The world’s richest actor has a net worth that eclipses Hollywood star’s like Tom Cruise, but he hasn’t had a major film role since 2019
The globe’s wealthiest actor grew up in a household where his father served as a Nazi police officer and now boasts a fortune that dwarfs those of Dwayne Johnson and Tom Cruise. Remarkably, he hasn’t taken on a leading role in nearly ten years.
On Wednesday, Forbes unveiled its ranking of America’s most affluent immigrants. Predictably, the planet’s richest individual, Elon Musk, topped the chart.
The SpaceX chief, aged 54, hails from South Africa before relocating to Canada in 1989. Musk didn’t make his way to the United States until 1992, where he studied at the University of Pennsylvania before establishing himself in Silicon Valley.
Positioned at 119th on America’s wealthiest immigrant list sits an actor from modest beginnings. Born in Thal, Styria, Austria in 1947, this celebrity’s father worked as a Nazi officer and served during World War II as a military policeman.
From these origins, he has risen to become one of cinema’s most cherished performers, appearing in blockbusters including Terminator, Predator, Total Recall, Kindergarten Cop, and Jingle All the Way, amongst others.
In 2003, he even secured election as California’s governor, standing for the Republican Party. That celebrity is, naturally, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The 77-year-old describes his Austrian childhood as existing in a “very different world” compared to his existence as a Hollywood icon. He characterised his parents, mother Aurelia and father Gustav, as “very strict” figures.
In a candid chat with Schwarzenegger.com back in 2000, the Hollywood icon shared: “It’s true my parents were very strict and I think many times I’m very strict with my own children but not like it was when I grew up. Back then in Austria it was a very different world – if we did something bad or we disobeyed our parents, the rod was not sparred.
“It was still the yardstick at school. You put your hands out there on the table and BANG!”.
Arnold’s journey into bodybuilding began in the 1960s, clinching the Junior Mr Europe title and leading him to Forest Gate, London, for training sessions with Charles Bennett.
By the tender age of 20, he had already snagged the Mr Universe title, becoming its youngest victor and viewing the triumph as his ticket to the American dream he’d harboured since he was 10.
During the 1960s, Arnold flexed his muscles in various weightlifting and powerlifting contests, eventually being crowned Mr Olympia at 23 – the youngest to ever claim this prestigious accolade.
His foray into acting kicked off in the early ’70s, with an early role in the 1970 flick Hercules in New York, where he was billed as Arnold Strong. But it was the 1982 hit Conan the Barbarian that really catapulted him to stardom, raking in big bucks at the box office.
1989 saw him take on what is often hailed as his defining role, playing the lead in James Cameron’s The Terminator, cementing his place as a silver screen legend.
Arnold’s career was marked by a string of appearances in blockbuster action films, a trend that continued throughout his professional life, with notable roles in films such as Predator, Commando, and Red Heat.
Films featuring Arnold are estimated to have raked in over $5.2 billion (approximately £3.8bn) at the box office during his career. His acting prowess, coupled with savvy investments, has reportedly left Arnold with a net worth of around $1.2bn (roughly £800m), according to Forbes.
This places him among the highest-earning actors in the history of Hollywood. Forbes estimates that he has amassed over $500m solely from film salaries.
His successful ventures extend beyond the silver screen, including profitable investments in Californian real estate and a minority stake in fellow billionaire David Booth’s Dimensional Fund Advisors. Today, the actor boasts a range of business interests, including his film company Oak Productions, Fitness Publications Inc, and film and trademark holding venture Pumping Iron America.
Despite his monumental success in Hollywood, Arnold has scaled back his filmmaking in recent years. As per IMDB, his last major screen role was in Terminator: Dark Fate in 2019.
Since then, he has featured in a series of short films and the TV series Superhero Kindergarten. While his net worth may exceed a billion dollars, Arnold is not the highest earner in Hollywood.
Topping the list is film producer and music tycoon David Geffen, boasting a net worth of approximately $8.2bn (£6bn), followed by director Steven Spielberg with an estimated wealth of around $5.3bn (£3.9bn). Director Pete Jackson’s fortune stands at $1.7bn (£1.2bn), while producer Peter Gruber has amassed around $1.5bn (£1.1bn).
Filmmaker Tyler Perry, who also holds acting credits, is valued at $1.4bn (£1bn).