Arnold Schwarzenegger was California’s 38th Governor from 2003-11. Aside from politics, he has had a highly successful and varied career as a businessman, actor, professional body builder, model, producer, director, investor, philanthropist and writer.
One of the major accomplishments Schwarzenegger achieved as Governor was the establishment of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 – a bipartisan agreement to combat global warming by reducing California’s greenhouse gas emissions. His Strategic Growth Plan aimed to reduce congestion and clean the air; the Hydrogen Highway by Executive Order supported the transition to a clean hydrogen transportation economy; the Million Solar Roofs Initiative had the goal of bringing 3,000 megawatts of clean energy online by 2017; and the Safe, Clean and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act was passed in 2010.
Other successes include leading the reform to make California competitive for up to $700 million in federal Race to the Top funds, which ensures that all California’s students have access to the world-class education they need to thrive. He signed legislation making the state’s school nutrition standards the most progressive in the nation and also, his support for the After-School Education & Safety Act in 2002, has made California the first state to significantly invest in a comprehensive after-school program.
In 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger was appointed Chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He also served as Chair of the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
He received the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s “National Leadership Award” for his support of the organisation’s Holocaust studies. In 2002, Schwarzenegger was awarded the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award.
For his films, Arnold Schwarzenegger received a Golden Globe Award for Best Newcomer for his performance in Stay Hungry (1976). He has had a leading role in many popular action films, including Conan the Barbarian (1982), The Terminator (1984) and its two sequels, True Lies (1994) and Batman & Robin (1997). He played comedy roles in films Twins (1988), Kindergarten Cop (1990), and Junior (1994).
As a businessman, his first investment was in a brick laying business. He followed this with a mail-order bodybuilding equipment company and invested in real estate, becoming a millionaire before he started his acting career. He was a founding investor in the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain.
