Arnold Schwarzenegger turned 79 on July 30. The legendary bodybuilder has proved that there are no limits for him.

Whether winning 7 Mr. Olympia titles, serving as California’s governor, or being an action-movie star, he has created his own legacy in every division.

Today, we will celebrate his birthday by remembering 9 iconic movie roles in which Schwarzenegger played a major role.

Conan the Barbarian

As per UPI, this movie was released in 1982, and in the role of Conan, Schwarzenegger established himself as a remarkable action star.

The movie was inspired by the character of Robert E. Howard, in which Arnold was seen seeking revenge on Thulsa Doom, the villainous opponent played by James Earl Jones.

Although he did not win any awards for this famous movie, the preparation for this role helped Arnold earn his 7th Mr. Olympia title. He had retired from professional bodybuilding after winning his 6th Mr. Olympia title in 1975 and focused on his acting career.

But when he was preparing for Conan, he made a surprise entry in the 1980 Mr. Olympia contest and won the title.

The Terminator

The 1984 science fiction movie, directed by James Cameron, completely changed Schwarzenegger's career.

The plot of the movie was based on a cyborg assassin sent back in time to change the future. Main elements include a deadly robotic threat, time travel, and a human rescue mission.

Talking about the experience of working on this movie in 1985 with BBC's Breakfast Time, Arnold said,

“You have to lock into a whole different kind of emotional obligation to play a machine. The way you walk is quite different. The way you handle your guns is different. The way your facial expressions are when you kill and all those kinds of things, because you're not supposed to have any feelings.”

The Running Man

The 1987 sci-fi action movie directed by Paul Michael Glaser was based on a Stephen King novel. The plot of the movie was set in a dystopian future where a game show forced prisoners to fight for their freedom while being hunted by killers.

Arnold’s role in The Running Man was that of Ben Richards, a former police officer accused of a massacre who finally entered the deadly competition.

Predator

This is another movie that brought Arnold immense success, directed by John McTiernan and released in 1987.

This was another sci-fi movie in Schwarzenegger's career, in which he played Alan Schaefer, who faced aliens known as the Predators.

Twins

By the time this movie was released in 1988, Schwarzenegger had established himself as a famous action movie star.

However, Twins was a comedy bro movie in which the bodybuilding legend shared the screen with Danny DeVito. The two stars were brothers who were separated at birth.

Later, when the two met, they searched for their mother.

Total Recall

This 1990 science fiction movie was directed by Paul Verhoeven, and its plot was based on a short story by Philip K. Schwarzenegger played the role of Douglas Quaid, a construction worker from a futuristic world.

In that world, a company named Rekall implants fake memories in people's minds. However, when the process failed, Arnold tried to remember his past on Mars.

The Expendables 2

In this 2012 movie, Arnold played Trench Mauser. He was a rival mercenary, and Barney Ross's team rescued him in Nepal.

Later, Mauser returned and joined the team to help them fight Jean Vilain, the main villain of the movie. Interestingly, Arnold shared the screen with his longtime former rival, Sylvester Stallone, who played the leader of the mercenary group.

True Lies

This is another action-packed movie in Arnold's career, in which he played the role of a U.S. government spy. In the movie, the Austrian Oak was seen hiding his spy career from his family and posing as a computer salesman.

In the 1994 movie, Arnold’s character's name was Harry Tasker, who tried to stop t******* attack.

FUBAR

Luke Brunner, a veteran CIA agent, learned before his retirement that his daughter was also a CIA agent. So, the veteran CIA agent was played by Arnold, and his daughter’s role was played by Monica Barbaro. After learning that his daughter was also an agent, Brunner was forced to return to the field for one last mission.

This high-octane action series was released on Netflix, and fans can watch two of its seasons, released in 2023 and 2025, with a subscription to the platform.

So, the list of Schwarzenegger's acting roles is long, through which the bodybuilding legend has left a mark on his fans' hearts. On the occasion of his birthday, we wish Schwarzenegger a very happy and healthy life ahead.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi