What is Arnold Schwarzenegger's net worth?
Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, model, actor, businessman, and politician with a net worth of $750 million. Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most famous people on the planet and at times the highest paid man in entertainment. At the height of his career, he was consistently earning $20-30 million per movie. Over the course of his career, Arnold has made hundreds of millions of dollars in film fees.
Besides his film fees, Arnold has built a real estate empire and, most importantly, owns 5% of the shares of an investment company called Dimensional Fund Advisors. Since the 1970s, when he moved to the United States, he has been putting his money into real estate. Thanks to these real estate investments, he became a billionaire at the age of 25. Arnold's commercial and personal real estate portfolio is probably worth between $100 million and $200 million. He acquired 5% of Dimensional Fund Advisors in 1996 for an undisclosed amount, when the company managed assets worth $12 billion. At the time, the company had assets of $300 billion, according to financial disclosures from 2003, when he was running for Governor of California. Today, the company is believed to manage just under $700 billion in assets. At the $700 billion level, Arnold's pretax stake in the company is worth only $300 million, and possibly as much as $500 million.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a perfect example of how much can be accomplished with blind, raw, and relentless ambition. After making a name for himself as an Austrian bodybuilding champion in the early '60s, winning the title of “Mr. Universe” in 1967 and 1968, he moved to the United States with dreams of becoming an actor and barely speaking English. Over the next nine years, he improved his English, earned a bachelor's degree, wrote a best-selling book, and won nearly every bodybuilding title there is. He began acting in the early '70s, winning a Golden Globe for his second movie. But it wasn't until 1982's “Conan the Barbarian” that audiences really took notice of him. From there, he starred in the Terminator series, had a hugely successful career as an action star, and entered into a politically wise marriage to Maria Shriver, John F. Kennedy's niece. Amazingly, Arnold Schwarzenegger also served as Governor of California for eight years, from 2003 to 2011. During his tenure as Governor, Arnold gave up his acting salary, which was worth approximately $200 million.
2003 Financial Disclosure
As mentioned earlier, in August 2003, Arnold released a financial report as part of his gubernatorial campaign detailing his business empire and net worth at that time. Arnold's financial disclosure stated that his net worth in 2003 was $200 million. According to the disclosure, Arnold made $14 million in 2003 and $24 million in 2002, and paid $11 million in federal taxes and $4 million in state taxes over the past three years. He manages all of his film income through an LLC called Oak Productions Inc., based in Santa Monica, California. Oak Productions is based at 3110 Main Street, a commercial building with about a dozen tenants, and Arnold owns the entire building. An April 2006 disclosure indicates that Arnold made $17 million in 2004. At the time of this later disclosure, he had not yet filed his 2005 tax return.
early life
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, in the small village of Thal, Austria. His father, Gustav, was the local police chief and his mother was a housewife. In 1960, Schwarzenegger's football (soccer) coach took him to a local gym and introduced the 13-year-old to the world of bodybuilding. His father initially wanted the young Arnold to become a police officer; his mother wanted him to attend a vocational school. Arnold knew he was destined to do something very different outside of his small Austrian village. After learning that several recent winners of the Mr. Universe contest had become successful actors in Hollywood, Arnold quickly set his sights on becoming the world's most famous professional bodybuilder.
In 1965, Arnold won the Junior Mr. Europe contest. In 1967, at age 20, he became the youngest person to win the Mr. Universe title. Arnold went on to win the title three more times. Even after his successful career as a bodybuilder, Schwarzenegger still found time to attend business school in his spare time.
Real Estate Investment
In September 1968, 21-year-old Schwarzenegger emigrated to the United States with $27,000 he had saved from winning a contest. In today's value, $27,000 in 1968 would be equivalent to $182,000 adjusted for inflation, so no small sum. Shortly after arriving in Hollywood, Arnold began investing a little in real estate. He bought a small piece of land in Palmdale, California, which was rumored to soon be the site of a new supersonic airport. This first investment failed, but Arnold was undeterred. With the remaining funds, he borrowed $10,000 from a trainer at Gold's Gym in Venice, California, to buy an apartment. The purchase price was $214,000. A year later, he sold the building for $360,000. He then built up his assets to a 12-unit building, a 36-unit building, and a 100-unit building. Each time Arnold sold a building, he funneled the profits into his next venture, avoiding taxes and increasing his chances of future earnings. By the age of 25, Arnold had become a real estate millionaire. This all happened long before he became a famous actor.
Today, Arnold owns an extensive real estate portfolio consisting primarily of commercial properties in Southern California, valued at more than $100 million, excluding personal residences.
Dimensional Fund Advisors
In 1996, Arnold bought a 5% stake in an investment firm called Dimensional Fund Advisors for an undisclosed amount. At the time, the firm had assets worth about $12 billion. Today, the firm has nearly $700 billion in assets under management. Arnold's 5% stake is reportedly worth between $300 million and $500 million before taxes.
Movie success
In 1970, he won his first “Mr. Olympia” title, and would go on to win it multiple times throughout his career. After winning the Mr. Olympia, Arnold got his first big break in the film industry, starring in the feature film “Hercules in New York.” Arnold's fame grew with the release of the bodybuilding documentary “Pumping Iron” in 1977.
His fame continued to grow with films like “Conan the Barbarian,” but his career really took off when he starred in the 1984 blockbuster film “The Terminator.” He earned $75,000 for his role in “The Terminator,” which grossed $80 million worldwide. After “The Terminator,” Arnold's career reached its peak. He went on to have other hits like “The Running Man,” “Red Heat,” and “The Predator.” He also dabbled in comedy in Ivan Reitman's 1988 film “Twins,” co-starring Danny DeVito.
In the 1990s, Arnold returned to the role of Terminator with his friend, director James Cameron, and the pair enjoyed further success with True Lies, while Schwarzenegger rounded out the '90s with films like Last Action Hero, 1996's Eraser, and finally Batman & Robin.
(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Highest salary
Arnold has made at least $400 million pretax from film alone, but his biggest payday came from a movie you probably wouldn't expect: not an action blockbuster, but the 1988 film “Twins.”
For Twins, Arnold, Danny DeVito, and director Ivan Reitman all agreed to own 40% of the film (13.33% each) without receiving any compensation from the studio. The film was a huge hit, grossing over $215 million worldwide at the box office alone. It was also a hit on VHS and cable. In a March 2014 interview, Arnold claimed he made more money from Twins than any other film he had starred in in his career to date. He said the same could be said for Reitman and DeVito. Assuming that Arnold, Danny, and Ivan each got 13.33% of the gross, $35 million to $40 million From the 1988 film, adjusted for inflation, that's $70 million to $80 million The three would later reunite for the film Junior.
Other notable salaries
As mentioned before, Arnold made $75,000 for The Terminator, $2 million for Commando, $3.5 million for Predator, $11 million for Total Recall, and $12 million for Kindergarten Cop and Terminator 2. In Terminator 2, Arnold only has 700 words of dialogue, which works out to $21,429 per word.
He made $15 million for True Lies, Junior, and Last Action Hero, and $20 million for Eraser and Jingle All the Way. Arnold's earnings exceed $25 million for Batman & Robin, The 6th Day, and Collateral Damage.
Terminator 3 salary
After getting James Cameron's blessing to star in a Terminator film without the franchise's creator, Arnold began negotiating a contract to star in 2003's Terminator 3. In the end, Arnold negotiated a $29.25 million advance, plus 20% royalties on Terminator 3's gross profits of over $380 million. The film grossed $433 million worldwide, bringing Arnold's total salary to an estimated $35 million. His salary was “pay-or-play,” meaning he would still get paid if the film didn't get made for any reason. Not only that, his contract entitled him to $1.6 million for each day filming took place over the 19-week schedule. Not only that, during filming, Arnold was given a budget of $1.5 million to spend on private jet flights, a trailer converted into a gym, three hotel suites, bodyguards, and a 24-hour chauffeur.
(Photo: Antony Jones/Getty Images)
Governor of California
Schwarzenegger was a longtime Republican. He attended the 2004 Republican National Convention and spoke about why he became a Republican. In 2003, he shocked the nation by announcing on “The Tonight Show” that he would run for Governor of California. Arnold served as governor from 2003 to 2011. He later claimed that he lost $200 million in film royalties from his eight years as governor. He was entitled to a $175,000 annual salary as governor, but refused to pay it.
Personal Life
Arnold was married to Maria Shriver, the niece of President John F. Kennedy and a television news personality, from 1986 to 2017. The couple have four children, including Katherine Schwarzenegger (married to actor Chris Pratt) and model and actor Patrick Schwarzenegger.
Arnold and Maria's relationship ended in 2011 after news broke that he had fathered a son with his housekeeper 14 years earlier. The divorce took six years to finalize and reportedly cost Arnold $200 million. Arnold kept his longtime Brentwood home, while Maria used the money to buy a new one nearby.
Personal Real Estate
Arnold Schwarzenegger owns personal real estate valued at between $50 and $60 million. In 2002, Arnold and Maria purchased the nearly six-acre estate in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles for $4.8 million. Arnold has maintained the home since the couple separated. Located in a gated community where Dr. Dre also lives, Arnold's home is a 14,500-square-foot mansion with ocean views, a tennis court, a pool, and plenty of privacy. Today, the estate is valued at between $20 and $30 million.
Arnold and Maria also co-own family vacation homes in Sun Valley, Idaho, and Hyannisport, Massachusetts.
All net worths are calculated using data obtained from publicly available sources, and where provided, also incorporating private tips and feedback received from celebrities or their representatives. We work diligently to ensure our figures are as accurate as possible, but unless otherwise noted, they are only estimates. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the buttons below.
