnold flew to London to partake in the Mr. Universe competition, where he placed second. Finally, in 1968 when Arnold was 21 years old, he arrived on U.S. shores as an up-and-coming champion.
Learning the Language
Arriving in America as a new immigrant from a foreign country is never easy for anyone, even Arnold Schwarzenegger. He had a new challenge to overcome that he had never faced before: learning the English language. Arnold knew very little English at the time. What he did know he learned from Charles “Wag” Bennett, a bodybuilding judge in London.
Nevertheless, Arnold was determined to learn English. And before he knew it, he knew the language just as well as any native.
Arnold’s Accent
Usually, when you move to a new country, it can take a little bit of time to pick up on the dialect and pronunciation in the speech that is used there. No matter how long it may take, eventually, you will probably pick up traces of your new country’s accent.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, on the other hand, never seemed to lose his extremely thick Austrian accent. Whatever role he is playing in a movie, his strong accent is always there. In 2015, Arnold admitted that he’s actually capable of speaking in a full American accent, but he prefers to stick to his signature Austrian tone.
Bodybuilder Drama
Lou Ferrigno, a fellow bodybuilder from Brooklyn and Arnold Schwarzenegger go way back, although they haven’t always been on the friendliest terms. Arnold beat Ferrigno at the 1975 Mr. Olympia competition, as seen in the 1997 documentary Pumping Iron. This led to some tension between the two men. That being said, Ferrigno finally beat Schwarzenegger in 1977.
Schwarzenegger had auditioned for Dr. Banner’s big, green, monstrous character in the TV adaptation for The Incredible Hulk. However, the producers turned Arnold down and decided to take Ferrigno on instead.
Major Winner
Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered nothing less than a winner. During his highly successful bodybuilding years, Arnold was winning competitions left and right. After his first-ever victory in the 1965 Junior Mr. Europe competition in Germany, Arnold won first place a whopping twenty more times at a number of contests ranging from Mr. Universe to Mr. World to Mr. Olympia.
After twenty-one wins, Arnold retired from bodybuilding competitions. However, he did show up for one last retirement show at the 1980 Mr. Olympia match in Sydney, Australia.
Chicken Leg Arnold
Arnold Schwarzenegger is the face – and body – of true determination. If there is a goal he wants to reach, he’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it.
For example, during his early days as a professional athlete, Arnold noticed that his upper body was growing massive while his legs remained skinny. To force himself to focus more on leg day, he decided to walk around in super short shorts. He wanted to listen to people make fun of his slim “chicken legs” so that he would be forced to work on his legs.
Arnold Strong
When a wide-eyed, young Arnold Schwarzenegger finally made his way to the United States, he was ready to become a big movie star. But just as bodybuilding takes lots of hard work and patience, so does the path to Hollywood stardom.
Schwarzenegger landed his first-ever film appearance in 1969. He starred in the goofy fantasy film Hercules in New York and played the role of “Arnold Strong.” This movie is pretty much a disaster – and that’s putting it lightly. What made the movie so cringe-worthy is that the producers dubbed Arnold’s lines over with an American voice actor.
His Breakthrough Role
Contrary to popular belief, Arnold Schwarzenegger did not have a simple road to fame. In fact, Hollywood was highly skeptical about the idea of Arnold trying to get into film at first. They thought that documentary Pumping Iron would be his “one-hit-wonder.” No matter how much he tried, Arnold had a difficult time landing roles, such as in The Incredible Hulk.
The Austrian bodybuilding proved them all wrong when he earned his breakthrough role in Conan the Barbarian, which ended up becoming a smash hit.
Three Best Friends
Schwarzenegger is a giant compared to most normal people. However, his two close buds Andre the Giant and Wilt Chamberlain were even larger, as you can see in this photo.
Rumor has it that Andre and Wilt regularly picked Arnold up off the ground and tried to see who could make him look smaller. When the three boys went out to dinner, Andre the Giant always tried to pay for the bill. One night, Arnold tried to pay for everyone, but Andre wouldn’t let him. Instead, he picked Arnold up and carried him to his car outside.
Role Change
You may remember the movie The Terminator was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most memorable role. However, back when the film was first in development, the role that Arnold originally auditioned for was the movie’s heroic time traveler Kyle Reese. Arnold ended up landing the role as the film’s killer robot and Kyle Reese went on to be played by Michael Biehn.
As Arnold recalled, “The more I read the script, the more I remembered I got fascinated by the Terminator — the bad guy — which I thought was the real cool guy.” Fortunately, the producers agreed!
I Will Be Back
There are a few iconic movie quotes that are majorly associated with Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, perhaps his most memorable line is “I’ll be back,” as he said in the movie The Terminator. This legendary quote almost got drastically changed when the movie was still shooting.
In a 2012 interview, Arnold revealed that he had a really hard time pronouncing the word “I’ll” while on set. Director James Cameron considered changing the line to “I will be back” to make things easier for Arnold. Luckily, the Austrian actor did enough takes to finally get the pronunciation right.
Schatzi On Main
Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known for his three very different but incredibly successful roles in his career: he is an actor, a bodybuilder, and a politician. But what you may not have known is that this famous Austrian star also had a brief stint as a restauranteur.
Arnold and his wife Maria opened up a Santa Monica restaurant in 1992 called Schatzi On Main. “Schatz” is a German word meaning “little treasure.” The couple ran the restaurant for six years until they sold it off to new owners.
A Generous Man
As one of the wealthiest politicians around, Arnold Schwarzenegger has made major efforts to donate huge chunks of his fortune to a variety of charitable and humanitarian causes.
In the early nineties, Arnold served as an ambassador for the American Red Cross. He helped them out by recording public service announcements for the cause of blood donations. When he became governor, Arnold refused to accept his yearly salary and donated it all to charity instead. Additionally, in 2006, Arnold signed a bill creating America’s first cap on greenhouse gas emissions.
Thinking About Politics
Arnold Schwarzenegger defeated incumbent governor Gray Davis in a special recall election in 2003. Nonetheless, Arnold’s interest in politics had simmered for a few years prior. All the way back in 1999, when Arnold was asked if he’d ever run for office he responded, “I think about it many times. The possibility is there because I feel it inside.”
His dreams came true when he governed California for eight years. Arnold was registered as a Republican, but he did have a few liberal opinions.
Ladies’ Man
You know how it goes in Hollywood: almost every celebrity has some sort of relationship scandal. Arnold Schwarzenegger was not exempt from that. In 2011, it was revealed that Arnold had fathered a secret son – while married to his wife Maria – with the family housekeeper. Arnold secretly took financial responsibility for the child by buying him and his mother a house.
The scandal destroyed Arnold’s marriage and led to a heartbreaking separation. Arnold does not take this mistake lightly. “I’m least proud of the mistakes I made that caused my family pain and split us up,” he once admitted.
Real-Life Hero
In The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger played an evil villain. But in real life, Arnold Schwarzenegger had pulled a few superhero moves. In fact, he saved a man from drowning in 2004.
Arnold was enjoying a family vacation in Maui when he noticed a man 100 to 200 yards out in the ocean panicking and clutching onto a boogie board for dear life. That’s when Arnold sprung into action. He dove into the water and saved the drowning man. The lucky man that was rescued probably tells that story all of the time!
Gerrymandering Hater
Ever since Arnold stepped down from the world of politics, his biggest issue has become his powerful opposition to partisan gerrymandering. This happens when state districts are drawn to give one of the political parties an unfair advantage during election time.
Arnold hosted the 2019 Terminate Gerrymandering Summit, gathering a group of fellow gerrymandering opponents. He gave a very memorable speech, stating “In boxing terms, gerrymandering is up against the ropes; in movie terms, they’re dying at the box office; in bodybuilding terms, they’re losing their pump.”
Father-In-Law
From his marriage with Maria Shriver, Schwarzenegger got four children, and the eldest is his daughter Katherine. She graduated from the University of Southern California in 2012 and is now a recognized author, advocating for young women and their struggle with body image.
In 2018, Katherine Schwarzenegger started a relationship with famous actor Chris Pratt, and they ended up tying the knot on June 8, 2019, in Montecito, California. Arnold is more than happy about this union and even praised his son-in-law in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, saying, “First of all, I’m really happy that he is such a great guy, not only a very talented guy and a great actor and a great star and all this stuff but a really kind man and kind to my daughter, which is the most important thing for me.”
The Present and Future For Mr. Schwarzenegger
These days, when Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t fighting against partisan gerrymandering, he’s advocating for causes that he feels passionate about. He is an avid animal lover that strives to eat less meat and dairy and more plant-based foods. He considers himself “99% vegan.”
Arnold is still fairly involved in the Hollywood movie scene. His latest role was a return to his roots in the film Terminator: Dark Fate. As for Arnold’s future, who knows what it holds? Only the Terminator himself.
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