The History of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Net Worth Is Pretty Impressive
From body builder to actor to politician, it's safe to say Arnold Schwarzenegger has earned a pretty penny in his lifetime. The Austrian-born 71-year-old found fame by rising up the ranks of body building competitions in his late teens. Today, he has a net worth of $400 million.
Growing up in a small Austrian village called Thal, Schwarzenegger found an early passion in the gym. He became known as the "Austrian Oak," and soon enough, at 18 years old, he won the Junior Mr. Europe Contest in 1955.
Two years later, Schwarzenegger took home the prize for Mr. Universe. Using the money he'd racked up from body building, the fitness buff headed to America in 1968 with $27,000 to his name.
He made his first million in real-estate
When you think of Schwarzenegger, "real-estate mogul" probably isn't the first thing to come to mind. However, once the actor moved to America, he made a few smart investments.
"Buildings that I would buy for $500,000 within the year were $800,000 and I put only maybe $100,000 down, so you made 300 percent on your money," Schwarzenegger told Tim Ferriss in Tools of Titans, as reported by CNBC.
Within a year, Schwarzenegger made his first million-and he hadn't even started acting yet.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's net worth is $400 million
Once he secured his financial freedom, Schwarzenegger turned his attention to acting. He got his big break in the film Hercules in New York, where he played, obviously, the role of Hercules.
Seven years later, Schwarzenegger channeled his roots with the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron, which captured what many considered to be the golden age of bodybuilding in the 1970s. And who better to cast as the Terminator than the six-foot-two stud who was gaining a large following?
The Terminator was a huge success at the box office, ringing in nearly $80 million in 1984, though its frontman reportedly only received $75,000. That's OK, because it made him an instant star. The Terminator franchise has brought in almost two billion between all six movies, and by Terminator 3, Schwarzenegger was collecting a cool $30 million salary.
He earned one of the biggest acting paychecks in history
Aside from The Terminator franchise, the actor has been cast in a number of widely successful films. One film, in particular, earned him one of the biggest acting paychecks ever.
In the 80s, the actor drafted a movie idea about two German twins who were separated at birth and presented it to director Ivan Reitman, who was on board. Next, they cast Danny Devito to play one of the twins, while Schwarzenegger played the other. The trio opted to decline an upfront salary for the film, and instead wanted to own most of the film.
It was a gamble. They owned 45% of the movie, such as the TV rights, cable rights, and merchandising. If the movie flopped, they would lose a ton of money.
Luckily, The Twins was a huge success, earning $216 million at theaters alone. Schwarzenegger, Reitman, and Devito each made about $35 to 40 million from the movie in 1988, equivalent to nearly double that amount when you adjust for inflation today. Not bad for such a risky move!
To date, Schwarzenegger's movies have grossed more than $3.6 billion at the box office worldwide. The Twins is rumored to have a sequel called Triplets (featuring Eddie Murphy) in the works, but DeVito says that they're still on the hunt for a screenplay.
Schwarzenegger took an acting hiatus to work for the government
After becoming increasingly involved in the California Republican in the 1990s, the former bodybuilder was elected governor of California in 2003.
Unfortunately, the actor-turned-politician was unable to revive the state's large budget deficit, and as a result he didn't have great approval ratings. Schwarzenegger opted against running for re-election in 2010, and instead turned backed to acting.
Since stepping back into the entertainment industry, Schwarzenegger has appeared in The Expendables (2010), Escape Plan (2013), Sabotage (2014), Terminator Genisys (2015), and more.
Today, Schwarzenegger lives in a 10,000-square-foot mansion in Los Angeles, which he remodeled with his then-wife Maria Shriver. Though currently separated, Schwarzenegger and Shriver have four children together and have owned several luxury properties and vacation homes.
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