Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (lahir 30 Julai 1947; lebih dikenali sebagai Arnold Schwarzenegger atau Arnie) adalah seorang pelakon, ahli bina badan, ahli politik Parti Republikan, serta usahawan yang pernah menjawat sebagai Gabenor California ke-38.

Latar belakang

Nama keluarganya 
Nama keluarga Schwarzenegger dalam bahasa Jerman bermaksud "penghuni Schwarzenegg", nama sebuah kampung di Switzerland serta suatu tempat di Salzburg, Austria. Nama "Schwarznegg" itu sendiri merupakan gabungan perkataan Schwarz "hitam" dan egg "rabung gunung".

Masa kecil 
Schwarzenegger dilahirkan di Thal, Styria, Austria kepada Gustav, seorang bekas pegawai tentera yang kemudiannya menjadi polis. Ibunya seorang suri rumah. Mereka sekeluarga hidup dalam keadaan sederhana dan tinggal di tingkat atas balai polis. Schwarzenegger mempunyai seorang abang bernama Meinhard yang terkorban dalam kemalangan jalan raya sewaktu dalam lingkungan usia dua puluhan. Mereka berdua dibesarkan dalam keluarga Katolik yang warak.

Sewaktu kecil, beliau mempunyai tubuh yang sederhana. Tetapi selepas melihat jaguh sukan Olimpik renang Johnny Weissmüller di Graz, Schwarzenegger mula berminat dengan bina badan dan ingin menjadi seorang jaguh atlet. Lalu beliau pun mula berlatih untuk membina badannya.

Pada awalnya, Schwarzenegger dan abangnya terlibat dalam pelbagai jenis sukan seperti geluncur ais, luncur air, pengembaraan berjalan kaki, berenang dan ping pong. Mereka berdua sering bersaing dalam sukan serta dalam pelajaran. Ayahandanya mengharap-harapkan Schwarzenegger menjadi seorang pemain bola sepak antarabangsa tetapi pada usia 13 tahun, beliau terkeluar daripada pasukan bola sepak sekolah.

Semasa remaja, Schwarzenegger amat meminati watak filem Hercules, beliau sering kali menonton koleksi filem tersebut. Ini mendorongnya membaca majalah-majalah bina badan serta berlatih dalam bidang tersebut untuk meniru Hercules yang merupakan pujaannya.

Penyertaan dalam arena bina badan 
Pada 1961 ketika berusia 14 tahun, Schwarzenegger bertemu dengan Kurt Marnul, bekas Mr. Austria. Marnul kagum dengan badan Schwarzenegger yang sasa dan menjemputnya berlatih di Athletic Union, Graz. Selepas itu, beliau berlatih selama tujuh hari seminggu sehingga tercicir dari sekolah dan semakin kurang pergi ke gerejanya. Disamping itu, beliau memulakan latihan perintisnya sebagai seorang tukang kayu. 

Pada pertandingan pertamanya di sebuah hotel di Graz, Schwarzenegger menyandang tempat kedua. Pada 1965, beliau menyertai pasukan tentera Austria. Namun disebabkan pertandingan bina badan di Stuttgart, Jerman, beliau telah mengambil cuti tanpa kebenaran dan dipenjarakan selepas pemulangannya. Bagaimanapun, Schwarzenegger berjaya memenangi pertandingan tersebut dan dianugerahkan gelaran Mr. Eropah Junior.

Pada usia 20 tahun, Schwarzenegger berjaya mendapat gelaran "Mr. Jerman" dan naib johan untuk pertandingan "Mr. Universe" dalam percubaannya yang pertama. Pada 1975, beliau menamatkan kerjayanya sebagai ahli bina badan. Sewaktu itu, beliau telah mengumpul pelbagai gelaran: 
 Mr. Universe sebanyak lima kali;
 Mr. Olympia sebanyak enam kali; dan 
 Mr. World sekali. 
Lima tahun kemudiannya, Schwarzenegger kembali ke arena bina badan dan memenangi gelaran Mr. Olympia yang ketujuh.

Schwarzenegger sebagai bintang filem

Schwarzenegger mula menceburi bidang perfileman pada tahun 1970 melalui filem Hercules in New York. Disebabkan minat kepada watak Hercules yang amat mendalam, beliau sering memegang watak orang kuat seperti Conan, Terminator dan Commando. Pada 1988, beliau berlakon dalam Twins, filem komedinya yang pertama, bersama pelawak terkenal Danny DeVito. 

Walaupun beliau lama terlibat dalam Hollywood, Schwarzenegger hanya berjaya mendapat kerakyatan Amerika Syarikat pada 1983. Tiga tahun kemudian, beliau berkahwin dengan Maria Shriver, seorang juruhebah wanita yang jelita dan kini dikurniakan empat cahaya mata. 

Bidang perfileman telah memberi banyak kebahagiaan serta tekanan kepada Schwarzenegger. Kebanyakan filem aksinya telah mencapai jualan terlaris di seluruh dunia dan menjadikannya seorang jutawan. Walaupun begitu disebabkan tekanan kerja yang hebat, beliau terpaksa menjalani pembedahan jantung pada April 1997.

Kerjaya politik 

Schwarzenegger merupakan ahli Republikan sejak bertahun lamanya. Sebagai seorang pelakon, pandangan politik beliau biasanya diketahui ramai kerana ia bertentangan dengan banyak bintang-bintang ternama Hollywood, yang umumnya dikenali sebagai masyarakat yang cenderung kepada liberal dan Demokrat. Di Konvensyen Kebangsaan Republikan 2004, Schwarzenegger telah memberikan ucapan dan menerangkan kenapa beliau memilih menjadi seorang Republikan:

Pada 1985, Schwarzenegger muncul di dalam video Stop the Madness, satu muzik video anti-dadah tajaan pentadbiran Reagan. Dia mula dikenali awam sebagai seorang Republikan sewaktu pilihan raya presiden 1988, menemani Timbalan Presiden pada waktu itu iaitu George H. W. Bush at a campaign rally. Attacking Bush's Democratic opponents, he said to the crowd: "They all look like a bunch of girlie men, right?"

Schwarzenegger's first political appointment was as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, on which he served from 1990 to 1993. He was nominated by George H. W. Bush, who dubbed him "Conan the Republican". He later served as Chairman for the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under Governor Pete Wilson. Yet, political analysists have identified Schwarzenegger as a liberal, as he has become more left-leaning since his election.

Between 1993 and 1994, Schwarzenegger was a Red Cross "ambassador" (a mostly ceremonial role fulfilled by celebrities), recording several television/radio PSAs to give blood. A small amount of interest was garnered by his wearing of a white t-shirt with the Red Cross on it, while posing with a flexed arm; the image made it into several celebrity magazines.

Schwarzenegger pernah disoal oleh majalah Talk lewat tahun 1999 sama ada beliau ingin memegang mana-mana jawatan politik. Dia menjawab: "Sudah banyak kali saya memikirkan mengenainya. Kemungkinannya ada di situ, saya dapat rasakannya." The Hollywood Reporter mendakwa tidak lama kemudian bahawa Schwarzenegger mahu menamatkan spekulasi kemungkinannya menjawat jawatan sebagai gabenor California. Following his initial comments, Schwarzenegger pula berkata: "Saya berada dalam bidang hiburan — saya sedang melakukan kerjaya saya. Buat apa saya mahu melepaskannya untuk masuk ke dalam sesuatu bidang yang lain?"

Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy in the 2003 California recall election for Governor of California on the August 6, 2003 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. As a candidate in the recall election, Schwarzenegger had the most name recognition in a crowded field of candidates, but he had never held public office and his political views were unknown to most Californians. His candidacy was immediate national and international news, with media outlets dubbing him the "Governator" (referring to The Terminator movies, see above) and The Running Man (the name of another of his movies), and calling the recall election Total Recall (yet another Schwarzenegger starrer) and "Terminator 4: Rise of the Candidate" (referring to his movie Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines). Schwarzenegger declined to participate in several debates with other recall replacement candidates and appeared in only one debate on September 24, 2003.

On October 7, 2003, the recall election resulted in Governor Gray Davis being removed from office with 55.4% of the Yes vote in favor of a recall. Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California under the second question on the ballot with 48.6% of the vote to choose a successor to Davis. Schwarzenegger defeated Democrat Cruz Bustamante, fellow Republican Tom McClintock, and others. His nearest rival, Bustamante, received less than 30% of the vote. In total, Schwarzenegger won the election by about 1.3 million votes. Under the regulations of the California Constitution, no runoff election was required. Schwarzenegger was the first foreign-born governor in California history since Ireland-born Governor John G. Downey in 1862.

As soon as Schwarzenegger was elected governor, Willie Brown said he would start a drive to recall the governor. Schwarzenegger was equally entrenched in what he considered to be his mandate in cleaning up gridlock. Asked whether he would seek bipartisan cooperation from the Democrats in the State Senate, Schwarzenegger quipped that he saw no reason to "talk with losers". Building on a catch phrase from a sketch partly parodying his bodybuilding career, Schwarzenegger called the Democratic State politicians "girlie men", (a reference from a Saturday Night Live sketch called "Hans and Franz") for putting special interests ahead of the interests of the people of California.

Schwarzenegger meraih banyak kejayaan semasa awal kerja gabenornya seperti menarik balik kenaikan yuran pendaftaran kenderaan yang tidak begitu popular di kalangan penduduk California serta menghalang pemberian lesen memandu kepada pendatang asing tanpa izin. Namun begitu, inisiatif beliau mula mendapat tentangan daripada kesatuan-kesatuan berpengaruh di negeri tersebut.s. Key among his reckoning with political realities was a special election he called in November 2005, in which four ballot measures he sponsored were defeated. Schwarzenegger accepted personal responsibility for the defeats and vowed to continue to seek consensus for the people of California. He would later comment that "no one could win if the opposition raised $160 million dollars to defeat you."

Schwarzenegger then bucked the advice of fellow Republican strategists and appointed a Democrat, Susan Kennedy, as his Chief of Staff. Schwarzenegger scrambled toward the political middle, determined to build a winning legacy with only a short time to go until the next gubernatorial election.

He has appeared alongside his fellow actor from Around the World in 80 Days, Jackie Chan, in a government advertisement to combat copyright piracy.

Schwarzenegger ran for re-election against Democrat Phil Angelides, the California State Treasurer, in the 2006 elections, held on November 7 2006. Despite a poor year nationally for the Republican party, Schwarzenegger won re-election with 56.0% of the vote compared with 38.9% for Angelides, a margin of well over one million votes. The election further enhanced his political credentials.

It is rumored that Schwarzenegger might run for the United States Senate in 2010 (he will be term-limited then), if incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer retires.

It was reported in February 2007 that Schwarzenegger offered his most lavish praise yet for 2008 presidential candidate John McCain. He called McCain a "great senator" and "very good friend" who shared his views on critical issues like the environment. He has not formally declared his support for McCain.

Wendy Leigh, who wrote an unofficial biography on Schwarzenegger, claims he plotted his political rise from an early age using the movie business and body-building as building blocks to escape a depressing home. Leigh portrays Schwarzenegger as obsessed with power and quotes him as saying: "I wanted to be part of the small percentage of people who were leaders, not the large mass of followers. I think it is because I saw leaders use 100% of their potential — I was always fascinated by people in control of other people." Schwarzenegger has said that it was never his intention to enter politics, but he says, "I married into a political family. You get together with them and you hear about policy, about reaching out to help people. I was exposed to the idea of being a public servant and Eunice and Sargent Shriver became my heroes." Eunice Kennedy Shriver was sister of John F. Kennedy, and mother-in-law to Schwarzenegger, Sargent Shriver was husband to Eunice and father-in-law to Schwarzenegger. According to the 2005 Year-In-Review issue of Time Magazine, citizens are hoping to amend the Constitution so he can run for President of the United States.

Schwarzenegger masih memiliki pasport Austria, oleh itu beliau masih lagi memegang status kerakyatan Austrianya dan seterusnya kerakyatan Kesatuan Eropah. Perkara ini melayakkannya memenangi Anugerah Jurukempen Tahunan European Voice 2007 atas tindakannya melawan pemanasan global melalui pemaktuban Akta Penyelesaian Pemanasan Global 2006 pemerintah California serta rancangannya memperkenalkan skim niagaan keluaran gas bersama negeri-negeri Amerika Syarikat yang lain serta negara-negara ahli Kesatuan Eropah.

Schwarzenegger tidak menerima gaji tahunannya sebagai gabenor sebanyak $175,000, bahkan beliau turut mendermakan gaji tersebut kepada badan kebajikan yang dikehendaki.

Sejarah Pilihanraya

Rujukan

Bibliografi 
 
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Wawancara 
 Interview in Oui magazine, August 1977 at thesmokinggun.com
 Excerpts from Time Out (London) interview, 1977 at time.com
 Schwarzenegger Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos

Pautan luar 
 Arnold Schwarzenegger 
 Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger  
 Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum 
 Arnold Schwarzenegger 
 http://www.schwarzenegger.se/index.htm
 http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000216/bio

Pengarah filem Amerika Syarikat
Penerbit filem Amerika Syarikat
Kelahiran 1947
Katolik Amerika Syarikat
Orang hidup
Ahli politik Amerika Syarikat
Pelakon lelaki Amerika Syarikat