By Sarmind Safi
Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, model, politician, and businessman. He is one of the most famous actors globally, and he has also been the highest-paid individual in the entertainment world on many occasions. Outside his film salaries, he has also built a massive real estate empire.
Arnold is one of the best examples of how much you can accomplish with sheer grit and a “take-no-prisoners” ambition. Since moving to the US, he learned to speak English within 9 years, got his Bachelor’s degree, authored a bestselling book, and won all sorts of body-building titles that exist out there.
In this article, we will be discussing Arnold Schwarzenegger net worth and everything that led to it.
Biography Of Arnold Schwarzenegger
| Net Worth | $450 Million |
| Date of Birth | Jul 30, 1947 (76 years old) |
| Place of Birth | Thal, Austria |
| Nationality | United States of America |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Profession | Actor, Bodybuilder, Politician, Entrepreneur, Businessperson, Investor, Film Producer, Television Director, Writer |
| Spouse | Maria Shriver (m. 1986; div. 2021) |
| Children | Daughters- Katherine (33) and Christina (31) and Sons Patrick (29) and Christopher (25) |
| Parent | Gustav Schwarzenegger (father) |
| Relatives | Chris Pratt (son-in-law) |
| Education | Santa Monica College, UCLA Extension, University of Wisconsin- Superior (BBA), Bodybuilding |
Arnold Schwarzenegger Net Worth
Arnold commands a net worth fit to buy him a small city. His acting career boasts several box-office hits that propelled him to the global stardom that he enjoys today. He continues to be a major icon in the world of entertainment, even at the age of 75.
He was born in the small Austrian village of Thal, on 30th july, 1947. He came into the spotlight in the late 1960s, given his fame in the world of bodybuilding. He is unanimously hailed as the greatest bodybuilder in history and is still the idol of millions of fitness enthusiasts.
He began by winning the amateur Mr. Universe title in 1967, which helped him move to the US. After that, he went on to win the main Mr. Universe title 3 times. He even won the Mr. Olympia title seven times, six of which he won consecutively from the year 1970 to 1975. He temporarily retired after 1975 and won the seventh Mr. Olympia title in 1980, after which he retired permanently from competitive bodybuilding.
By the beginning of 1990, he had ventured into the world of movies. The fame of the roles he played in those movies is what made him what he is today. While he soaked up all the attention he got from his acting credits, Arnold also took a detour into the political field. He served as the Governor of California from 2003 to 2011.
Acting Career
Arnold’s acting career in the 70s, and by the time he finished his second film, he had already won a Golden Globe for it. However, it was not until his film in 1982, Conan the Barbarian, that audiences truly noticed him. From there on, it was a blaze of glory with The Terminator franchise, an immensely successful action star career, his marriage to Maria Shriver, who is the niece of John F. Kennedy, and his two-time Governorship of California between 2003-2011.
Early Life
He was born to local chief of police Gustav Schwarzenegger and a homemaker mother. Arnold’s football coach took him to the local gym and introduced that 13-something to the world of bodybuilding. His father wanted him to become a police officer. His mother wanted him to go to trade school. Arnold was sure he was made to achieve greater things than his small village had to offer. When he learned about some Mr. Universe winners who have had successful careers in Hollywood, he was immediately set on becoming the most famous professional bodybuilder in history.
In 1965, he won the Junior Mr. Europe contest. IN 1967, he became the youngest person to win the Mr. Universe title, at just 20. Inspite of his schedule and success as a bodybuilder, he still found time to attend business school in his spare time.
Real Estate Success
In September 1968, Arnold, at 21, moved to America with $27,000 in his bank. It’s the amount he saved from winning all those competitions. Comparing the amount to today’s inflation hit dollar sums up to $182,000, which is not a small amount. As soon as he arrived in Hollywood, Arnold began investing in real estate in small pockets. He began by buying a small plot of land in Palmdale, California, which was rumored to be the new home to a supersonic airport.
His first investment flopped, but he remained undeterred. He took his remaining funds and borrowed another $10,000 from his trainer at Gold’s Gym in Venice, California. He intended to buy an apartment building, which was priced at $214,000. He sold the same apartment a year later at $360,000. He then traded up to a 12-unit building, which he followed with another 36-unit building. He went ahead with a 100-unit building later. He had become a real-estate mastermind millionaire, and it happened well before he was a well-known actor.
Today, Arnold owns a huge real-estate portfolio made of commercial properties, mainly in Southern California. Barring his private residences, his portfolio is worth more than $100 million.
Filmography
In 1970, he was awarded with his first Mr. Olympia title, which he went on to win many more times in his career. After his win, Arnold got his first big break in the film biz with Hercules in New York. He became even more well-known in 1977 after a documentary showcasing the bodybuilding aspect of his life named Pumping Iron was released.
He continued to gain fame with his movies, like his breakthrough with Conan the Barbarian (1982). Two years later, he earned global fame for the portrayal of the titular antagonist in The Terminator (1984).
He has since starred in major box office hits across three decades, such as Commando (1985), Predator (1987), Twins (1988), Total Recall (1990), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994), Batman & Robin (1997), The Expendables franchise since 2010, and Terminator Genisys (2015).
He then went on to have sporadic appearances on television but not a live-action character. That was before Fubar, his Netflix series that premiered in May 2023.
All in all, numerous estimates have suggested that the net worth of Arnold Schwarzenegger has touched USD 450 million.
His Earnings From Movies
His biggest paycheck was derived from the film Twins (1988). This film allowed Schwarzenegger, co-star Danny Devito, and director Ivan Reitman to decide to split the film’s revenue into three equal parts, which amounted to 40% each. The movie was a huge success that earned USD 216 million worldwide. It earned some extra millions from VHS and cable releases.
Arnold told Business Insider why he did not take the salary in 2019, “So literally for ‘Twins,’ I took no salary, I just wanted to give it a shot. And it just happened to be my first movie to make USD 100 million (INR 819 crore approx.) domestically. So, they [filmmakers] realized that it works, Schwarzenegger can cross over.”
He received paychecks of more than USD 20 million for his movies besides the royalty on gross profits. From a petty USD 75,000 for The Terminator, his salary spiked to USD 12 million for Terminator 2. He eventually reached USD 35 million, including shared profits for Terminator 3:Rise of the Machines.
Notable Salaries
He has some mention worthy salaries from his film career. He earned $2 million for “Commando,” $3.5 million for “Predator,” $11 million for “Total Recall,” and $12 million for both “Kindergarten Cop” and “Terminator 2”. In Terminator 2, Arnold only had 700 words of dialogue, equating to $21,429 per spoken word.
He earned $15 million for “True Lies,” “Junior,” and “Last Action Hero,” then $20 million for “Eraser” and “Jingle All The Way”. Arnold’s paychecks topped $25 million for “Batman & Robin,” “The 6th Day” and “Collateral Damage.”
In 2003, Arnold negotiated an upfront salary of $29.25 million as well as a 20% royalty on gross profits over $380 million for “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”. The movie went on to earn $433 globally, rounding Arnold’s total paycheck up to a whopping $35 million.
To date, Arnold has earned at least $400 million from film salaries alone, without taxes.
Car Collection
Arnold is famously known to have brought Hummer to manufacture cars for the masses. Previously, Hummer only made cars for the US military by AM General. It started running on US roads in 1992.
The bodybuilding business genius owns several hummers, given that the cars suit his action-hero image massively. One of the most famous is his military-style Hummer H1 without doors. With its long antennae pulled down to pass through low bridges, road signs, and parking lots, the car is as magnificent as it gets. He also added a red electric Hummer to his already teeming collection.
He has other fast cars, the likes of a Porsche Turbo, Dodge Challenger SRT8, a Bentley Continental GT Supersports Convertible, and a Bugatti Veyron. There is also a Mercedes-Benz Unimog and a custom Kreisel Electric G500 in his garage. He also owns an open-top vintage car known as the Excalibur.
The most glorious vehicle Arnold owns remains the battle tank. No celebrity can match that feat. He has a fully functional 1951 M-47 Patton Tank, the very same that he drove when he was with the Austrian National Army.
Wrapping Up
Our favorite bodybuilder slash action hero is crazy rich, too. It cannot get better than this. And he owns some of the choicest cars that very few other celebrities can afford to own. His journey from Thal to The Terminator has been highly inspirational, considering how difficult it must have been. If you have thoughts to share on Arnold Schwarzenegger net worth, please leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you!
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