The legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger is speaking out this week to open up why he chose to flee his native-Austria decades ago and move to the United States.
Schwarzenegger’s Humble Beginnings
Born in Thal, Austria in 1947, Schwarzenegger grew up there in the aftermath of World War II. Thal’s economy was “shattered” by the war, which caused Schwarzenegger to “suffer” in his youth. Schwarzenegger’s family was so poor that they didn’t even have running water. The stress of their situation eventually got to Schwarzenegger’s father so much that he became “violent and demanding” after turning to alcohol.
“I wasn’t happy with the life I saw unfolding,” Schwarzenegger recalled to The Wall Street Journal. “I always had a feeling deep down that I needed to look for something else, something outside the box.”
Schwarzenegger was just 10 years-old when he began dreaming of moving to America someday.
“At age 10, I fell in love with America. That came from watching film rolls in school. The teacher would advance the strips by turning a knob, showing one image at a time. I was blown away,” he remembered. “They were about things like the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge and cars with huge fins driving on U.S. highways with six lanes on each side. All of it was over the top.”
The teacher then showed the class some footage of Hollywood. It was then that Schwarzenegger knew exactly where he was destined to go someday.
“I’d never seen anything like it — the glamour, the lights and the houses,” he admitted. “I said to myself, ‘What am I doing here?’ I wanted to be in America and to become famous and rich.”
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Schwarzenegger’s American Dream Becomes A Reality
Schwarzenegger began bodybuilding at the age of 15. Indeed, this was his first step to making his American dream a reality.
“All of my time was spent in this world of physical fitness, building up muscles to compete in contests and fantasizing about movie stardom,” he continued.
Schwarzenegger went on to win the amateur Mr. Universe title in 1967, when he was 20 years-old. This brought him to the attention of bodybuilder and entrepreneur Joe Weider, who brought Schwarzenegger out to Los Angeles in 1968. He even put Schwarzenegger up in an apartment in Venice, California.
Schwarzenegger confessed that at first, he was “totally disappointed” with Los Angeles. This is because it “looked nothing like New York.”
Thankfully, Schwarzenegger decided to stick it out. After earning two more Mr. Universe titles in 1969 and 1970, he began trying to break into acting. The rest, as they say, is history. Indeed, Schwarzenegger was a household name in the U.S. within just a few years!
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Schwarzenegger Becomes An American Citizen
Schwarzenegger eventually became an American citizen in 1983. Aside from acting, he also had a strong interest in politics. Indeed, Schwarzenegger would later serve as the 38th governor of California from 2003 until 2011.
These days, Schwarzenegger still America as much as he ever did. In 2023, he celebrated his 40th anniversary of becoming an American citizen.
“On this day 40 years ago, I became an American citizen,” Schwarzenegger wrote on Instagram at the time. “It is one of the proudest days of my life. I owe everything to America. Born in Austria, made in America!”
Schwarzenegger’s story is a powerful reminder of just how incredible the American dream really is. If only we had more celebrities out there who unapologetically love America as much as Schwarzenegger does!
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