Maria Shriver is a prominent journalist who was born into a high profile political family of the Kennedy-Shriver clan. As a former First Lady of California, author, activist and entrepreneur, she has worked for various social causes. The initiative close to her heart is the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement that she found in 2011 after losing her father to the degenerative disease that same year. It actively promotes the prevention of cognitive decline, which can start as early as the age of 30 or even earlier. In 2017, she released a coloring book for Alzheimer’s patients called Color Your Mind .

Born name

Maria Owings Shriver

nickname

Maria

Sun sign

Scorpio

Place of birth

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Residence

Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA

nationality

training

Maria attended Westland Middle School in a Washington, DC suburb called Bethesda, Maryland. Then, in 1973, she earned her high school diploma from a prestigious private girls’ school called Steingratschule des Sacred Hearts .

Maria then enrolled at a Manhattanville College for a period of 2 years and finally transferred to Georgetown University in 1977 to do a Bachelors in American Studies.

She began her journalism career that same year as a newswriter and producer for an affiliate of the CBS network. KYW-TV, based in Philadelphia.

occupation

Journalist (Anchor & Correspondent), Author, Producer, Former First Lady of California, Activist, Entrepreneur (Founder of Shriver Media in 2014 & Move for the Mind nonprofit in 2016)

family

• Father – Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. aka Sargent Shriver (1915-2011) (lawyer, American diplomat, politician, activist, founding director of Peacekeepers , recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom)
• Mother – Eunice Mary Kennedy Shriver (1921-2009) (activist, founder of Special Olympics )
• siblings –
  • Robert Sargent Shriver III a.k.a. Bobby Shriver (brother 1.5 years older) (lawyer, entrepreneur, former mayor of Santa Monica)
  • Timothy Perry Shriver (4 years younger brother) (Teacher, Executive Producer, Chairman of Special Olympics )
  • Mark Kennedy Shriver (9 years younger brother) (American Democratic politician)
  • Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver (brother 10 years younger) (founder and chairman of a non-profit organization called Best Friends International )
• Others
  • Robert Sargent Shriver Sr. (paternal grandfather)
  • Hilda Shriver (paternal grandmother)
  • Joseph Patrick Kennedy Sr. (maternal grandfather) (businessman, politician, former US Ambassador to Britain)
  • Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (maternal grandmother) (philanthropist and matriarch of the Kennedy family)
  • Thomas Herbert Shriver (paternal uncle)
  • Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. (maternal uncle) (US Navy lieutenant and aviator killed in World War II)
  • John Fitzgerald Kennedy a.k.a. JFK (maternal uncle) (35th ^President of the United States)
  • Rose Marie Kennedy (maternal aunt)
  • Kathleen Agnes Cavendish aka Kick Kennedy also Marchioness of Hartington (maternal aunt)
  • Patricia Helen Kennedy Lawford a.k.a. Pat (maternal aunt)
  • Robert Francis Kennedy aka Bobby (maternal uncle) (former US Attorney General and US Senator from New York)
  • Jean Ann Kennedy Smith (maternal aunt) (American diplomat, former US Ambassador to Ireland)
  • Edward Moore Kennedy a.k.a. Ted (maternal uncle) (former US Senator from Massachusetts)
  • Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (cousin, JFK’s daughter) (lawyer, writer, editor, former US Ambassador to Japan)
  • John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. aka JFK Jr. aka John John (cousin) (lawyer, journalist, magazine publisher)
  • Christopher Kennedy Lawford aka Chris (cousin, son of actor Peter Lawford & Pat Kennedy) (author, actor, activist)
  • Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend (Cousine) (6^th Vizegouverneur von Maryland)
  • Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (cousin) (businessman, politician)
  • Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (cousin) (environmental advocate, author, activist)
  • Mary Courtney Kennedy-Hill (cousin) (former UN AIDS Foundation representative)
  • Michael LeMoyne Kennedy (cousin) (lawyer, activist)
  • Mary Kerry Kennedy (cousin) (human rights activist)
  • Christopher George Kennedy (cousin) (businessman, politician)
  • Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy aka Max (Cousin) (Best Selling Author)
  • Douglas Harriman Kennedy (Cousin) (Reporter, Korrespondent)
  • Rory Elizabeth Katherine Kennedy (Cousine) (Dokumentarfilmerin)
  • Stephen Edward Smith Jr. (Cousin)
  • William Kennedy Smith (cousin) (physician)
  • Amanda Mary Smith (Cousine)
  • Kym Maria Smith (Cousin)
  • Kara Anne Kennedy Allen (cousin) (filmmaker, television producer)
  • Edward Moore Kennedy Jr. (cousin) (NYC attorney and politician)
  • Patrick Joseph Kennedy II (cousin) (politician, mental health advocate)

Manager

• Jon Liebman, Brillstein Entertainment Partners
• Molly Cotter, the Harry Walker agency

Build

Slim

Height

5 feet 5.5 inches or 166 cm

weight

59 kg or 130 lbs

friend/spouse

Maria Shriver dated –

1. Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (1977-2011) – In 1977, television news editor Tom Brokaw, was introduced to Maria Arnold Schwarzenegger at a party the night before the 6th Annual Robert F. Kennedy Pro-Celebrity Tennis Tournament at Forest Hills Stadium in NYC. Arnold was one of the participating celebrity tennis players. The two began dating shortly after they met, but by the time Arnold was also in an open relationship with hairstylist Sue Moray.
   Arnold and Maria dated for nearly a decade, but in the mid-1980s, their long-distance two-coastal relationship evolved into a residential community. However, the media later found out that Arnold had another affair with his co-star Brigitte Nielsen while filming Rote SonjaIn 1985, however, he ended his connection as soon as promotions for the film ended.
   Maria and Arnold were married in April 1986 at St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis, Massachusetts in a grand ceremony attended by 500 guests. Caroline Kennedy was the maid of honor while former Mr. Universe Franco Columbu was the best man. Together the couple have 4 children – daughter Katherine Eunice Schwarzenegger (born December 1989), daughter Christina Maria Aurelia Schwarzenegger (born July 1991), son Patrick Arnold Schwarzenegger (born September 1993) and son Christopher Sargent Shriver Schwarzenegger (born September 1997) .
   In his autobiography, published in 2012, Arnold confessed that he became acquainted with his housekeeper named Mildred Patricia Baena aka Patty at the family guest house in 1996 while Maria and the children were away on vacation. Arnold was in town to film Batman and Robin (1997). The affair lasted possibly nearly two decades, which also resulted in the birth of another son, Joseph Baena, fathered by Arnold.
   Unaware of the matter, Maria has continued to defend her husband against allegations of infidelity and sexual harassment, particularly since 2003, when Arnold first ran for governor of California.
   However, Joseph’s resemblance to Arnold was uncanny. A day after the actor completed his second term as governor in January 2011, Maria confronted Arnold during a couples therapy session and he was forced to come clean. Her housekeeper was immediately fired with a severance package while Maria filed for divorce. Over the years, their divorce was never finalized and neither has shown any interest in legalizing their split. Her children grew up dividing her fortune in half.

2. Matthew Dowd (2013-2016) – In the second half of 2013, Maria went public with her relationship with political adviser Matthew Dowd, who had two divorces in the past. Dowd was the strategist for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election campaign. The New York Post reported that Maria and Matthew first developed camaraderie during Arnold’s active political career and possibly an affair in 2006-07. While Maria’s reps declined to comment, Dowd claimed that the two were just good friends when Maria was still married to Arnold. By 2016, Maria and Dowd’s relationship was ongoing and in 2017, the journalist announced that she was single.

race/ethnicity

White

Her paternal ancestry is predominantly Irish and German with a distant relationship to the Scottish, English, Dutch, and French Huguenot lineages, while she has Irish roots on her mother’s side.

hair colour

dark brown

eye color

Green

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

• Square face with a sharp chin and high cheekbones
• Deep-set hooded eyes
• Thick, luscious curls often with blonde highlights

brand promotion

• Ford Motor Company worked with Maria to co-launch a social media campaign in 2018 with Architects of Change conversation series with well-known celebrities.
• She worked with Equinox Fitness Clubs to create a Move for the Mind fitness event in 2016. The activities focused on a healthy mind-body connection.
• The Marriot hotel chain launched a campaign called “The Envelope Please” with Maria, which aimed to encourage visitors to tip the maids.
• Proctor & Gamble / P&G . created a 4-minute interview-style advertisement with Maria Shriver for the Mother’s Day campaign in 2013.
• She started an ice cream brand, Lovin’ Scoopful , in partnership with her brother Tim Shriver in 2008. They contribute 25% of profits to the Special Olympics .

Religion

Roman Catholicism

Known for

• Working as an anchor for NBC News
• Being maternally related to a politically high-profile Kennedy family (former President JFK was her mother’s older brother)
• A former First Lady of California, she was later split from veteran bodybuilder, action film star, and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger

first movie

She made her feature film debut with a fleeting appearance as herself in the fantasy action comedy. Last action hero in 1993.

First TV show

Shriver made her first TV show appearance on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather in 1983.

Personal trainer

• Maria does high-intensity interval training as often as she can for her age, but alternates high-intensity exercise routines with yoga classes and long walks.
• The journalist places equal emphasis on sound sleep and 15 to 20 minutes of morning meditation to maintain a balance between exertion and recovery.
• She’s admitted to having a sweet tooth, but she’s also making a conscious effort to limit refined sugars and processed carbohydrates in her diet.
• Maria usually subscribes to a Mediterranean diet with an emphasis on plant-based meals.
• In her interviews, she has repeatedly shared that brain games to promote cognitive health and to socially connect with friends and family are essential to aging gracefully.
• In August 2018, Maria underwent a “Spiritual Cleansing” by abstaining from the use of electronic devices. She struggled to come to terms with her loneliness, only sparing her time to meet her children and friends in person. After a month-long detox, Maria wasted less time on casual surfing, which also cured her itch to keep tabs on other people online.

Maria Shriver favorite things

• Color – Purple
• Holiday – Thanksgiving
• Day of the week – Sunday
• Inspirational Book – Anne Morrow Lindbergh ‘s Gift from the Sea (1955)
• Spiritual teachers – life coach Martha Beck and Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön
• Brunch order – pancakes
• Venue for long walks – Pacific Beach in San Diego, California or Hyannis Port on the Cape in Massachusetts
• Songs – Rising by Andra Day, By Your Grace by Snatam Kaur
• Guilty Treat – Sugar Cookies
• Dream Interview – The Pope
• Quote – “What lies behind us and what lies ahead are tiny things compared to what lies within us. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Restaurant – Joe’s Stone Crab Seafood Food Joint in Miami, Florida
• Gym – Equinox

Maria Shriver Facts

1. She was the first person in her family to pursue a career in journalism.
2. Her interest in broadcast journalism developed while interacting with media professionals during her father’s vice presidential campaign in 1972.
3. She has been a close friend of Oprah Winfrey for more than 4 decades. They first met as colleagues in 1978 at WJZ-TV’s Baltimore office.
4. Maria told in an interview that she was always a very curious and restless person and journalism as a profession filled that part of her temperament.
5. Maria was born and raised in a family of Democrats. She married Arnold Schwarzenegger, a staunch Republican.
6. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Maria revealed that the Kennedy-Sriver family was extremely close, but also had a constantly motivated and competitive environment. Her parents never took time to relax. Her trips abroad were working vacations to interact with international dignitaries that included discourses with specific agendas.
7. It wasn’t until Maria was approaching the age of 50 that she learned the importance of slowing down and enjoying life. For 25 years, she was a workaholic journalist trying to establish an identity other than the Kennedy legacy, only to lose her job at NBC at the age of 48 because her husband became governor of California and she defaulted to the first became a lady.
8. As an author, Maria has written 7 books from 2000 to 2018.
9. The cover photo of her 2018 book, I’ve Been Thinking… , which has a picture of the back of her head and shoulders, was clicked on by her son Patrick on his iPhone.
10. She is one of the members of the International Board of Special Olympics.
11. In May 2009, Maria worked as an executive producer on a four-part documentary series for HBO called The Alzheimer’s Project that has won 2 Emmy Awards and a Television Academy Award .
12. A lifelong advocate for people with intellectual disabilities, Maria has raised millions of dollars through many initiatives and events.
13. She won a Peabody Award in 1998 as a Dateline NBC correspondent on the benefits of welfare reform for four single mothers in her media report called Separation of Powers .
14. In October 2004, a hybrid rose was named after Maria Shriver that has a starchy white flower with a citrus scent.
15. To learn more about the award-winning journalist, visit her official website @ mariashriver.com.
16. Follow Maria Shriver on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.