This day in history: Happy birthday, Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Nourhan SandoukThu, July 30, 2026 at 9:56 AM UTC

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Arnold Schwarzenegger, born in 1947, is an Austrian-born American bodybuilder, film actor, and politician.

In the bodybuilding world, Schwarzenegger was known as the Styrian Oak, or Austrian Oak. He won his first amateur Mr. Universe title in 1967. After that Schwarzenegger moved to California to train and compete in bigger events in the United States, winning three more Mr. Universe titles and then the Mr. Olympia title six years in a row before retiring.

“I actually started weight training when I was 15, but I’d been participating in sports, like soccer, for years, so I felt that although I was slim, I was well-developed. At least enough so that I could start going to the gym and start Olympic lifting.” Schwarzenegger once said.

Arnold success in bodybuilding was also brought to the screen through films, commercials, magazines, and advertisements.

His movie career started with his role in the movie Hercules in New York, 1970. After this role Schwarzenegger started appearing in many movies. One of the problems that faced him in acting career was his accent, so he started taking acting lessons and private English classes, wanting to becoming a leading actor in Hollywood movies. “It was very difficult for me in the beginning, I was told by agents and casting people that my body was too weird, that I had a funny accent, and that my name was too long.” Schwarzenegger said

In 1977 Schwarzenegger got his first ⁠Golden Globe for for his role in ⁠Stay Hungry. Then in 1983 he became a U.S. citizen and married reporter Maria Shriver three years after.

During the ‘90s he became active in the Republican Party at both the state and national levels, and in 2003 he was elected governor of California in a recall election.  Then, after  7 years of governing California, Schwarzenegger decided it was time to step down after his second term. As a governor, Schwarzenegger was known for pushing environmental issues, calling for measures for greener communities, and cleaner sources of fuel to be used in transportation.

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In 2010, after leaving the political scene, Schwarzenegger was once again offered acting roles, The Expendables was the first of many.

By the time he started getting back into the movie scene, his private life was falling apart. In May 2011 Schwarzenegger and Shriver announced that they were separating, then a few days later it was revealed that he had an affair with the family’s housemaid for a number of years, with whom he had a child.

In 2023, he starred in the Netflix series FUBAR. The second season was released in June 2025.

Schwarzenegger is currently active as a fitness community founder, digital creator, and actor. He runs the fitness app ⁠The Pump, he’s also a Chief Movement Officer for Zimmer Biomet, the medical technology company to promote wellness and active living.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”