Schwarzenegger was appointed Chairman of the President 's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1990.
Growing up in a small, isolated village in Austria, he turned to bodybuilding as his ticket to a better life. After conquering the world as the greatest bodybuilder who ever lived, he went to America to make his name in motion pictures. Hampered by his impossible name and thick accent, success eluded him for many years. It wasn 't until he found the tailor- made role of Conan that he truly came into his own as a performer.
A succession of over-the-top action films made him an international box office star. By alternating violent action films with lighter, comedic fare, he has solidified his position as one of the most popular--if not the most popular--movie stars in the world.