Governor Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947 in Thal, Austria) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, and politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of the U.S. state of California.

Schwarzenegger served in the Austrian army in 1965 to fulfill the one year of service required of all 18-year-old Austrian males at the time. He won several important body-building contests. "The Mr. Universe title was my ticket to America—the land of opportunity where I could become a star and get rich."

Schwarzenegger entered the United States in 1968 at the age of 21, speaking very little English. He came on a B-1 visa, which allows a select group of visitors, such as training athletes, to come into the United States for brief periods of business.

Schwarzenegger received an H-2 visa, which allowed him to work in this country, in November 1969 – after more than a year in the United States. He became a permanent resident in 1974 and a citizen in 1983 (although he also retains his Austrian citizenship).

On April 26, 1986, Schwarzenegger married television journalist Maria Shriver, niece of the past President of the United States John F. Kennedy. The couple have four children:

Katherine Eunice Schwarzenegger, born December 13, 1989 in Los Angeles. Christina Maria Aurelia Schwarzenegger, born July 23, 1991 in Los Angeles. Patrick Arnold Schwarzenegger, born September 18, 1993 in Los Angeles. Christopher Sargent Shriver Schwarzenegger born September 27, 1997 in Los Angeles.

Schwarzenegger also has an illegitimate son (born in 1968 to a former fiancé) whom he supports.

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. In May 2007, he was named as one of the Time 100 people who help shape the world.

Modified from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schwarzenegger