Arnold Schwarzenegger (74) was born on this day in 1947 in the vicinity of Graz in Austria. As a boy, he played football under his father's influence, but at the age of 14, he decided to try bodybuilding. Inspired by world-famous bodybuilders, Arnold trained every day in the gym and quickly began experimenting with steroids. Even on weekends, when the gym closed, he would sneak inside over the ladder and exercise.
In 1965, Schwarzenegger joined the Austrian army, but even then he did not stop with intensive training and a strict diet. Due to participation in the bodybuilding competition 'Mr. Europe ', he escaped from the army without permission. He won first place in the competition but also earned two months in military prison.
His favorite food is steak, as he has consumed large amounts of protein for years due to training.
‘Arnold’s rule’ on Bodybuilding.com reads: ‘If you want to crack yourself, you have to eat a gram of meat a day for every pound of body weight'.
A year later, he returned from the army and went to Munich where he worked as a fitness instructor. Arnold then ran into serious financial problems that even forced him to sleep in the gym for a while.
After winning second place in the competition 'Mr. Universe' Schwarzie made a major shift in his bodybuilding career and moved to America. After that, successes and titles just kept coming.
Unlike Sylvester Stallone, who admits he started his career in porn, the former California governor is ashamed of the fact that, as a young man, he posed for the gay magazine ‘After dark’. In the 1970s, 22 of his photographs were published in that magazine.
He retired from the world of bodybuilding in 1975, but in the meantime began appearing in movies. Early in his acting career, his pronounced Austrian accent and large muscle mass created a major problem for him. However, Arnold diligently attended acting classes and worked on correcting accents and reducing weight.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Arnold proudly said he silenced anyone who criticized him early in his career.
- Exactly the things they resented make me who I am. Three things everyone told me at the beginning of my career. First, if I can't pronounce your name, you won't become famous. Change the name. Second, there’s no way you’re going to succeed with that accent. Third, your body is too big and you have gained too much weight. It was these three things that became my trademark. Never listen to critics - he said.
Appearing in the 1977 documentary drama 'Pumping Iron', Arnold became known to a wider audience, but his role in the mega-hit 'Terminator' brought him worldwide fame.
James Cameron didn’t want him to be a Terminator at all. He was destined for the role of Kyle Reese. After reading the script and making a few test shots, Arnold asked Cameron to let him play Terminator. He rebelled, as Reese was envisioned as the protagonist, and Terminator barely had a few sentences of text.
In 2003, he dabbled in political waters and ran for governor of California. He won despite strong opposition and in 2006 won a second term.
He is the father of four children and he had a fifth with the housekeeper, which is why he divorced his wife Maria Shiver after 25 years of marriage.
His friend Tom Arnold said a few years ago that Schwarzenegger had sex five times a day to be ‘fit’.
- He says that five times a day is optimal for sex and that he has needs that have become part of his regime - he said.
By: Olivia J. - Gossip Whispers
