Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947 in Thal, Styria, Austria. Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian American bodybuilder, actor, model, businessman, footballer and politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of the state of California. From a young age, he took a keen interest in physical fitness and bodybuilding. Soon after emigrating to the United States in 1968 Schwarzenegger started to dominate the sport of competitive bodybuilding. He won five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles and, with it, he made himself a major sports icon. He generated a new international audience for bodybuilding and turned tens of thousands onto the sport. He was nicknamed the "Austrian Oak" and the "Styrian Oak" in his bodybuilding days. After dominating bodybuilding he set his sights upon Hollywood. Despite the last name and thick accent he eventually gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon, noted for his lead role in such films as Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator. His assorted movie roles made him one of the most popular movie stars in the world. After his long, and successful movie career, he ran as a Republican in the California recall of 2003. He won the race on October 7, 2003 and was sworn in on November 17, 2003, to serve the remainder of Gray Davis's term. Schwarzenegger was then re-elected on November 7, 2006, in California's 2006 gubernatorial election, to serve a full term as governor. Schwarzenegger was sworn in for a second term on January 5, 2007. Schwarzenegger is married to Maria Shriver and has four children.