Saturday, November 04, 2006

 

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER - BODY BUILDING'S ALL TIME GREATEST

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is certainly a name we won't forget. Popularly known as "The Austrian Oak", this bodybuilding champion has the biceps and the brains to take him a long way from his native home of Austria. His thrive for success in everything he undertakes has brought him to where he is today, ever since he crossed the ocean to the U.S. to take part in the 1968 Mr. Universe competition.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Austria on July 30, 1947.His parents were the local police chief Gustav Schwarzenegger (1907-1972), and his wife, the former Aurelia Jadrny (1922-1998), who had been married on October 20, 1945, when he was 38 and she was a 23-year-old widow.


Arnold played many sports, but discovered his passion for bodybuilding when his soccer coach took the team for weight training.

He attended a gym in Graz, where he also frequented the local cinemas, viewing his idols such as musclemen Reg Park, Steve Reeves, and Johnny Weissmuller on the big screen. He was so dedicated as a youngster that he was known to break into his local gym so that he could train on weekends when it was usually closed.

Schwarzenegger served in the Austrian army in 1965, to fulfill the one-year service requirement expected at the time of all 18 year old Austrian males. During this year he snuck off the base to compete in his first bodybuilding competition, the Mr. Junior Europe, where he won first place. He was punished for sneaking off, but the respect he gained from his superiors was obvious: his drill sergeant once yelled at a group of soldiers, "Why don't you be more like Schwarzenegger!"
By the age of twenty he was named Mr. Germany and Mr. Universe. Later he won many other titles. Schwarzenegger moved to the United States in September of 1968, with little money or knowledge of the English language, and trained at Gold's Gym in Santa Monica under the patronage of Joe Weider. It is here where Schwarzenegger became good friends with professional wrestler, "Superstar" Billy Graham.
In 1977, Arnold Schwarzenegger declared, "Milk is for babies" in Pumping Iron, the documentary about bodybuilders that launched the Austrian's superstar career . He earned a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Superior, where he graduated with degrees in international marketing of fitness and business administration in 1979. He invested his contest earnings in real estate and a mail-order bodybuilding equipment company.
Schwarzenegger became a U.S. citizen in 1983, although he also retains his Austrian citizenship.
Schwarzenegger is a registered Republican. Schwarzenegger backed Republican President Ronald Reagan (another movie star turned politician) while Reagan was in office, and campaigned for George H.W. Bush in 1988. However, he chastised fellow Republicans during the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998. Sensing an opportunity to affect the outcome of the 2004 Presidential race, Schwarzenegger campaigned in Ohio for Republican George W. Bush in the closing days of the campaign.
Schwarzenegger was appointed Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in the administration of George H. W. Bush from 1990 to 1993. During that time, Schwarzenegger traveled across the U.S. promoting physical fitness to kids and lobbying all 50 governors in support of school fitness programs. He later served as Chairman for the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under Governor Pete Wilson. Schwarzenegger scored his first real political success on November 5, 2002, when Californians approved his personally crafted and sponsored Proposition 49, the "After School Education and Safety Program Act of 2002," an initiative to make state grants available for after-school programs.
On October 7, 2003, the recall election resulted in Governor Gray Davis being removed from office with 55.4% of the Yes vote in favor of a recall. Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California under the second question on the ballot with 48.6% of the vote to choose a successor to Davis. Schwarzenegger defeated Democrat Cruz Bustamante, fellow Republican Tom McClintock, and others. In total, Schwarzenegger won the election by about 1.3 million votes. Under the regulations of the California Constitution, no runoff election was required.
Schwarznegger was sworn into office on November 17, 2003.


# posted by ARNIE @ 4:18 AM 0 comments
 

VITAL STATS - ARNIE

Name: Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger
Nicknames: The Oak, The Austrian Oak, The Olympian, Oak, The King, Champ, Arnie,Schwazzie, Arnold Strong
Location: Los Angeles, California USA
Born: July 30, 1947 in Graz, Austria.

Off Season Weight: Around 235 lbs.
Competition Weight: Around 260 lbs.
Favorite Exercise: Bent-Over Rows


# posted by ARNIE @ 4:01 AM 0 comments
 

COMPETITIVE RECORD


# posted by ARNIE @ 3:58 AM 0 comments
 

BODY BUILDING - "The King"




The Austrian Oak gained fame as a bodybuilder and one of the first competitions he won was Junior Mr. Europe in 1965. He would go on to compete in and win many bodybuilding (as well as some powerlifting) contests, including 4 NABBA Mr. Universe wins and 7 Mr. Olympia wins.

In 1967 Schwarzenegger won the Munich stone lifting contest in which a stone weighing 508 German pounds, approximately 560 English pounds, is lifted between the legs while standing on two foot rests. Arnold broke the existing record, winning the contest.

Schwarzenegger's goal was to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world, which meant becoming Mr. Olympia. His first attempt was in 1969 where he lost to three-time champion Sergio Oliva. However Schwarzenegger came back in 1970 and convincingly won the competition.Schwarzenegger continued his winning streak in the 1971, 1972, and 1973 competitions. In 1974, Schwarzenegger was once again in top form and won the title for the fifth consecutive time, besting Lou Ferrigno. After the 1974 Olympia, Schwarzenegger announced his retirement from professional bodybuilding.

However, George Butler and Charles Gaines convinced him to compete one more time so they could make the bodybuilding documentary called Pumping Iron. Schwarzenegger had only three months to prepare for the competition after losing significant weight to appear in the film Stay Hungry with Jeff Bridges. Ferrigno proved not to be a threat, and a lighter than usual Schwarzenegger convincingly won the 1975 Olympia. After being declared Mr. Olympia for a sixth consecutive time Schwarzenegger once again retired from competition.

Schwarzenegger came out of retirement once more to compete in the 1980 Mr. Olympia. Schwarzenegger was a late entry and won with only eight weeks of preparation.

Schwarzenegger is considered among the most important figures in the history of bodybuilding, and his legacy is commemorated in the Arnold Classic annual bodybuilding competition. He has presided over numerous contests and awards shows. For many years he wrote a monthly column for the bodybuilding magazines Muscle & Fitness and Flex. Shortly after being elected Governor, he was appointed executive editor of both magazines in a largely symbolic capacity. The magazines agreed to donate $250,000 a year to the Governor's various physical fitness initiatives. The magazine MuscleMag International has a monthly two page article on him and refers to him as "The King".

# posted by ARNIE @ 3:48 AM 0 comments
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY


# posted by ARNIE @ 3:46 AM 0 comments
 

HOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR - THE TERMINATOR

Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to move from bodybuilding into a career in acting, as had done many of his idols, such as Reg Park. Initially he had trouble moving to films due to his long surname, large muscles, and foreign accent, but was eventually chosen to play the role of Hercules in Hercules in New York (1970).

Credited under the name Arnold Strong, his accent in the film was so thick that his lines had to be dubbed after production. His second film appearance was as a deaf and mute hitman for the mob in director Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye (1973), which was followed by a much more significant part in the film Stay Hungry (1976), for which he was awarded a Golden Globe for Best New Male Star.

Schwarzenegger came to the attention of more people in the documentary Pumping Iron (1977).
In 1991, Schwarzenegger purchased the rights to this film, its outtakes, and associated still photography.

Arnold also appeared with Kirk Douglas and Ann Margaret in the comedy, The Villain (1979). Schwarzenegger's breakthrough film was Conan the Barbarian (1982), and this was cemented by a sequel, Conan the Destroyer (1984). As an actor, he is best-known as the title character of director James Cameron's android thriller The Terminator (1984). He also made a mark for injecting his films with a droll, often self-deprecating sense of humor, setting him apart from more serious action heroes.

He made a number of successful films Commando (1985), Raw Deal (1986), The Running Man (1987), and Red Heat (1988). In Predator (1987), another successful film, Schwarzenegger led a cast which included future Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura and future Kentucky Gubernatorial Candidate Sonny Landham. Twins, (1988) a comedy with Danny DeVito, was a change of pace. Total Recall (1990), at that time the most expensive film ever, netted Schwarzenegger $10 million and 15% of the gross, and was a widely praised, thought-provoking science-fiction script behind his usual violent action. Kindergarten Cop (1990) was another comedy.

Schwarzenegger had a brief foray into directing, first with a 1990 episode of the TV series Tales from the Crypt, entitled The Switch, and then with the 1992 telemovie Christmas in Connecticut.

Schwarzenegger's critical and commercial high-water mark was Terminator 2 Judgment Day (1991). His next film project, the self-aware action comedy Last Action Hero, (1993).True Lies (1994) was a highly popular sendup of spy films, and saw Schwarzenegger reunited with director James Cameron, whose own career had taken off with The Terminator.
Shortly thereafter came Junior, which brought Schwarzenegger his second Golden Globe nomination, this time for Best Actor - Musical or Comedy. Next came Eraser (1996), and Batman & Robin (1997), his final film before taking time to recuperate from a back injury.

Several film projects were announced with Schwarzenegger attached to star including the remake of Planet of the Apes, a new film version of I Am Legend and a World War II film scripted by Quentin Tarantino that would have seen Schwarzenegger finally play an Austrian.
He returned with End of Days (1999),The 6th Day (2000) and Collateral Damage (2002). In 2003 he starred in the popularly received Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines, which went on to earn over $150 million domestically. His latest film appearances included a cameo appearance in The Rundown with The Rock and the 2004 remake of Around the World in 80 Days. His latest appearance was a cameo as the Governator, a Hummer H1, in the 2006 Pixar film Cars.
There are however conflicting reports that Schwarzenegger will be starring in the next Terminator installment - Terminator 4.

# posted by ARNIE @ 3:30 AM 0 comments

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