True Myths: The Life and Times of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger is a truly intriguing and improbable movie phenomenon. Born in a remote village in Austria, the son of a local policeman, he transformed himself from a skinny boy into a champion bodybuilder, winning the Mr. Universe title five times and Mr. Olympia seven times. He then overcame the handicaps of his name, his accent (so thick in his first movie that it had to be dubbed with an American actor's voice), and his limited acting ability to become one of Hollywood's biggest, highest-paid stars. What makes him a remarkable achiever is not just his origin - virtually the only sportsman ever to become a Hollywood superstar, let alone the only Austrian - but his ability to convincingly play opposites: outlaw and establishment warrior; soulless android and tearful mother; taciturn meathead and hilarious raconteur; hero and villain. True Myths explores the cunning strategies of one of the great media operators of the twentieth century. How has he capitalized on his Teutonic patrimony to portray the avenging macho-men of his movies while simultaneously befriending and donating generously to the Simon Wiesenthal Center? How has he turned his record of steroid use around to play it as a reformed man's fitness anthem: smiled on by President Bush, who appointed him the nation's health and sports czar? How has he seized on other people's mockery of him - his accent, his name, his bulk - to turn it to his own self-mocking advantage? And why have audiences throughout the world been so eager to accept him as an icon?