I whanau a Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger i te Hōngongoi 30, 1947, i Thal, Styria, ki Aurelia (née Jadrny; 1922<unk>1998) me Gustav Schwarzenegger (1907<unk>1972). I tīmata tana mahi taitamarikitanga i roto i te hapu Katorika i ia Rātapu. He hiahia nui tana tama ki te mahi whutupaoro i te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao hei Hauptfeldwebel i muri i tana whakauru mai ki te Pāti Nazi i te tau 1938, i whara i te pakanga o Stalingrad, engari i tukuna i te tau 1943 whai muri i te mate o te mate malaria. I marenatia e ia te whaea o Schwarzenegger i te Oketopa 20, 1945; 38 ia, a ko ia 23. E ai ki a Arnold Schwarzenegger, he tino pakeke ona matua: "I muri mai i Austria he ao tino rereke... mena ka mahi tatou i tetahi mea kino, kaore ranei i whakahe i o tatou maatua, kaore i whakaekehia e te rod rod".
Ko te tau 1960