Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger ,Arnold Schwarzenegger Biography - The Real Muscle is His Brain,Arnold Schwarzenegger
Biography of Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger
He created a body that was to become the goldstandard for muscular development. He would use it achieve one goal after another,rising to the very pinnacle of, not one, but three careers. Yet, from the very start Arnold Schwarzeneggerhad the odds stacked against him... He was dismissed, ridiculed and parodied mercilessly. What people failed to realize was that Arnold’sstrongest muscle was, not his bicep, but his brain. With it he orchestrated career moves thattook him to the very top. we uncover theunlikely rags to riches story of the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger. “For me life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist,to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.”Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born in thetiny Austrian village of Thal, near Graz on July 30th 1947. His father, Gustav was the local police chief. Arnold and his older brother, Meinhard, grewup under the tough discipline of a man who was used to being obeyed. Arnold’s early years were very regimented. He’d be up at six, and then off to get milkfrom the farm next door. Then he would have to do a set of physicalexercises that his father had written out for him – earning his breakfast by doinga certain number of sit ups. In the afternoon, after he’d finished hishomework and chores, his father made Arnold and Meinhard practice soccer no matter howbad the weather was. If they messed up on a play, they got yelledat… Gustav himself had been a champion ice curlerin his younger years and he pushed his sons to excel physically. With his father’s pushing, Arnold firstgot into organized competitive sports at the age of ten.
He played soccer passionately for almost fiveyears. When he was fifteen, Arnold’s soccer coachdecided that lifting weights for an hour once a week would be a good way for his playersto stay in shape, so he took them for a visit to the local gym. That day would change Arnold’s life. He was mesmerized by the size of the bodybuilderswho stalked the gym, waging war with the steel weights. Arnold would later record his feelings inhis 1977 autobiography Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder . . . There it was before me – my life, the answerI’d been seeking. It clicked. It was something I suddenly just seemed toreach out and find, as if I’d been crossing a suspended bridge and finally stepped offonto solid ground.
Arnold embraced weight lifting. He soon discovered that he had an amazingability to build muscle. Within two years he had already overtakenmost of the other trainers at the gym in Graz where he worked out religiously. He also trained harder than anyone else. One Sunday, discovering that the gym was closed,he smashed the window to get in so that he could get in his workout. Arnold’s father was less than impressedwith his son’s new found obsession. Bodybuilding was very much a fringe sportin Austria at that time, with those who partook of it being look down upon and consideredin some way defective. When it was discovered that Arnold had picturesof half naked men with bulging muscles on his bedroom wall, a psychiatrist was calledin to ‘save’ Arnold from himself. The psychiatrist assured his parents thatthis was a phase that Arnold would grow out of. Oh, how wrong he was. By the age of seventeen Arnold had alreadyrealized that bodybuilding was going to be his vehicle to worldwide fame.
He had spent many Saturday afternoons downat the local movie theater watching bodybuilders turned actors such as Steve Reeves and, hispersonal favorite, Reg Park - he watched them on screen playing Hercules and other mythicheroes. They had used bodybuilding to create careersas movie stars. And that was exactly what he would do – onlyhe would be bigger and better than any of them... Army Life Arnold entered the Austrian army in 1965 tofulfill his obligatory one year of service. By now he’d built his body to 200 poundsof Herculean muscle. He was assigned as a driver in a tank unit. Shortly after he was inducted, Arnold receivedan invitation to compete in the junior division of the Mr. Europe contest in Stuttgart, Germany.
But he was in the middle of basic training... No soldier was allowed to leave the base forany reason. But Arnold knew that his destiny was tiedwith winning this contest, so he decided to go AWOL in order to compete. He crawled over the wall, taking only theclothes he was wearing and barely enough money to buy a third class ticket to Germany. When he finally arrived at the competition,he had to borrow someone else’s posing trunks and tanning oil. Still his muscles were undeniable and thatnight he was announced Junior Mr. Europe. At first the army was not impressed. He was put in jail for seven days with onlya blanket on a cold stone bench and almost no food. But within a few days the news of his victoryhad spread and the top brass decided that the title added prestige to the army. When he returned to the ranks, he was heldup as a sort of ideal, with his drill instructor telling the troops . . . “You have to fight for your fatherland.
You have to take courage. Look at what Schwarzenegger did just to winthis title.” Following his stint in the army, Arnold tooka job as a gym instructor at a Health Club in Munich, Germany. This presented him with the ideal opportunityto train for the 1966 Mr. Europe competition. This was the next step in his master planto become the best built man on the planet. He trained twice a day, working like a manpossessed in order to forge the winning physique. By the time he arrived in Stuttgart for theMr. Europe contest, people were anxious to get a look at this “monster from Munich”who they’d heard rumors about. All of the attention infused Arnold with agreat deal of confidence, and he already felt like the winner. Arnold’s win that day was so emphatic thatthe judges offered to pay his way to the upcoming Mr. Universe contest. He arrived in London, knowing almost no English,but as soon as he stepped out of his cab, people began mobbing him. They had all been waiting for him – thefirst bodybuilder in Europe with 20-inch arms. Still, he didn’t win that day. The American had a more complete, definedphysique and he forced Arnold to accept second place. Arnold returned to Munich and threw himselfback into his training. He shut everything out of his mind and concentratedon only one thing – winning the 1967 Mr. Universe. Sure enough, on September 23rd, 1967 ArnoldSchwarzenegger became, at 20 years of age, the youngest Mr. Universe in history.
A year later an even more massive Arnold returnedto London to claim the Professional Mr. Universe title. Following that victory, Arnold received thephone call that would prove to be the next great signpost to his future. On the other end of the line was Joe Weider,bodybuilding guru and publisher of Muscle Builder Magazine. Weider invited Arnold to compete in the IFBBMr. Universe in Miami, and then come to train in California and work for him. America Arnold arrived in America in September, 1968,with a gym bag, twenty US dollars and virtually no English. He settled into a small apartment in VeniceBeach and was given a small stipend by Weider in exchange for the rights to use his imagein magazines. Arnold’s plan was to stay in the USA forone year, absorb their training strategies and then use them to beat the Americans attheir own game. Arnold began training at a small gym at VeniceBeach, Los Angeles called Gold’s Gym. He rubbed shoulders with all the top Americanbodybuilders but quickly established himself as the leader of the pack... In 1970, Arnold won the coveted triple crownof bodybuilding: claiming the Mr. Universe, Mr. World, and the Mr. Olympia titles.
He was now the undisputed king of bodybuilding. Arnold went on to win 6 consecutive Mr. Olympiatitles as he completely dominated the sport... Now he was ready to implement phase two ofhis master plan. Acting In 1970, Joe Weider got a call from a filmproduction company looking for a bodybuilder to play Hercules in a low budget film. Weider immediately thought of Arnold, tellingthe producer that Arnie had been a Shakespearean actor back in Europe. They signed him up immediately. The result was Hercules Goes to New York. It was to be Arnold’s first, and most forgettablefilm. His credit reads ‘Arnold Strong’ and histhick Austrian accent was dubbed over. Still, he got paid $10,000 which he investedinto California real estate. His next paycheck took some time coming... Arnold found Hollywood less receptive thanhe had hoped. Several agents told him that he had everythinggoing against him – he had a long name which was difficult to pronounce, a strange accentand, to top it off, an ‘unusual build which will never make it into films.’ For Arnold, this was the very motivation thathe needed.
Back in Austria he had been told that he couldnever become a champion bodybuilder and yet that is exactly what he had become. Now he would reinvent himself through thesame sheer hard work and dedication that he had learnt in the gym in order to become thehighest paid movie star on the planet. He would make the agents eat their words… Arnold began acting lessons in 1974. He won a supporting role in the Bob Raffelsonmovie Stay Hungry. He played a bodybuilder named Joe Santo, soit hardly stretched his acting talents. Still he was determined to make an impression. Make an impression he did. He won the Golden Globe for best newcomer. Then, in 1977 the documentary Pumping Ironopened in theaters.
The film chronicled Arnold’s victory inthe 1975 Mr. Olympia over Lou Ferrigno - the future Incredible Hulk. As his charming, confident self, Arnold’son-screen charisma was impossible to resist. Pumping Iron led to small roles in The Villainand The Jayne Mansfield Story.. Businessman By now, Arnold was already a successful businessman,combining real estate investments, a best selling biography, and bodybuilding trainingcourses. This meant that he could afford to wait forjust the right film project. He filled his time with public appearancesand social functions. One such function was the Robert F. KennedyTennis Tournament in Hyannisport. There he caught the eye of a beautiful darkhaired girl by the name of Maria Shriver. She was the daughter of Sargent and EuniceKennedy Shriver and the niece of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Arnold and Maria fell in love at first sight. The Shrivers were great philanthropists andthrough them Arnold was introduced to the Special Olympics, which he has been passionatelyinvolved with ever since. In 1979, Arnold began a career as a CBS sportscommentator.
He also graduated from the University of Wisconsinwith a business degree. A year later, he stunned the bodybuildingworld with his comeback at the Mr. Olympia competition in Australia. There he captured his 7th title, cementinghis legendary status as the greatest bodybuilder of all time. Arnold’s comeback, however, wasn’t withoutcontroversy. He went to Australia in the role of a TV reporter,only signing his name on the competitor register at the last minute. He was also good friends with head judge,bodybuilding legend Bill Pearl. The general consensus was that the Arnoldon stage was a mere shadow of his former self.
The role, it was made for Arnold. His accent and his body – the very thingsthat the agents had said would work against him – were perfect to play the part of theT-1000. The Terminator was a worldwide smash, firmlyestablishing Arnold as the next great action star. By 1985, he had already been named InternationalStar of the Year. On April 26th, 1986 Arnold, a staunch Republican,and Maria Shriver, a member of Democratic royalty, were married. The honeymoon was barely over before Arnoldflew to Mexico to film his latest action blockbuster, Predator. This movie again won him the title of actionstar of the year.
After a string of action films – Commando,Raw Deal, Predator and The Running Man – the forward thinking Arnold was ready for a newchallenge – and that, was comedy. Few were willing to take a gamble on Arnoldthe comic actor. But one who was was director Ivan Reitman,who created a special vehicle for Arnold. That vehicle was called Twins… The irresistible chemistry of Schwarzeneggerand Danny DeVito made Twins an immediate hit. Two years later, Arnold again teamed withReitman for Kindergarten Cop, another comedy success. A large part of the success of these filmsis Arnold’s ability to laugh at himself. Arnold always got the joke, which was veryendearing to fans.
Over and above that, Arnold was a gifted comedian,which anybody whose seen Pumping Iron will know. One person who noticed Arnold’s abilitieson Kindergarten Cop – especially his rapport with children – was President George Bush. Bush appointed Arnold as the Chairman of thePresidents’ Council on Physical Fitness. This could have been a largely symbolic role,but Arnold threw himself into it with relish, visiting every state to promote the fitnesslifestyle. The movie winning streak continued for Arnold– with Total Recall, and Terminator 2. This sequel cost $102 million, making it themost expensive film to that date. It returned $519.8 million, with Arnie pocketinga cool $15 million. Arnold’s next big movie outing was LastAction Hero, a hundred-million dollar extravaganza which seemed like a sure thing. But the film was a box office bomb, and acritical flop. Hollywood was quick to tear Arnie down, claimingthat his time in the limelight was over. But Schwarzenegger had other ideas. He bounced back from defeat with the samefocused determination as in his bodybuilding days.
He reteamed with James Cameron for the action-backJames Bond spoof True Lies. The movie was a smash and Arnold was backon top. Governorship In the mid-1990’s Arnold began focusingon giving back to the country that had given him so much. He became an organizer and sponsor of theAnnual Inner City Games. He was also very involved in the After SchoolCare program. In 2003, during an appearance on the Jay Lenoshow, Arnold announced his candidacy for Governor of California. This was following the recall of GovernorGray Davis, sparked by the California electricity crisis. Arnold ran an energetic campaign, despitea smear campaign organized by the LA Times. A number of women claimed that, over the years,Arnold had molested them, while others claimed to have had affairs with him. Still, Arnold was able to rise above thiswith his unique mix of charm, intelligence and wit. On one occasion, someone in a crowd threwan egg which splattered on Arnie’s jacket. He immediately whipped the jacket off, threwit over his shoulder and called out to the thrower, ‘Hey, I ordered bacon with thoseeggs!’ He easily won the Governorship and immediatelyset about cleaning house at Sacramento. Bringing his own unique style to the positionhe would constantly refer to his Democratic opposition as ‘girlie men.’ Arnold’s first term was marked by such earlyvictories as repealing a vehicle license increase and stopping illegals from getting driver'slicenses. But then powerful state unions began to opposehis initiatives and four ballot measures he sponsored in a special election in 2005 weredefeated.
Despite this, Arnold was re-elected Governorin 2006 with 56% of the vote. On his second term he put a lot of effortin environmental issues. In 2006 he signed the Global Warming SolutionsAct, making California the first state to put a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. Arnold’s second term as Governor came toan end in January, 2011. A few months later the LA Times ran a coverstory reporting that Arnold had fathered a child fourteen years previously with the family’slong time maid. As a direct result of this revelation Arnoldand Maria ended their 25-year marriage. She and their four children moved out of thefamily home in Brentwood. Post-Governorship Arnold’s post Governorship movie careerhas seen him feature in such action flicks as The Expendables 2 & 3, Escape Plan, Sabotageand the fifth instalment of Terminator in which he battles his younger self. Arnold has continued to maintain strong tiesto the bodybuilding world. Following his retirement from the sport in1975, he promoted the Mr. Olympia competition. Then, in 1989, he and long time partner JimLorimer started the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic, which is now the second biggest ProBodybuilding Show, behind the Mr. Olympia.
Arnold credits all of his success to the selfdiscipline, drive and focus that he learnt from his bodybuilding career. In recent times, Arnold has been involvedin a Social Media feud with President Donald Trump, in the wake of Arnie’s replacingTrump on Celebrity Apprentice. Trump blamed Arnold for the show’s dismalratings, with Arnold offering the Commander-in-Chief some timely advice on how to run the country. Arnold, a staunch Republican, refused to votefor Trump in the 2016 presidential election, the first time he had not supported the Republicancandidate since becoming a US citizen. Although it’s one battle that we’d alllove to see, Arnold cannot challenge The Donald for the top job as he wasn’t born in theUnited States, even though he did become a citizen in 1983. Arnold still lives the fitness lifestyle. Having just celebrated his 70th birthday,he works out every day.
Comments
Post a Comment