Claim: Arnold Schwarzenegger's breakthrough film as an actor was the sword-and-sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian.

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger -LRB- -LSB- ˈʃwɔːrtsənˌɛɡər -RSB- -LSB- ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈalɔʏs ˈʃvaɐ̯tsn̩ˌɛɡɐ -RSB- ; born July 30 , 1947 -RRB- is an Austrian-American actor , producer , businessman , investor , author , philanthropist , activist , politician and former professional bodybuilder . He served two terms as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 to 2011 .   Schwarzenegger began weight training at the age of 15 . He won the Mr. Universe title at age 20 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest seven times . Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent presence in bodybuilding and has written many books and articles on the sport . He is widely considered to be among the greatest bodybuilders of all time as well as bodybuilding 's biggest icon . Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon . His breakthrough film was the sword-and-sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian in 1982 , a box office hit that resulted in a sequel .   In 1984 , Schwarzenegger appeared in James Cameron 's science-fiction thriller film The Terminator , a critical and commercial success . Schwarzenegger subsequently reprised the Terminator character in the franchise 's later installments : Terminator 2 : Judgment Day -LRB- 1991 -RRB- , Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines -LRB- 2003 -RRB- , and Terminator Genisys -LRB- 2015 -RRB- . He has appeared in a number of successful films , such as Commando -LRB- 1985 -RRB- , The Running Man -LRB- 1987 -RRB- , Predator -LRB- 1987 -RRB- , Twins -LRB- 1988 -RRB- , Total Recall -LRB- 1990 -RRB- , Kindergarten Cop -LRB- 1990 -RRB- , and True Lies -LRB- 1994 -RRB- . In 2015 , it was announced that Schwarzenegger would replace Donald Trump as the host of The Celebrity Apprentice , though he left after one season due to conflicts caused by Trump 's remarks . Schwarzenegger was nicknamed `` the Austrian Oak '' in his bodybuilding days , `` Arnie '' during his acting career , and `` The Governator '' -LRB- a portmanteau of `` Governor '' and `` The Terminator '' -RRB- during his political career .   As a Republican , Schwarzenegger was first elected on October 7 , 2003 , in a special recall election to replace then-Governor Gray Davis . He was sworn in on November 17 , to serve the remainder of Davis ' term . He was then re-elected on November 7 , 2006 , in the 2006 California gubernatorial election , to serve a full term as governor , defeating Democrat Phil Angelides , who was California State Treasurer at the time . Schwarzenegger was sworn in for his second term on January 5 , 2007 . In 2011 , he completed his second term as governor and returned to acting .