Arnold schwarzenegger

Born in Thai, a town near Graz (Austria), on July 30, 1947, into a Catholic family, Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was very fond of sports from a very young age. At the age of 15 he started bodybuilding. He even told his parents that he wanted to “be the strongest in the world.” Around that time, he began to be interested in the films of bodybuilders who made a career in the Seventh Art, such as Johnny Weissmuller or Steve Reeves .

For as long as he can remember, Arnold had always dreamed of making it big in America. “The title of Mr. Universe was my ticket to America, the land of opportunities, where I could become a star and get rich,” said the actor, who, based on tenacity, achieved this recognition for the first time at the age of 20. becoming the youngest to achieve it. By his own admission, he used anabolics, when they were legal, “to maintain muscle mass.”

Finally settled in the United States, he concentrated on fulfilling his particular American dream, which included winning the important Mr. Olympia bodybuilding title –which he achieved without any problems– and trying his luck in the world of cinema, a goal much more difficult, due to his strong Austrian accent, and his muscular appearance, which greatly limited the roles he could be given. “I was told at casting calls and agent agents’ offices that I didn’t have a chance. I had a very funny accent, my body was very strange and my name was very long.”

And yet, despite having everything against him, he managed to be recruited to star in Hercules in New York , where he was credited as Mr. Strong. Despite his enthusiasm, nothing could be understood, so he had to be dubbed in post-production, and then only got Robert Altman to recruit him to play a deaf-mute thug in A Long Goodbye , where he wasn’t even cast. the credits.

After little by little improving his pronunciation, he participated in films such as Stay Hungry and Cactus Jack . John Milius was shocked when he went to the casting for Conan the Barbarian , as he was exactly the type he needed to play a warrior in search of revenge, played by Jorge Sanz as a child .

The film was a tremendous box office success, to the point that it had a poor sequel ( Conan the Destroyer ). That was the moment of that strong Austrian who also excited James Cameron when he was preparing Terminator , as he was undoubtedly perfect to play a cyborg made to kill, who came from the future to kill the mother of the leader of humans in his fight against machines, before he was born.

In addition, all this was happening in the middle of the 80s, when Sylvester Stallone made muscular heroes fashionable with titles like Rambo . Schwarzenegger knew how to provide some humor, based on jokes that are usually bad, but which aroused some sympathy among the public, in films like Commando , Executor , Predator –it seems that he is attracted to titles ending in “or”–, Danko: Red Heat and Total Recall .

After various romances with an English teacher, a hairdresser and the actress Brigitte Nielsen , his co-star in the failed The Red Warrior , Arnold, despite his Republican affiliation, fell in love with Maria Shriver, an illustrious member of the Kennedys, the well-known Democratic family and niece of JFK. Love does not understand political activism, and both have had four children.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Schwarzenegger was able to predict that the superhero formula capable of massacring entire armies of enemies was a bit overexploited and was coming to an end. To cope with this change, he first branched out into comedy, scoring strong box office results with Twins Strike Twice , Kindergarten Cop and Junior .

On the other hand, since Terminator 2: Judgment Day (where by a script pirouette he became ‘the good guy’), Schwarzenegger’s action films have evolved. He was still the same unbeatable hero, but his films were aimed at a broader audience, toning down the violence, giving more importance to family subplots, and increasing the humor levels, as can be seen in the imaginative Last Action Hero and Lies . risky . Both had great directors behind them, John McTiernan ( Die Hard ), and James Cameron, to whom the actor owes half a career.

“It’s not just thanks to me, but since I started my film career, the action genre has changed a lot. Studios are taking this type of movie more seriously, and what used to be B-movies is now considered A-list. Even action tapes are listed on the stock market,” he told me during an interview.

After the failed Eraser (Eliminator) , The End of Days , The 6th Day or Collateral Damage , his ridiculous role as the villain Mr. Freeza in Batman and Robin and the third installment of his most famous saga, Terminator 3. Rise of the machines , the bodybuilder’s career was declining. He decided to concentrate on his political vocation, and ended up being elected Governor of California, as the candidate of the Republican Party, on October 7, 2003. Due to his vast fortune, “Gobernator” – as he was nicknamed by the media – resigned from his salary (many other politicians could take note).

He completely abandoned the cinema, except for a cameo in Terminator Salvation and The Expendables . After two legislatures have been exhausted, and without the possibility of re-election, he plans to return to the big screen. He has given his representative office the green light to accept roles seriously.