By Megan Riedlinger
7:59am PDT, Oct 21, 2019
From weightlifting superstar to blockbuster actor to governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has worn many hats and enjoyed a varied career over the decades. In honor of the 35th anniversary of his iconic film "The Terminator," which came out on Oct. 26, 1984, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at Arnold's life in photos. Keep reading to journey through his photo flashback with us…
RELATED: Harrison Ford's photo flashback
Arnold Schwarzenegger, pictured here at 6 months old, was born in Thal, Austria, on July 30, 1947, to Gustav and Aurelia Schwarzenegger one year after brother Meinhard arrived. The Schwarzeneggers were practicing Catholics, so Arnold grew up celebrating Mass every Sunday.
RELATED: Hot guys of yesteryear
Arnold Schwarzenegger — seen here in an art class in Thal, Austria in 1958 — was very athletic as a child, but his true passion became weightlifting. He picked up his first barbell at age 13 and from there became dedicated to working on his body.
RELATED: Celebs with unusual middle names
Arnold Schwarzenegger's hard work paid off! The first bodybuilding competition he ever won was Junior Mr. Europe in 1965 — while he was simultaneously serving in the Austrian Army at 18 to fulfill his country's mandatory year-of-service requirement. He continued to win numerous bodybuilding contests and eventually fulfilled his dream of moving to the United States in 1968. He earned the Mr. Universe title at 20 and at 23 in 1970, Arnold won the most sought-after award in bodybuilding, Mr. Olympia, becoming the youngest man to do so. He'd go on to take home six more Mr. Olympia titles.
After conquering the world of bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger set his sights on a different goal — Hollywood. He landed his first role in 1970, starring as Hercules in "Hercules in New York." But it was his work in "Stay Hungry" in 1976 that really garnered him the industry recognition he craved: It won him a Golden Globe for New Male Star of the Year.
Arnold Schwarzenegger met journalist Maria Shriver in August 1977 thanks to an introduction made by Tom Brokaw at the Robert F. Kennedy Tennis Tournament. The two, pictured here at a dinner to benefit the Special Olympics in Washington on Dec. 8, 1978, went on to date for nearly a decade before tying the knot.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's first big box-office hit came in 1982 when he starred in the action flick "Conan the Barbarian." The film ended up grossing more than $100 million and made Arnold a household name.
Arnold Schwarzenegger followed up "Conan the Barbarian" with a sequel in 1984, "Conan the Destroyer." Though the follow-up flick wasn't as big of a success as the original, it still did well at the box office that summer.
After nearly a decade of dating, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver tied the knot in April 1986. Their fairytale wedding took place in Hyannis, Massachusetts, at St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church, and a reception followed at the nearby Kennedy compound. It was attended by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, John F. Kennedy Jr. and many other members of Maria's famous family.
Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in a string of successful flicks in the late '80s, like 1987's "Predator" and "The Running Man." His 1988 comedy "Twins," which co-starred Danny DeVito, grossed $216 million at the worldwide box office.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver welcomed their first child, daughter Katherine Eunice Schwarzenegger, in December 1989. The couple went on to have three more children: Christina Maria Aurelia Schwarzenegger, born in 1991; Patrick Arnold Shriver Schwarzenegger, born in 1993; and Christopher Sargent Shriver Schwarzenegger, born in 1997.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was making huge strides in Hollywood in the '80s and early '90s and starred in the highest-grossing film of 1991 — "The Terminator." The film was almost universally praised by critics, who loved Ah-nold as a cyborg assassin. It spawned four sequels — "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," "Terminator Salvation" and "Terminator Genisys" — as well as the catchphrases "I'll be back" and "Hasta la vista, baby."
Arnold Schwarzenegger continued to dominate the big screen throughout the '90s. He starred in 1994's "True Lies" and "Junior," which garnered him a Golden Globe nomination. He also starred in the action flick "Eraser" and the Christmas comedy "Jingle All The Way" in 1996 before his career took a turn in 1997 when he played villain Mr. Freeze in "Batman and Robin," which was panned by critics. Arnold took a break from acting after that film due to a back injury, but unfortunately most of his films that followed didn't fare much better at the box office in the '00s — with the exception of his return to the "Terminator" franchise with "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" in 2003.
The same year he returned to the big screen as the Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger diverted to another career path — politics! In August 2003, he announced he would be running for governor of California as a Republican in that October's election to recall Democratic Governor Gray Davis.
During Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2003 gubernatorial campaign, 15 women accused him of inappropriately groping and fondling them against their will in the '70s, '80s, '90s and in 2000. The allegations got so intense that Arnold and wife Maria Shriver held a press conference on Oct. 2, 2003, to discuss the brewing scandal. Though his campaign had previously denied any wrongdoing on the politician's part, Arnold publicly acknowledged that he had sometimes "behaved badly" on film sets. "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," he said, according to The Guardian. "But now I recognize that I offended people. Those people that I have offended, I want to say to them I am deeply sorry about that and I apologize because that's not what I'm trying to do." He also promised to be a champion of women if elected. Five days later, California welcomed "The Governator" to its ranks.
In 2006, Arnold Schwarzenegger was re-elected governor of California. He was sworn in for his second term in January 2007 alongside his family including wife Maria Shriver and kids Katherine, Patrick, Christina and Christopher.
After leaving the governor's office, Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to Hollywood. He announced in January 2011 that he was reading scripts for projects, but ended up tabling that to "focus on personal matters" — a separation from wife Maria Shriver. That May, the couple announced their split, as the Los Angeles Times revealed that Arnold had fathered a son with the family's former housekeeper, Mildred Patricia Baena. At that time, Arnold's secret son, Joseph, was 14 — and just a few days younger than his son Christopher with Maria.
Arnold Schwarzenegger eventually returned to the big screen in the wake of his family scandal. He appeared in 2012's "The Expendables 2" then took on his first starring role in 10 years alongside Sylvester Stallone in "Escape Plan" the following year.
A new lady! After his split from Maria Shriver, Arnold Schwarzenegger started dating Heather Milligan. The news wasn't made public until 2013, though Arnold had linked up with the physical therapist, who's nearly three decades his junior, in late 2012. The couple — seen here on a trip to his native Austria in 2014 — were still going strong in 2019.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's career moved forward again in 2015. He starred in another "Terminator" installment, "Terminator Genisys," that year. He also appeared on an episode of "Two and a Half Men" in the role of Lieutenant Wagner. It was also announced in 2015 that he was taking over as the star of "The New Celebrity Apprentice" — a fitting move, as the show had previously been hosted by celebrity-turned-politician Donald Trump. The competition show aired in early 2017, though Arnold chose to leave after just one run.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was back in action in 2017's "Killing Gunther." The film, which was former "Saturday Night Live" star Taran Killam's directorial debut, saw Arnold get back to his action roots as he played the world's greatest hitman, Gunther. Despite the star power Arnold brought, it was given a limited theatrical release and wasn't a huge hit, scoring just a 50 percent fresh rating with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
After his split from wife Maria Shriver, Arnold Schwarzenegger pursued a relationship with Joseph Baena, the son he fathered with former housekeeper Mildred Baena. The actor and the 2019 Pepperdine University graduate have bonded over a shared love of bodybuilding and often hit the gym or exercise together (they're seen here on a bike ride in March 2018). In 2016, Arnold spoke about Joseph during an appearance on Howard Stern's radio show. "He's terrific and he totally understands the situation," Arnold explained. "So it all has worked out … It's a very tough situation for him. It's a very tough situation for my kids [with Maria], very tough situation for my family. It was tough for everybody. But it has happened and now we have to figure it out, right?"
Arnold Schwarzenegger geared up for the latest installment in the "Terminator" franchise, "Terminator: Dark Fate," with an appearance at Comic-Con in San Diego in July 2019 ahead of the film's fall release in November. Arnold shared with the crowd his appreciation for the franchise, saying, "I'm addicted to 'Terminator.' 'Terminator' was the movie that really launched my action-movie career… From that moment on, everything has changed in my life."
