Faces of the week: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Date: 26-07-2003 Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamUnited Kingdom

As his new blockbuster hits screens around the world, bodybuilder-turned-movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, seems poised to terminate the political career of the governor of California. Is the world's favourite Austrian is about to step into Ronald Reagan's shoes, asks BBC News Online's Andrew Walker.

It was an odd way to start a career. The 1977 cult movie, Pumping Iron, a wry documentary examining the demi-monde of bodybuilding competitions, featured a strangely-accented Teutonic he-man with a bit of a chip on his vast shoulders: Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Cinemagoers were intrigued by this man-mountain and his obsession with winning. He explained how he verbally spooked his competitors, said that he had decided not to attend his father's funeral in order to take part in a bodybuilding pageant and produced gems of wit like: "Only babies drink milk. Real men drink beer."

It took a number of years for America to fall in love with Schwarzenegger, the son of an Austrian policeman, born in 1947 in the isolated village of Thal in the province of Styria.

But, courtesy of movies like Conan The Barbarian and Terminator, fall in love they did. Arnold became a United States citizen in 1983, married Maria Schriver, a member of the Kennedy clan and, contrary to his relatives' usual politics, came out as a moderate Republican.

Having been born outside the US, he cannot become president, but there is no bar on him becoming a state governor. This leads to an intriguing, and increasingly possible, scenario.

Economic conservative, social liberal

His home state of California is nearly bankrupt - with debts totalling $38bn - and its governor, Gray Davis, is facing a recall vote, a referendum on his record which could remove him and usher in a replacement.

Though a spokesman says, "Arnold is discussing his candidacy with his family," Schwarzenegger has made no secret of his desire to take over. "I would rather be governor of California than own Austria," he says.

And, though he may well be up against other Republican stalwarts like Jack Kemp, running mate to Bob Dole in the 1996 presidential race, and the wealthy conservative Congressman Darrell Issa, polls show Arnie to be a hot favourite to take the job.

His own politics are complex. Though conservative on economic policy, he is a social liberal, pro-choice on abortion and in favour of gay rights. This sort of mix could be just the one to inspire Californian voters.

If he succeeds, Arnold Schwarzenegger will follow in the footsteps of two other Californian political thespians. Ronald Reagan made it to both the Governor's mansion and the White House, while Clint Eastwood served as mayor of Carmel.

But, with an earning-power estimated at $30m a movie, the seven-times Mr Olympia will probably not turn a hair, never mind flex a muscle, if he was to fail.