Immigrant of the Day: Arnold Schwarzenegger

  California Governor Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Austria on July 30, 1947.  He has been a bodybuilder, actor and a politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of California. As a young man, Schwarzenegger gained widespread attention as a highly successful bodybuilder, and later gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film star, perhaps most famed for his role in the The Terminator series. Schwarzenegger was nicknamed “The Austrian Oak” in his body building days, “Arnie” during his acting career, and more recently “The Governator” (a portmanteau of Governor and Terminator, referring to his internationally popular film role). Schwarzenegger is a Republican, and was first elected on October 7, 2003, in a special recall election to replace then-Governor Gray Davis. Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, 2003, to serve the remainder of Davis’ term. Schwarzenegger was then reelected on November 7, 2006, in California’s 2006 gubernatorial election to serve a full term as governor

Schwarzenegger moved to the United States in September of 1968 at the age of 21, speaking little English. There he trained at Gold’s Gym in Santa Monica, California. Schwarzenegger became a U.S. citizen in 1983, although he also retains his Austrian citizenship .

KJ