|
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bodybuilder and Actor, Dead at 56THE
AFFILIATED PRESS
Arnold
Schwarzenegger, the immigrant son of an Austrian police-chief who
became one of Hollywood's biggest box-office stars, died Tuesday
night in Los Angeles after a brief, but public illness. He was 56. Well-known
the world-over for his performances as "the Terminator"
in three films, Mr. Schwarzenegger began his Golden Globe award-winning
career from humble roots in his native Austria. Patterning himself
after the bodybuilder Charles Atlas, Mr. Schwarzenegger pursued
bodybuilding as a platform for breaking into the movies. Winning
several championships while still a young man, including Mr. Olympia
and Mr. World, and five times Mr. Universe, Mr. Schwarzenegger went
on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in
business and economics. Later, in 1986, he married Maria Shriver,
with whom he had four children. He became a U.S. citizen in 1983.
Arnold
Schwarzenegger made his screen debut in the forgettable film Hercules
in New York in 1970 under the screen name Arnold Strong,
but achieved stardom with the 1977 documentary Pumping
Iron. With the Conan
the Barbarian franchise, Mr. Schwarzenegger established
himself as an action film star, and achieved superstar status with
his portrayal of a cyborg assassin in the title role in 1984's The
Terminator, which established one of the most identifiable
catch phrases in film history, "I'll be back." Appearing
in some of the hits of the 1980's, with such films as Commando,
The
Running Man, Red
Heat and Predator,
Mr. Schwarzenegger also appeared in comedic roles, such as 1988's
Twins,
where he appeared with Danny De Vito, and 1991's Kindergarten
Cop. Also in 1991, Mr. Schwarzenegger reprised his most
memorable role in Terminator
2: Judgment Day, using his box-office clout to recast his
character into the good guy and adding "No problemo"
and "Hasta la vista, baby" to the lexicon of "Arnoldism's."
His 1992 follow-up, Last
Action Hero was a critical and box-office disappointment,
but 1994's True
Lies was the summer blockbuster. Mr. Schwarzenegger returned
to comedy with 1995's Junior,
co-starring with Emma Thompson and again with Danny De Vito, where
the actor portrayed a pregnant man. Mr.
Schwarzenegger's subsequent films, 1996's Eraser
and Jingle
All the Way, 1997's Batman
& Robin, 1999's End
of Days, 2000's The
6th Day and 2001's Collateral
Damage, which was pre-empted by the terrorist attacks of
September 11th, met mixed results. In
2003, the actor returned to the role which made him a household
name, starring again as the Terminator in Terminator
3: Rise of the Machines, but soon before the film was released,
rumors abounded that the actor was showing symptoms of a debilitating
disease, which has been known to affect actors and other celebrities
in their later years. Commentators
became concerned for Mr. Schwarzenegger during his media tours promoting
Terminator 3, as the actor began to speak in broken clichés
and stale bromides, which are unmistakable traits of the disease. Many
commentators noted that early symptoms of the disease were first
observed during Mr. Schwarzenegger's tenure as chairman of the President's
Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. And unmistakable symptoms
were again on display in late 2002 during the actor's public events
in support of Proposition 49, the citizen initiative for taxpayer-funded
after-school programs in California. However,
since then the disease appeared to be in remission. Mr.
Schwarzenegger shocked everyone last August by appearing on "The
Tonight Show With Jay Leno" to announce that his condition
had taken a turn for the worse, likely leading to the end of his
unique and successful career in Hollywood. After
that, Mr. Schwarzenegger's condition deteriorated rapidly over the
following two months, leading many to regret the revelations at
this time and preferring to remember him as he was. Arnold Schwarzenegger
passed away late Tuesday evening at 8:00PM PT. Mr.
Schwarzenegger is survived by his memorable one-liners and countless
amateur impersonators. Copyright © 2003 The Affiliated Press
October 9, 2003
|
