Arnold Schwarzenegger as an Actor

In 1970, Arnold Schwarzenegger was known as the World's Strongest Man. He had long wanted to move from bodybuilding into acting, as many of his idols had done, such as Reg Park. Initially, he had trouble breaking into films owing to his long surname, "overly" large muscles, and foreign accent, but he was nevertheless chosen to play the role of Hercules (as both Reg Park and Steve Reeves had done) in Hercules in New York (1970).

Credited under the name "Arnold Strong," his accent in the film was so thick that producers feared he would not be easily understood by audiences, so they had his lines dubbed after production.[12] His second film appearance was as a deaf and mute hit-man 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 has discussed his early struggles in developing his acting career. "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. You name it, and they told me I had to change it. Basically, everywhere I turned, I was told that I had no chance."


Schwarzenegger drew wide attention and boosted his profile in the bodybuilding film Pumping Iron (1977), elements of which were dramatized. In 1991, Schwarzenegger purchased the rights to the film, its outtakes, and associated still photography.[26] Arnold was auditioned for the title role of The Incredible Hulk, but he was turned down due to his height. Later, Lou Ferrigno got the part of Dr. David Banner's alter ego.

Arnold also appeared with Kirk Douglas and Ann-Margret in the 1979 comedy The Villain. Schwarzenegger's breakthrough film was the "mythical epic" Conan the Barbarian in 1982, which was a box-office hit. This was followed by a sequel, Conan the Destroyer in 1984, which performed disappointingly.

In 1983, Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the promotional video "Carnival in Rio".

As an actor, he may be best known as the title character of director James Cameron's influential science-fiction film The Terminator (1984) and its sequels. Following The Terminator, Schwarzenegger made Red Sonja in 1985, which "sank without a trace."

He also made a mark for injecting his films with a droll, often self-deprecating sense of humor (including sometimes famously bad puns), setting him apart from more serious action heroes such as Sylvester Stallone. Schwarzenegger's alternative-universe comedy/thriller Last Action Hero featured a poster of the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day which, in that alternate universe, had Sylvester Stallone as its star. A similar in-joke in Twins suggested that the two actors might one day co-star, something which has yet to come to pass. During the 1980s, audiences had a large appetite for action films, with both Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone becoming international stars.

Following his arrival as a Hollywood superstar, 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 (Ventura also appeared in The Running Man and Batman & Robin with Schwarzenegger) and future Kentucky Gubernatorial candidate Sonny Landham.

Twins (1988), a comedy with Danny DeVito, was a change of pace, and also proved to be successful. 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 (based on the Philip K. Dick short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale", and directed by Paul Verhoeven). Kindergarten Cop (1990) reunited him with director Ivan Reitman, who directed him in Twins.

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. He has not directed since.

Schwarzenegger's critical and commercial high-water mark was the 1991 sequel to his 1984 hit The Terminator: Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which was one of the highest-grossing films of the year, and surpassed the original film's success. In 1993, the National Association of Theatre Owners named him the "International Star of the Decade."[5] His next film project, the 1993 self-aware action comedy spoof Last Action Hero had the misfortune to be released opposite Jurassic Park, and suffered accordingly. His next film, the action comedy True Lies (1994) was a highly popular send-up of spy films, and saw Schwarzenegger reunited with director James Cameron, whose own career had taken off with The Terminator.


Shortly thereafter came another comedy: Junior (1994), which reunited him with Twins director Ivan Reitman once again as well as co-star Danny DeVito. This film also brought Schwarzenegger his second Golden Globe nomination, this time for Best Actor — Musical or Comedy. It was followed by the popular, albeit by-the-numbers action thriller Eraser (1996), and the comic book-based Batman & Robin (1997), where he played the villain Mr. Freeze. This was his final film before taking time to recuperate from a back injury. Following the failure of Batman & Robin, Schwarzenegger's film career and box office prominence went into decline.

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.

Instead, he returned after a hiatus with the supernatural thriller End of Days (1999). Schwarzenegger later starred in the action films The 6th Day (2000) and Collateral Damage (2002). In 2003, he reprised his most famous role once again in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which went on to earn over $150 million domestically.


In tribute to Schwarzenegger in 2002, Forum Stadtpark, a local cultural association, proposed plans to build a 25-meter (82-foot) tall Terminator statue in a park in central Graz. Schwarzenegger reportedly said he was flattered, but thought the money would be better spent on social projects and the Special Olympics.

His latest film appearances included a 3-second cameo appearance in The Rundown (AKA, Welcome to the Jungle) with The Rock, and the 2004 remake of Around the World in 80 Days, notable for featuring him onscreen with action star Jackie Chan for the first time.

Schwarzenegger voiced Baron von Steuben in Episode 24 ("Valley Forge") of Liberty's Kids.

Article Source: www.wikipedia.org