Arnold Schwarzenegger

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER is known all over the globe for his many accomplishments: world champion bodybuilder, Hollywood action hero, successful businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, best-selling author, and California's 38th Governor.

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This world-famous athlete and actor was born in Thal, Austria in 1947, and by the age of 20 was dominating the sport of competitive bodybuilding, becoming the youngest person ever to win the Mr. Universe title. By generating a new international audience for bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger turned himself into a sports icon. With his sights set on Hollywood, he emigrated to America in 1968, and went on to win five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles before retiring to dedicate himself to acting. Later, he would go on to earn a college degree from the University of Wisconsin and proudly became a U.S. citizen.

Schwarzenegger, who worked under the pseudonym Arnold Strong in his first feature, HERCULES in New York, quickly made a name for himself in Hollywood. In 1977, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognized him with a Golden Globe® for New Male Star of the Year for his role in STAY HUNGRY opposite Sally Field. His big break came in 1982 when the sword and sorcery epic, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, hit box office gold. In 1984, Schwarzenegger blew up the screen and catapulted himself into cinema history as the title character in James Cameron’s sci-fi thriller, TERMINATOR. He is the only actor to be in both categories of the American Film Institute’s Hundred Years of Heroes and Villains for roles he played in the film. To date his films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide.

In 2003, Schwarzenegger became the 38th Governor of the State of California in a historic recall election, and as governor ushered in an era of innovative leadership and extraordinary public service. Schwarzenegger's most notable accomplishments while governor include the nation-leading Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 - a bipartisan agreement to combat global warming by reducing California's greenhouse gas emissions - and overhauling the state's workers' compensation system - cutting costs by more than 35 percent. In addition, Schwarzenegger was the first governor in decades to make major investments in improving California's aging infrastructure through his Strategic Growth Plan, helping to reduce congestion and clean the air. He established the Hydrogen Highway and Million Solar Roofs Plan, continuing his leadership in creating a greener environment. In November 2009, more than three years of leadership by Governor Schwarzenegger culminated with the passage of the Safe, Clean and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010.