There was no way of knowing it at the time, but a baby boy born in Graz, Austria, was predestined for greatness. His father strongly encouraged him to become involved in athletics in order to develop a strong sense of determination...a trait that evolved into nothing short of a dogged pursuit of excellence in every aspect of his life. He participated in the sport of soccer and competed in track and field events before discovering his true passion for weightlifting at the age of 15. Three years later, he trained as a professional bodybuilder and by the age of 20, became none other than "Mr. Universe." The baby boy grew up to be Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger would of course go on to become one of the most successful entertainers in box office history, but before the Austrian bodybuilder immersed himself in his lifelong ambition to act, he moved to the United States and received a business degree from the University of Wisconsin. His humanitarian contributions subsequently garnered him an Honorary Doctorate from the same university. While attending Wisconsin he continued to compete in bodybuilding, packing an unprecedented thirteen world titles under his belt, all the while growing more accustomed to the proverbial spotlight. Launching a motion picture career, which was his next goal, was a logical transition.

In 1970, he landed a small role in the aptly titled Hercules in New York. Another minor break followed when director Bob Rafelson cast him in a key role opposite Sally Field and Jeff Bridges in Stay Hungry. His performance not only earned him winning reviews, but even a Golden Globe Award for "Best Newcomer" that year. But it would be the critically acclaimed 1977 film Pumping Iron that really captured his engaging, natural presence in front of the camera. The feature-length documentary about the "Mr. Universe" competitions would ironically allow him to put his own "Mr. Universe" moniker aside and pursue acting full-time.

A romantic action comedy western called The Villain was released next, pairing Schwarzenegger with Kirk Douglas and Ann-Margret. That same year, Arnold agreed to play the part of Mickey Hargitay opposite Loni Anderson in The Jayne Mansfield Story. But it wasn't until 1982 that the former bodybuilder really made his mark on the Hollywood scene in director John Milius' violent interpretation of Conan the Barbarian, in which Arnold portrayed the overblown comic-book hero of the mystical Dark Ages. The film grossed over $100 million worldwide, spawning a popular sequel called Conan the Destroyer and securing Schwarzenegger a devoted following around the globe.

Soon after becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1983, Schwarzenegger took a chance on a low-budget independent film by an unknown director named James Cameron. A futuristic thriller that featured Arnold as one of the most terrifying villains in movie history, The Terminator was a runaway box-office hit. Cited by Time magazine as one of the year's "Ten Best Films," the success of The Terminator immediately thrust its star into the forefront of Hollywood's elite. Over the next few years, his name would become virtually synonymous with the term "action hero" due to a phenomenal string of crowd-pleasing and money-making adventure films including: Commando, Raw Deal, Predator, The Running Man, Red Heat, and Total Recall.

Schwarzenegger was determined to realize yet another one of his goals by tapping his previously unknown talents as a comedic actor. The result was the 1988 movie Twins in which Arnold starred alongside Danny DeVito with Ivan Reitman directing. The film's triumphant success paved the way for a reunion of sorts when the two actors, directed by Reitman, starred together in 1995's, Junior. True to form, Schwarzenegger was nominated at the Golden Globes for "Best Actor in a Comedy" in that year.

Despite his accomplishments in comedy, it was definitely action that was his forte. But certainly nothing could prepare his fans for the hugely successful sequel to his breakthrough role as a killer cyborg from the future in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The big-budget follow-up to the sleeper hit seven years earlier and brought in more than $506 million worldwide, his greatest commercial success to date.

To this day, Schwarzenegger continues to be the driving force behind many of the decade's biggest blockbusters, including Last Action Hero, Kindergarten Cop, True Lies, Eraser, Batman and Robin, and End of Days. He even became active behind the scenes of movie-making, directing an episode from the popular HBO series Tales from the Crypt called The Switch and a Turner Network Television (TNT) remake of the holiday classic Christmas in Connecticut starring Dyan Cannon, Kris Kristofferson and Tony Curtis. In late 2000 his science fiction action picture The 6th Day, was released and he has just completed shooting the much anticipated action thriller titled Collateral Damage, due out in fall 2001. And of course, Arnold is slated to star in Terminator 3 for the final installment of the immensely popular trilogy and True Lies 2 in 2002.

But for all the hype surrounding his career in bodybuilding and in Hollywood, Arnold Schwarzenegger's proudest accomplishments are much more steeped in reality. He has made countless contributions of his time and energy, not to mention his personal finances, to philanthropic organizations around the world. He was the International Weight Training Coach of the Special Olympics in 1979, served as the Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports from 1990 to 1993, and also served as the Chairman for the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

In 1991, Schwarzenegger began a term as Executive Commissioner of the Hollenbeck Inner-City Games in Los Angeles. Four years later, in collaboration with Hollenbeck's Director Danny Hernandez, the Inner-City Games Foundation was established. The Games were created to provide opportunities for underprivileged children to participate in educational, cultural, and community enrichment programs while engaging in sports activities. Hoping to build confidence and self-esteem, the ICG offers competitions and clinics around the country, encouraging the youth of America to say "no" to gangs, drugs and violence while saying "yes" to hope, learning and life. From humble origins in Los Angeles, the foundation now stretches to fourteen cities around the nation and continue to flourish. Dallas, the 15th city, is scheduled to open in July 2001.

Arnold's efforts have certainly not gone unnoticed over the years. Just some of the many acknowledgments he has received include the National Association of Theater Owners inventing a new award to present to him at the ShoWest convention in February of 1993: "International Star of the Decade." In 1991 and 1997, he was lauded with the Simon Weisenthal Center's "National Leadership Award" for his support of the organization's Holocaust studies and was the recipient of the ShoWest "Humanitarian of the Year Award" in 1997. He has most recently been honored at the International World Sports Awards with their highest honor, the "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his accomplishments as an athlete and for promoting health, sports and fitness among children and has been awarded the "Taurus Honorary Award" by the World Stunt Awards organization to honor his body of work which consistently supports and celebrates the art and science of stunts in cinema. Schwarzenegger has also been recognized by the Boys and Girls Town with the "Father Flanagan Service to Youth Award" for his efforts with ICG and Special Olympics.

Throughout his lifetime, Arnold Schwarzenegger has provided the world with so many significant contributions and achievements along a broad spectrum of work ranging from acting, directing and producing to athletic competitions, business ventures and community service. From his early days as "Mr. Universe" to a well-respected patron of the arts to reigning box office champion, he expects the best from himself and inspires the best in others. All the while Schwarzenegger puts his family first - as husband of fifteen years to broadcast journalist Maria Shriver and father to their four children Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher.