Arnold Schwarzenegger's Birthday! Fun Facts About The Austrian-American BodyBuilder

One of the most iconic bodybuilders, movie stars, and politicians in America, Arnold Schwarzenggar is going to be celebrating his 77th birthday today! He came from very humble beginnings, and has managed to make a big name for himself in a wide variety of industries. There are even competitions named after him.

Here are some fun facts about Arnold Schwarzeneggar that fans should know about for his 77th birthday.

His Father, Gustav Schwarzenegger, Was Part Of The Military Police For Germany During World War 2

While most people simply know the actor as the superstar of the American fitness and acting scene, his Austrian history often came back to bite him, especially during his political career. His family history, specifically his father's involvement with the German military during World War 2, led to many questioning the actor's values. Arnold Schwarzeneggar was never close with his father, though, and the only thing he inherited from him was his passion for sports and fitness.

Through great effort and dedication, Arnold Schwarzenegger was not only able to obtain American citizenship, but also become the Governor of California between 2003 till 2011.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Made A Fortunate Through Just 700 Words Of Dialogue

Arnold Schwarzenegger had a tough time in his early acting career due to his unnatural body and very thick Austrian accent. Despite these hurdles, he managed to land his first superstar role as Conan in 'Conan The Barbarian' in 1982. Shortly after, in 1984, he featured in his now iconic role of T-800 in the movie 'The Terminator'. In the movie, he had very few lines of dialogue which almost led him to decline the role.

The movie's success, however, prompted him to feature in the sequel, 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' which also only had around 700 words of dialogue. For those 700 words of dialogue, he earned around $15 million dollars, and his fortunes only rose from there thanks to more sequels and royalties.

Schwarzenegger Built His Wealth Up With Smart Investments

While many will look at life's journey and assume that he made most of his fortune through bodybuilding and acting, it was actually through investments in land and buildings that led to Arnold Schwarzeneggar amassing a lot of the wealth he has today. He specifically invested a lot of money into apartment buildings in Santa Monica through the money earned from bodybuilding competitions. This allowed him to have a strong financial base to work with way before he ever entered the Hollywood industry.