Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Austria, a small village bordering the Styrian capital Graz, and was christened Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger. His parents were the local police chief Gustav Schwarzenegger (1907–1972) and Aurelia Jadrny (1922–1998). His father served in World War II with the German Army as a Hauptfeldwebel of the Feldgendarmerie and was discharged in 1943 after contracting malaria. They were married on October 20, 1945 – Gustav was 38, and Aurelia was a 23-year-old widow with a son named Meinhard
Johnny Weissmuller
When: 1953
Where: AUSTRIA
Inspired by Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller to become an athlete.
Early life
When: 1959
Where: AUSTRIA
Arnold doesn't like his puny calves and legs because they don't match his massive upper body. So he cuts off the legs of all his pants and appears in public like this, receiving plenty of tauntings and stares. He uses this as motivation to work harder on the development of his legs.
Got hobby
When: 1960
Where: AUSTRIA
At thirteen, he has enough of team sports, and goes into boxing, swimming, and javelin throwing. During this time his soccer coach decides that the team should lift weights once a week for an hour. Arnold becomes addicted to "pumping his muscles." Decides that he wants to be the best built man in the world.
Got promoted
When: March 1961
Where: AUSTRIA
On the banks of Thaler Lake, near Graz, Arnold finally acquires the confidence to talk to Kurt Marnul, the "it" Austrian bodybuilder at the time. Marnul invites Arnold to a training session at Athletic Union in Graz and from there Arnold makes progess under Marnul's watchful eye.
Learning
When: September 1961
Where: AUSTRIA
He studies psychology with Dr. Karl Gerstl and learns about the power of mind over body.
Alfred Gerstl's interview
When: 1963
Where: WORLDWIDE
Alfred Gerstl says in an interview in Nu magazine: "There was a clash and Arnold along with some bodybuilders chased the Nazis down Herrengasse Street" and out of Graz, Austria
State and provincial champion
When: 1964
Where: WORLDWIDE
Thanks to his bodybuilding, he becomes quite the curler, becoming state and provincial champion.
His dad tells him he can only go to the gym three times a week so Arnold builds his own gym at home.
Won a competition
When: 1965
Where: WORLDWIDE
Wins Austrian Jr. Weightlifting Championship. It is here he meets Franco Columbu. They become lifelong friends.
Joining the Austrian army as a tank driver
When: March 1965
Where: WORLDWIDE
Serves his mandatory one year in the Austrian military as a tank driver. He goes AWOL to take part in his first bodybuilding contest, Junior Mister Europe, which he wins. However, he ends up in jail for his troubles. While serving his seven days in the "big house," the officers who throw him in there are impressed by his impressive trophy, strip him of his title as tank driver, and make him an official army bodybuilder.
Won a competition
When: April 1966
Where: WORLDWIDE
Wins three titles: The Best Built Man in Europe, Mr. Europe, and the International Powerlifting Championship.
Gym part-time
When: June 1966
Where: WORLDWIDE
Putzinger Gym in Munich sends him an invitation to run the gym part-time. He accepts, rents a small apartment, and sometimes pays for his training fee by mopping floors.
First exhibition
When: September 1966
Where: WORLDWIDE
Wag Bennett invites Arnold to do his first exhibition. Bennett teaches Arnold how to pose better and become a showman. Bennett also introduces music into Arnold's routine, "Exodus".
Won a competition
When: November 1966
Where: WORLDWIDE
He competes in Mr. Universe but loses to an American named Chet Yorton, who has definition. This teaches young Arnold that there is more to it than just being big and having the moves.
Buying
When: 1967
Where: WORLDWIDE
Buys Putzinger Gym.
Award
When: September 1967
Where: WORLDWIDE
Wins his first of five Mr. Universe titles (the NABBA Mr. Universe - Amateur). It is here that he meets future business partner, Joe Weider, who invites him to compete in America. He acquires the nickname "The Austrian Oak" that becomes "The Styrian Oak" and finally just "The Oak."
Won a competition
When: May 1968
Where: WORLDWIDE
Wins the NABBA Mr. Universe - Professional, IFBB Mr. International, and the German Powerlifting Championship.
Arnold breaks the previous record for The Stone Lifting Contest in Munich.
Reg Park, Arnold's idol, takes him in for a few months and shares some of his secrets.
Relocation
When: September 1968
Where: UNITED STATES
Moves to the U.S. with no more than twenty dollars and a duffle bag. In the same year, Arnold starts his own mail order business under the name Arnold Strong, selling training supplies.
Carreer change
When: November 1968
Where: UNITED STATES
Joe Weider agrees to sponser Arnold for one year, setting him up with an apartment, a modest weekly salary, and a free membership at Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, California. In return, Arnold gives Weider permission to use his name, face, and body for whatever advertisements and public appearances he can come up with.
Dan Lurie and Associated Press
When: March 1969
Where: UNITED STATES
It is during this time, Dan Lurie tells The Associated Press, that Arnold groped waitresses at a snack bar at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Lurie says he asked Anrold what he was doing and got the reply: "I want sex, this is what I do in my country ... I don't have time to take them out and romance them."
Carreer change
When: May 1969
Where: UNITED STATES
Arnold convinces Weider to sponser his best friend, Franco Columbu.
Begins training with the new generation of bodybuilders: Dave Draper, Frank Zane, and Franco Columbu. It is during this time that the legendary training sessions with Dave "The Blonde Bomber" Draper begin.
Barbara Outland Baker
When: June 1969
Where: UNITED STATES
In 1969, Schwarzenegger met Barbara Outland Baker, an English teacher he lived with until 1974.
Award
When: September 1969
Where: UNITED STATES
Wins the IFBB Mr. Universe - Amateur (USA) and the NABBA Mr. Universe - Professional (England).
Also enters the Mr. Olympia contest for the first time. Loses to Sergio "The Myth" Olivia. He vows he will beat Olivia next year.
Achievement
When: January 1970
Where: WORLDWIDE
Wins the Mr. World competition (USA).
In London, he finally poses down against his hero Reg Park at the NABBA Mr. Universe and wins overall Professional Mr. Universe, with his idol Park coming in second. Before the competition, Arnold and Park have the same dressing room. Arnold is busy chatting about anything and everything, while Reg Park is busy pumping up with weights. Arnold coninues to try to get the attention of Reg Park, but his idol wants nothing to do with him, or anybody. He's in game mode. But Arnold keeps prying until Park finally tells Arnold to be quiet and save the conversation for after the contest. Arnold replies, "What contest, Reg?"
Film debut
When: 25 February 1970
Where: WORLDWIDE
Makes his film debut in Hercules in New York, playing Hercules.
Mr. Olympia
When: April 1970
Where: WORLDWIDE
Wins his first Mr. Olympia, dethroning Sergio Olivia. He wins the next six (1970-1975).
Brother's death
When: 1971
Where: WORLDWIDE
His brother, Meinhard, dies in an automobile accident.
Dating Game
When: May 1972
Where: WORLDWIDE
Appears as a contestant on the Dating Game.
Father's death
When: 01 December 1972
Where: AUSTRIA
His father dies of a stroke and is buried in Weiz Cemetery, Weiz, Austria.
Divorce
When: 1974
Where: WORLDWIDE
Breaks up with Barbara Outland Baker.
Acting lessons
When: 1974
Where: UNITED STATES
Begins taking acting lessons.
In a Rolling Stone interview, he speaks of this era as: "At that point, I didn't think about money. I thought about the fame, about just being the greatest. I was dreaming about being some dictator of a country or some savior like Jesus. Just to be recognized."
Hitler as example
When: 1975
Where: UNITED STATES
George Butler of the New York Times asks Arnold who he admires the most. He replies, "I admired Hitler, for instance, because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education up to power. And I admire him for being such a good public speaker." Butler also makes claims, with no proof whatsoever, that Arnold "frequently clicked his heels and pretended to be an S.S. officer" and that he enjoys listening to "Nazi marching songs from long-playing records from his collection at home."
Met spouse
When: 1976
Where: WORLDWIDE
Dates hairdresser Sue Moray.
Nude phoset
When: 1976
Where: UNITED STATES
Poses nude for Robert Mapplethorpe.
Comedy Stay Hungry
When: 23 April 1976
Where: WORLDWIDE
Plays Joe Santo in the comedy Stay Hungry with Sally Field and Jeff Bridges.
Autobiography release
When: 1977
Where: WORLDWIDE
Promoting his autobiography, he travels throughout the country. At a J.C. Penney's, college student T.C. Luoma witnesses this scene and writes in the Oct. 1992 Musclemag: "...an adventurous woman of about 30 walked up to Arnold and asked him to take his shirt off...The sly Arnold apparently sidestepped the request by asking her, in that booming Austrian voice, to 'take yours off first.' ...she jumped at the offer and removed her blouse...Arnold reluctantly pulls up his shirt..."
Stars as himself in Pumping Iron with Lou Ferrigno.
Releases the autobiography, Arnold: The Education of a Body-Builder. A quote from the book: "I used to feel that women were here for one reason. Sex was simply another kind of exercise, another body function. I was convinced a girl and I couldn't communicate on equal footing because she wouldn't understand what I was doing. I didn't have time to take one girl out regularly and go through a normal high-school romance with all its phone calls and notes and squabbles. That took too much time. I needed to be in the gym. For me it was a simple matter of picking them up at the lake, and then never seeing them again."
He writes of steroids: "they were helpful to me in maintaining muscle size while on a strict diet in preparation for a contest. I did not use them for muscle growth, but rather for muscle maintenance when cutting up."
He writes of steroids: "they were helpful to me in maintaining muscle size while on a strict diet in preparation for a contest. I did not use them for muscle growth, but rather for muscle maintenance when cutting up."
Nude phoset for After Dark
When: February 1977
Where: UNITED STATES
Poses nude for After Dark, a gay magazine, with Jack Mitchell taking over twenty-two photographs.
Oui magazine interview
When: August 1977
Where: UNITED STATES
In a Oui magazine interview, Arnold says of homosexuality and bodybuilding: "Men shouldn't feel like fags just because they want to have nice-looking bodies. Gay people are fighting the same kind of stereotyping that bodybuilders are: People have certain misconceptions about them just as they do about us. Well, I have absolutely no hang-ups about the fag business." In the same Oui magazine interview, he admits to using drugs: "Yes, grass and hash--no hard drugs. But the point is that I do what I feel like doing. I'm not on a health kick."
Maria Shriver
When: October 1977
Where: UNITED STATES
He meets Maria Shriver at a tennis tournament. She invites him to spend a weekend at the Kennedy Family Compound where he plays tennis with the Shrivers and acquires the habit of smoking cigars from Sergeant Shriver.
Divorce
When: January 1978
Where: UNITED STATES
Breaks up with hairdresser Sue Moray.
Lou Ferrigno
When: March 1978
Where: WORLDWIDE
Is reportedly considered too short for the part of the Incredible Hulk. His arch rival in the bodybuilding world at this time, Lou Ferrigno, gets the part.
BS in Business and International Economics
When: 1979
Where: UNITED STATES
Acquires his BS in Business and International Economics from the University of Wisconsin at Superior.
Frank Zane
When: 1979
Where: WORLDWIDE
Frank Zane wins his third Olympia and Arnold asks him live on TV how it feels. Zane says "Great, Arnold. Almost as good as the time I beat you in '68." Zane and many others feel this is one of the reasons why Arnold came out of retirement, to get back at Zane and Mentzer.
The Villain
When: 20 July 1979
Where: WORLDWIDE
Plays a "handsome stranger" in The Villain with Kirk Douglas.
Scavenger Hunt
When: 21 December 1979
Where: WORLDWIDE
Plays Lars, "gym instructor" in Scavenger Hunt with Meat Loaf, Roddy McDowall, and Vincent Price.
Carreer change
When: 1980
Where: Sydney, AUSTRALIA
In Sydney, Australia, he comes out of retirement to compete in Mr. Olympia, with lots of controversy. Belgium's Jacques Blommaert, one of the judges, sees Arnold the morning before the Olympia and says: "People who don't know how he used to look, are impressed. But he just doesn't have it. He shouldn't enter the contest. It will be a mistake. I remember when his pecs were so monstrous you could stand underneath them in the rain and not get wet. His chest was like a shelf over your head."
Defending champ and friend, Frank Zane asks Arnold why he came back to compete. Arnold replies: "To get back at Mentzer and Boyer Coe. To show them they can't get away with knocking me and my training."
People magazine interview
When: 1982
Where: UNITED STATES
In a People magazine interview he says: "It's so easy to make money here. You know, Franco and I were always laughing at the American people, because they never knew how to use the system - they complain and complain. I'm always seeing Europeans coming over making money and investing."
Role in Conan the Barbarian
When: 14 May 1982
Where: WORLDWIDE
Plays Conan in Conan the Barbarian with James Earl Jones and Max von Sydow. During the shooting, he acquires many injuries, including a back injury that he gets while running from dogs. He says: "One of them hit me too soon. It caught me off guard and I went right over the ledge. I fell ten feet and landed on my back. I was covered with scratches and bruises. It was probably a pretty good beginning for this movie, though. It set the tone for the whole time we were there. This was going to be fun ... but dangerous."
U.S. citizenship
When: 16 September 1983
Where: UNITED STATES
Becomes a naturalized U.S. citizen
Brigitte Nielsen
When: 1984
Where: UNITED STATES
Dates actress Brigitte Nielsen for one year. They are briefly engaged.
New roles in films
When: from 1984 to 1985
Where: UNITED STATES
June 29, 1984 Plays Conan in Conan the Destroyer.
Oct. 22, 1984 Plays The Terminator in The Terminator with Linda Hamilton.
July 3, 1985 Plays Kalidor in Red Sonja with Brigitte Nielsen.
Oct. 4, 1985 Plays John Matrix in Commando with Alyssa Milano.
Marriage
When: 26 April 1986
Where: UNITED STATES
Marries Maria Shriver.
New roles in films
When: from June 1986 to 1988
Where: UNITED STATES
June 6, 1986 Plays Mark Kaminsky, aka Joseph P. Brenner, in Raw Deal.
June 12, 1987 Plays Major Alan 'Dutch' Schaeffer in Predator with Jesse Ventura.
Nov. 13, 1987 Plays Ben Richards in The Running Man with Jesse Ventura.
1988 Turns down the role of John McClane in Die Hard.
Playboy interview
When: 1988
Where: UNITED STATES
In a Playboy interview, he says: "I hate pants. This is something I have inherited from my father. He despised pants, and my mother was never allowed to wear them at home. We're talking about a different time period now, when the man was much more the ruler of the house. But I still feel that way, and neither my mother nor Maria is allowed to go out with me in pants."
New roles in films
When: from June 1988 to December 1988
Where: UNITED STATES
June 14, 1988 Plays Capt. Ivan Danko in Red Heat with Jim Belushi and Laurence Fishburne.
Dec. 9, 1988 Plays Julius Benedict in Twins with Danny DeVito.
Rachel Ticotin
When: 1989
Where: UNITED STATES
Premiere magazine reports that Arnold has a mistress, Rachel Ticotin
Gigi Goyette
When: 1989
Where: UNITED STATES
According to Gigi Goyette, she and Arnold begin seeing each other. This continues until 1996. (Gigi has now retracted her statements, saying she and Arnold did not have an affair.)
Achievement
When: March 1989
Where: UNITED STATES
The first Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic Bodybuilding Tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
Child birth
When: 13 December 1989
Where: UNITED STATES
Daughter Katherine Eunice is born.
President's Council
When: 1990
Where: UNITED STATES
George H. W. Bush appoints Arnold as the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, nicknaming him Conan the Republican.
New roles in films
When: from June 1990 to December 1990
Where: UNITED STATES
June 1, 1990 Plays Douglas Quaid/Hauser in Total Recall with Sharon Stone.
Dec. 21, 1990 Plays Detective John Kimble in Kindergarten Cop.
Memorable purchase
When: 1991
Where: UNITED STATES
He purchases all rights to Pumping Iron, its outtakes and still photography.
New roles in film
When: 01 June 1991
Where: WORLDWIDE
Plays The Terminator in Terminator 2: Judgement Day with Linda Hamilton.
Child birth
When: 23 July 1991
Where: UNITED STATES
Daughter Christina Maria Aurelia is born.
Christmas in Connecticut
When: 13 April 1992
Where: WORLDWIDE
Christmas in Connecticut is released, a movie he is credited as directing.
New roles in films
When: 08 June 1993
Where: WORLDWIDE
Plays Jack Slater/Himself in Last Action Hero with Anthony Quinn
Child birth
When: 18 September 1993
Where: UNITED STATES
Son Patrick Arnold is born.
Demolition Man
When: 03 October 1993
Where: UNITED STATES
Demolition Man is released, starring Sylvester Stallone. In a scene between his character and Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock), Huxley informs John Spartan (Stallone) about the Arnold Schwarzenegger Library and how, due to the popularity of his movies, a Constitutional amendment was passed that allows Schwarzenegger to run for President, which he does, and wins. In real life, ten years after the release of Demolition Man, Arnold becomes the California Governor almost on the same date the movie was released.
New roles in films
When: from 15 July 1994 to 16 November 1996
Where: WORLDWIDE
July 15, 1994 Plays Harry Tasker in True Lies with Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold.
Nov. 24, 1994 Plays Dr. Alex Hesse in Junior with Danny DeVito and Emma Thompson.
June 21, 1996 Plays U.S. Marshal John 'The Eraser' Kruger in Eraser with James Caan, James Coburn, and Vanessa Williams.
Nov. 16, 1996 Plays Howard 'Howie' Langston in Jingle All the Way with Jim Belushi, Harvey Korman, and Sinbad.
Heart surgery
When: April 1997
Where: UNITED STATES
Has heart surgery to correct a defective aortic valve
Valve
When: June 1997
Where: UNITED STATES
Oprah asks him whether doctors used a pig valve or a synthetic valve for the replacement. He replies: "I'm not going to say which valve I chose, but now every time I see bacon I start crying!"
New roles in films
When: 20 June 1997
Where: WORLDWIDE
Plays Mr. Freeze/Dr. Victor Fries in Batman & Robin with George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Alicia Silverstone, Uma Thurman, and Jesse Ventura.
Child birth
When: 27 September 1997
Where: UNITED STATES
Son Christopher Sargent Shriver is born.
Mother's death
When: 02 August 1998
Where: WORLDWIDE
His mother dies of a stroke.
Proceedings
When: 1999
Where: UNITED STATES
He sues The Globe, a British tabloid, for saying he will die soon because of his steroid use. He also sues Willi Heepe, a German doctor, for predicting his early death based on his heart problems and steroid use. Arnold receives a $12,000 U.S. settlement.
New roles in films
When: 16 November 1999
Where: WORLDWIDE
Plays Jericho Cane in End of Days with Gabriel Byrne.
Planet Hollywood stock
When: 2000
Where: UNITED STATES
Sells his Planet Hollywood stock.
New roles in films
When: 28 October 2000
Where: WORLDWIDE
Plays Adam Gibson in The 6th Day with Robert Duvall.
Sue
When: 11 September 2001
Where: UNITED STATES
Sues International Game Technology for using his voice and likeness in their slot machines without his permission, for a reported twenty million dollars, which is what he feels he would have gotten if he had given them permission.
New rolse in films
When: 04 February 2002
Where: WORLDWIDE
Plays Gordy Brewer in Collateral Damage.
MSNBC's interview
When: 29 October 2002
Where: UNITED STATES
Tells MSNBC's Chris Matthews about the day he became a Republican: "I came first of all from a socialistic country which is Austria and when I came over here in 1968 with the presidential elections coming up in November, I came over in October, I heard a lot of the press conferences from both of the candidates Humphrey and Nixon, and Humphrey was talking about more government is the solution, protectionism, and everything he said about government involvement sounded to me more like Austrian socialism. Then when I heard Nixon talk about it, he said open up the borders, the consumers should be represented there ultimately and strengthen the military and get the government off our backs. I said to myself, what is this guy's party affiliation? I didn't know anything at that point. So I asked my friend, what is Nixon? He's a Republican. And I said, I am a Republican. That's how I became a Republican."
Injury on the set of Terminator 3
When: 29 January 2003
Where: WORLDWIDE
Due to an injury on the set of Terminator 3, he has to get surgery for a torn rotator cuff, putting him in a sling for 3-4 weeks.
Esquire magazine interview
When: July 2003
Where: UNITED STATES
In an Esquire magazine interview, Arnold says: "As much as when you see a blonde with great tits and a great ass, you say to yourself, 'Hey, she must be stupid or must have nothing else to offer,' which maybe is the case many times. But then again, there is the one that is as smart as her breasts look, great as her face looks, beautiful as her whole body looks gorgeous, you know, so people are shocked."
Entertainment Weekly interview
When: July 2003
Where: UNITED STATES
In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Arnold says of a scene in his new movie, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, "I saw this toilet bowl. How many time do you get away with this -- to take a woman, grab her upside down, and bury her face in a toilet bowl? I wanted to have something floating there." Later, when asked about this comment, he said that he was talking about a female robot, not a real woman.
Senator Orrin Hatch
When: July 2003
Where: UNITED STATES
Senator Orrin Hatch proposes an amendment to the constitution that will allow foreign born americans who have lived in the U.S. for at least twenty years the right to run for President of the United States.
Accusation
When: August 2003
Where: UNITED STATES
England's Daily Mail article, "The Groping Governor," reports that two female journalists accused Schwarzenegger of having fondled and groping them during his trip to London in 2000.
Governor of California
When: 06 August 2003
Where: UNITED STATES
Announces on the Tonight Show that he will run for governor of California.
Campaign rally
When: 03 September 2003
Where: UNITED STATES
During a campaign rally, a man eggs Arnold and is tackled by security.
New rolse in films
When: 22 September 2003
Where: UNITED STATES
Plays Bar Patron in The Rundown with The Rock, Seann William Scott, and Christopher Walken.
Women allegations
When: 02 October 2003
Where: UNITED STATES
During his campaign for Governor of California, many allegations of him being a racist, among other things, surface. On this day, the Los Angeles Times publishes allegations of sexual misconduct from six women between the years 1975 and 2000. One of the women, Elaine Stockton, claims that he groped her breast at Gold's Gym back in 1975. Arnold admits to charges of womanizing: "So I want to say to you: yes, that I have behaved badly sometimes. Yes, it is true that I was on rowdy movie sets and I have done things that were not right which I thought then was playful, but now I recognize that I have offended people. And to those people that I have offended, I want to say to them: I am deeply sorry about that, and I apologize because this is not what I'm trying to do. When I am governor, I will prove to women that I will be a champion for women. I hope you will give me the chance to prove this."
Carreer change
When: 07 October 2003
Where: UNITED STATES
Becomes Governor of California.
Fidel Castro pronouncement
When: 30 October 2003
Where: WORLDWIDE
Fidel Castro says of Arnold: "To judge from the photographs, he has a lot of muscle, but they have not tested him to see how much muscle he has in the brain ... He may well have more force in the arms than in the brain."
Nickname: The Governator
When: 17 November 2003
Where: UNITED STATES
Is sworn in as Governor of California. He acquires the nickname: The Governator.
New roles in films
When: 13 June 2004
Where: WORLDWIDE
Plays Prince Hapi in Around the World in 80 Days with Kathy Bates, Jackie Chan, John Cleese, Rob Schneider, and Luke Wilson.
Speech on Republican National Convention
When: 30 August 2004
Where: UNITED STATES
During a Republican National Convention, he says of Democrats: "If they don't have the guts to come up here in front of you and say, 'I don't want to represent you, I want to represent those special interests, the unions, the trial lawyers ... if they don't have the guts, I call them girlie men." He also says: "Speaking of acting, one of my movies was called True Lies. It's what the Democrats should have called their convention."
During a Republican National Convention he says, "When I was on my way to the podium a gentleman stopped me and said I was as good a politician as I was an actor. What a cheap shot!"
Convention of the California Nurses Association
When: 22 September 2005
Where: UNITED STATES
At a convention of the California Nurses Association, Warren Beatty says Schwarzenegger governs "by show, by spin, by cosmetics and photos ops." A spokesman for Schwarzenegger responds: "we don't care that much about Warren Beatty, and based on his ticket sales from the past generation, I doubt anyone else does either."