Arnold’s Rise From Bodybuilding to Pop Culture Superstar
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The Second Chapter of Arnold
Already a bodybuilding legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most memorable moments have come in the years since his retirement from the Olympia stage.As astonishing as his bodybuilding career was, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s seventh and final Mr. Olympia win in 1980 didn’t signal retirement, but rather a metamorphosis. After hanging up the posing trunks, he became a Hollywood megastar, headlining the biggest action flicks of the ’80s. His role as Conan the Barbarian (1982) was followed by the relentless T-800 in The Terminator (1984), making his indisputable accent fodder for millions of Arnold wannabes. But Arnold’s post-O years haven’t been confined to the silver screen. After George H.W. Bush dubbed him “Conan the Republican,” in 2003 the Oak made a Reaganesque move by making it into the California governor’s mansion. With political speeches, heart surgery, ski accidents, a Kennedy marriage, and philanthropy, Arnold, now 69, has had an incredible life and career. And he’s not done: As host of The New Celebrity Apprentice next January on NBC, Arnold is once again back in the spotlight.Here is a look back on his illustrious career starting after his bodybuilding days.SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Arnold Training Guide
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‘Conan The Barbarian’
1982
Between 1982 and 1984, Arnold got his first taste of box office success playing Robert E. Howard’s title character, with the film grossing nearly $70 million worldwide. Arnold performed most of his own stunts and became adroit at handling the two $10,000 swords he wielded over a five-month shoot in Spain. The 1984 sequel, Conan the Destroyer, which co-starred Wilt Chamberlain and Grace Jones, met financial expectations despite critics’ reviews.SEE ALSO:9 Ripped Action Roles That Need to Be Revived
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The Oath
1983
After nearly two decades in America, Arnold finally took his oath of citizenship on Sept.16. He had petitioned Austria to allow him to retain citizenship there, a privilege that is not normally granted. But since he was the most well-known Austrian in the known universe since Sigmund Freud, an exception was made.
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‘The Terminator’
1984
Arnold’s star was already on the rise in Hollywood when he hulked onto the big screen as a nude, muscular killing machine from the future in James Cameron’s The Terminator. The movie, ahem, terminated the competition in its opening weekend and went on to gross $78 million. And when Arnold as the T-800 uttered the now-famous words “I’ll be back,” he meant it.SEE ALSO:Arnold’s All-Machine ‘Terminator’ Workout
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‘Commando’
1985
As Col. John Matrix in Commando, Arnold beat up and blew up plenty of bad guys to retrieve his kidnapped daughter (Alyssa Milano). He commandeered a seaplane, scalped militia men with hand thrown circular saws, impaled a man with a steam pipe and, most notably, he let Sully go.SEE ALSO: The Top 10 Movies Every Bodybuilder Should See
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Maria
1986
After several years of dating, Arnold finally put a ring on it with celebrated TV journalist Maria Shriver. The two would have four children over the next 11 years.
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‘Predator’
1987
Arnold was cast as Maj. “Dutch” apparently because “some damn fool accused him of being the best.” Co-star Carl Weathers, fresh off of burying his character Apollo Creed in Rocky IV, greeted Arnold in their first scene together with what is probably the most gratuitous non-Olympia, overly baby-oiled, biceps-highlighting handshake ever. “What’s the matter, Dillon? The CIA got you pushing too many pencils?”SEE ALSO: The 11 Toughest Guys In Hollywood History
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‘Twins’
1988
After a series of hits in the action category, Arnold showed his comedy chops alongside Danny DeVito in 1988’s Twins. Arnold performed well as DeVito’s estranged twin brother and proved his ability to deliver the yucks. The movie raked in $216 million in worldwide ticket sales.
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First Arnold Sports Festival
1989
Arnold, nearly a decade retired from bodybuilding, joined up with friend and former FBI special agent Jim Lorimer to bring a show to Columbus, OH. With Arnold’s backing, it soon grew to become one of the most hotly contested shows in physique competition and annually boasts an enormous expo, multiple other sports, and several international stops.SEE ALSO: The Arnold Sports Festival Celebrates 25 Years
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White House
1990
Arnold is appointed chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports, & Nutrition.
Kindergarten Cop
[[{“fid”:”75312″,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fields”:{“format”:”media_original”,”field_photo_credit[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_tags[und]”:””,”field_folder[und]”:”1″},”type”:”media”,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-element file-media-original”,”height”:”614″,”width”:”1109″}}]]In a shocking turn, Arnold starred as a cop who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher. The movie showed Arnold’s humor and vulnerability and won over new fans.
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‘Terminator 2’
1991
The sequel of the century, Terminator 2: Judgment Day earned nearly $520 million—and Arnold’s new catchphrase “hasta la vista, baby” was born.SEE ALSO: Five Surprisingly Bad-Ass Actors
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‘True Lies’
1994
Arnold’s third collaboration with Cameron—a James Bond–esque action-comedy co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold—grossed $378 million.
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Youth Movement
1995
Arnold starts the Inner-City Games Foundation (ICG). ICG’s mission is to provide “cultural, educational, and community enrichment programming” to youth in 15 cities around the country.
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‘Eraser’
1996
As a U.S. Marshal who makes people disappear, Arnold appears alongside Vanessa Williams and James Caan. He shoots an alligator.
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The Book
1999
TheNew Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, Arnold’s training manual, is rereleased and remains one of bodybuilding’s best-selling books.SEE ALSO: The Deadlift Encyclopedia
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M+F Magazine
After School All-Stars
2002
A nationwide contest renames Arnold’s Inner-City Games Foundation the After-School All- Stars (ASAS) in 2002. ASAS continues the good work of providing after-school programs to educate youth about health, fitness, and nutrition. Arnold serves as honorary chair and regularly uses his star power to raise funds for the many programs.
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‘Terminator 3’
2003
Arnold dons his dark shades and leather jacket once more for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, this time going mano a mano against T-X, a femme cyborg played by Kristianna Lokken. Arnold’s newest one-liner? “Talk to the hand.”The Governator[[{“fid”:”75321″,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fields”:{“format”:”media_original”,”field_photo_credit[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_tags[und]”:””,”field_folder[und]”:”1″},”type”:”media”,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-element file-media-original”,”height”:”614″,”width”:”1109″}}]]Californians decide to run a recall on sitting governor Gray Davis, paving the way for another Ronald Reagan. Arnold, who announced his candidacy on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, won the election with 48.6% of the vote.DAY 1 VETOHours after his ’03 inauguration, Arnold repeals a hike to vehicle registration fees and vetoes a bill that would have given driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.NO ON 66 Arnold helps defeat Proposition 66, a ballot initiative that would have amended California’s Three Strikes Law to require that a third felony carry a mandatory 25-years-to-life sentence.Political RisingArnold quips, “A gentleman came up to me and said, ‘You are as good a politician as you were an actor.’ What a cheap shot.”Greener In CaliOn Sept. 27, 2006, Schwarzenegger signs the Global Warming Solutions Act, creating the nation’s first cap on greenhouse-gas emissions.
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Back To Sacramento
2006
Arnold secured re-election, this time in a traditional election, with 56% of the vote.
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The Expendables Franchise
2010
Sylvester Stallone cobbles together an almost mythical cast of action stars—including Jason Statham, Jet Li, and Dolph Lundgren—for The Expendables (2010). Arnold makes a cameo as Trench Mauser. In 2012 he returns for the sequel and then again in 2014 for TheExpendables 3. The body count is inestimable.SEE ALSO: Fun Facts About ‘The Expendables 3’ Cast
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Total Recall Biography
2012
Arnold’s book Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story hits book-shelves. In it, he reveals the affair that cost him his marriage to Maria Shriver.SEE ALSO:Arnold’s ‘Total Recall’ Life Story
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Back In Action
2013-2015
The Last Stand (2013) is Arnold’s first feature role in nearly a decade; it earns $48 million. A fourth turn as the Terminator in 2015’s Terminator Genisys—the fifth film in the franchise—nets $440 million worldwide.SEE ALSO:Exclusive: Behind-The-Scenes With Arnold In The Last Stand
Already a bodybuilding legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most memorable moments have come in the years since his retirement from the Olympia stage.
As astonishing as his bodybuilding career was, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s seventh and final Mr. Olympia win in 1980 didn’t signal retirement, but rather a metamorphosis. After hanging up the posing trunks, he became a Hollywood megastar, headlining the biggest action flicks of the ’80s. His role as Conan the Barbarian (1982) was followed by the relentless T-800 in The Terminator (1984), making his indisputable accent fodder for millions of Arnold wannabes. But Arnold’s post-O years haven’t been confined to the silver screen. After George H.W. Bush dubbed him “Conan the Republican,” in 2003 the Oak made a Reaganesque move by making it into the California governor’s mansion. With political speeches, heart surgery, ski accidents, a Kennedy marriage, and philanthropy, Arnold, now 69, has had an incredible life and career. And he’s not done: As host of The New Celebrity Apprentice next January on NBC, Arnold is once again back in the spotlight.
Here is a look back on his illustrious career starting after his bodybuilding days.
Between 1982 and 1984, Arnold got his first taste of box office success playing Robert E. Howard’s title character, with the film grossing nearly $70 million worldwide. Arnold performed most of his own stunts and became adroit at handling the two $10,000 swords he wielded over a five-month shoot in Spain. The 1984 sequel, Conan the Destroyer, which co-starred Wilt Chamberlain and Grace Jones, met financial expectations despite critics’ reviews.
After nearly two decades in America, Arnold finally took his oath of citizenship on Sept.16. He had petitioned Austria to allow him to retain citizenship there, a privilege that is not normally granted. But since he was the most well-known Austrian in the known universe since Sigmund Freud, an exception was made.
'The Terminator'
1984
Arnold’s star was already on the rise in Hollywood when he hulked onto the big screen as a nude, muscular killing machine from the future in James Cameron’s The Terminator. The movie, ahem, terminated the competition in its opening weekend and went on to gross $78 million. And when Arnold as the T-800 uttered the now-famous words “I’ll be back,” he meant it.
As Col. John Matrix in Commando, Arnold beat up and blew up plenty of bad guys to retrieve his kidnapped daughter (Alyssa Milano). He commandeered a seaplane, scalped militia men with hand thrown circular saws, impaled a man with a steam pipe and, most notably, he let Sully go.
After several years of dating, Arnold finally put a ring on it with celebrated TV journalist Maria Shriver. The two would have four children over the next 11 years.
'Predator'
1987
Arnold was cast as Maj. “Dutch” apparently because “some damn fool accused him of being the best.” Co-star Carl Weathers, fresh off of burying his character Apollo Creed in Rocky IV, greeted Arnold in their first scene together with what is probably the most gratuitous non-Olympia, overly baby-oiled, biceps-highlighting handshake ever. “What’s the matter, Dillon? The CIA got you pushing too many pencils?”
After a series of hits in the action category, Arnold showed his comedy chops alongside Danny DeVito in 1988’s Twins. Arnold performed well as DeVito’s estranged twin brother and proved his ability to deliver the yucks. The movie raked in $216 million in worldwide ticket sales.
First Arnold Sports Festival
1989
Arnold, nearly a decade retired from bodybuilding, joined up with friend and former FBI special agent Jim Lorimer to bring a show to Columbus, OH. With Arnold’s backing, it soon grew to become one of the most hotly contested shows in physique competition and annually boasts an enormous expo, multiple other sports, and several international stops.
In a shocking turn, Arnold starred as a cop who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher. The movie showed Arnold’s humor and vulnerability and won over new fans.
'Terminator 2'
1991
The sequel of the century, Terminator 2: Judgment Day earned nearly $520 million—and Arnold’s new catchphrase “hasta la vista, baby” was born.
Arnold’s third collaboration with Cameron—a James Bond–esque action-comedy co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold—grossed $378 million.
Youth Movement
1995
Arnold starts the Inner-City Games Foundation (ICG). ICG’s mission is to provide “cultural, educational, and community enrichment programming” to youth in 15 cities around the country.
'Eraser'
1996
As a U.S. Marshal who makes people disappear, Arnold appears alongside Vanessa Williams and James Caan. He shoots an alligator.
The Book
1999
TheNew Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, Arnold’s training manual, is rereleased and remains one of bodybuilding’s best-selling books.
A nationwide contest renames Arnold’s Inner-City Games Foundation the After-School All- Stars (ASAS) in 2002. ASAS continues the good work of providing after-school programs to educate youth about health, fitness, and nutrition. Arnold serves as honorary chair and regularly uses his star power to raise funds for the many programs.
'Terminator 3'
2003
Arnold dons his dark shades and leather jacket once more for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, this time going mano a mano against T-X, a femme cyborg played by Kristianna Lokken. Arnold’s newest one-liner? “Talk to the hand.”
Californians decide to run a recall on sitting governor Gray Davis, paving the way for another Ronald Reagan. Arnold, who announced his candidacy on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, won the election with 48.6% of the vote.
DAY 1 VETO
Hours after his ’03 inauguration, Arnold repeals a hike to vehicle registration fees and vetoes a bill that would have given driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
NO ON 66 Arnold helps defeat Proposition 66, a ballot initiative that would have amended California’s Three Strikes Law to require that a third felony carry a mandatory 25-years-to-life sentence.
Political Rising
Arnold quips, “A gentleman came up to me and said, ‘You are as good a politician as you were an actor.’ What a cheap shot.”
Greener In Cali
On Sept. 27, 2006, Schwarzenegger signs the Global Warming Solutions Act, creating the nation’s first cap on greenhouse-gas emissions.
Back To Sacramento
2006
Arnold secured re-election, this time in a traditional election, with 56% of the vote.
The Expendables Franchise
2010
Sylvester Stallone cobbles together an almost mythical cast of action stars—including Jason Statham, Jet Li, and Dolph Lundgren—for The Expendables (2010). Arnold makes a cameo as Trench Mauser. In 2012 he returns for the sequel and then again in 2014 for TheExpendables 3. The body count is inestimable.
Arnold’s book Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story hits book-shelves. In it, he reveals the affair that cost him his marriage to Maria Shriver.
The Last Stand (2013) is Arnold’s first feature role in nearly a decade; it earns $48 million. A fourth turn as the Terminator in 2015’s Terminator Genisys—the fifth film in the franchise—nets $440 million worldwide.
Arnold replaces Donald Trump on NBC’s hit show, putting his entrepreneurial/leadership muscle to work in the boardroom with a cast that includes Ricky Williams and Laila Ali.
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