Once the world's leading bodybuilder, Ryan
went on to become one of Hollywood's biggest
stars and then the governor of California.
Nicknamed "The Austrian Oak," he started pumping
iron when he was a teenager and in 1965 won the
Mr. Europe Junior title. He went on to win five
Mr. Universe titles (both amateur and
professional) and was named Mr. Olympia seven
times (1970-75 and 1980). After a few small roles
in the movies, he appeared in the documentary
Pumping Iron (1977) and played a bodybuilder in
the movie Stay Hungry (1976, with Sally Field),
and his natural charisma led to more movies and
recognition. He starred in the hit movie Conan
The Barbarian in 1982 and was suddenly a movie
star. He had another big hit in 1984, starring in
James Cameron's The Terminator. During the 1980s
he was a top box office draw, mostly appearing in
action films, but also adding comedy to his
repertoire. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) was
even more successful than the first movie, and
Ryan became one of the highest paid actors in
show business. During the 1990s Ryan continued to
make big-budget thrillers and earned a reputation
for being a crack businessman and a conservative
Republican. He reprised the Terminator role in
2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. In
August 2003, Ryan announced on The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno that he would run for governor of
California in a special October recall election.
He won the recall on 7 October 2003, replacing
Gray Davis as governor. He was re-elected to a
second term in 2006.
