Arnold Schwarzenegger celebrates 40th anniversary of earning his U.S. citizenship: ‘Born in Austria, Made in America!’
Arnold Schwarzenegger is celebrating one of the greatest achievements of his life: the 40th anniversary of his American citizenship.
The former governor of California – born and raised in Austria – took to his Instagram page on Saturday to mark the milestone moment with a video montage documenting his life before and after arriving in the US in 1968.
Along with the many photos of him proudly taking the oath of citizenship in 1983, the Terminator star also shared a clip from the speech he gave at the 2004 Republican National Convention.
While rallying the Republican faithful at the time, Schwarzenegger credited the U.S. with helping him fulfill his many dreams as an immigrant, reminding those in attendance and those watching at home that the United States of America is a country made up of immigrants seeking a better life. .
“My fellow Americans, this is a great moment for me. To think that a once skinny boy from Austria could become governor of the state of California; that’s the immigrant dream,” he began in the clip, which received a thunderous ovation from the crowd gathered at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Honored: Arnold Schwarzenegger, 76, celebrated the 40th anniversary of his US citizenship by sharing photos of his trip from Austria to the US on Instagram
‘When the teacher at school talked about America, I daydreamed about coming here. I would daydream about life here,” he continued, as photos of a young Arnold in Austria appeared in the video.
The montage also included a photo of the former bodybuilding champion taking the oath of citizenship and then holding the document up to the camera.
“As long as I live I will never forget the day I raised my hand for the oath of citizenship,” the Thai-born Austrian revealed. ‘Do you know how proud I was? I was so proud that I walked around with the American flag around my shoulder all day.”
The longtime Hollywood action hero and leading man shared photos of himself wrapped in the American flag while wearing an American flag shirt and hat.
‘Everything about America seemed so grand to me; so open; if possible,” he continued.
‘I finally ended up here in 1968; what a special day it was. “I remembered arriving here with empty pockets, but full of dreams, full of determination and full of desire,” he admitted.
It is at this point that Schwarzenegger addressed his comments to the millions of immigrants who helped shape the fabric of the United States of America.
“To my fellow immigrants listening tonight, I want you to know how welcome you are. We encourage your dreams. We believe in your future,” he said at the time, before ending with a healthy dose of gratitude.
Humiliated: The former California governor shared an excerpt from the speech he gave at the 2004 Republican National Convention where he talks about being an immigrant and how America owes him ‘my career, my success, my family, I owe it to America ‘ ‘
Honored: The former bodybuilding champion and actor took the oath of citizenship in 1983
It’s official: the then-budding action star proudly held up his citizenship document
Dreams: In the clip, Schwarzenegger talks about his life growing up in Austria and how he always dreamed of living in America
Schwarzenegger was born in Thai, Austria and then turned his attention to bodybuilding
Legendary: Two years after coming to the US, Schwarzenegger won the first of six Mr. Olympia titles in a row, on his way to becoming perhaps the greatest bodybuilder of all time
“As long as I live I will never forget the day I raised my hand for the oath of citizenship,” the Thai-born Austrian revealed. ‘Do you know how proud I was? I was so proud that I walked around with the American flag around my shoulder all day.”
Family man: Hollywood’s leading man confessed he ‘owes everything to America’
Political ambitions: After a hugely successful acting career, Schwarzenegger served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011
“Everything I have, my career, my success, my family, I owe to America,” the father of five declared to the crowd before once again cheering his personal story.
The Predator actor emphasized his gratitude for being able to call the US his home in the caption of the Instagram post.
“Forty years ago on this day, I became an American citizen,” he wrote. ‘It’s one of the proudest days of my life. I owe everything to America. Born in Austria, Made in America!’
Although Schwarzenegger had already made a big mark as a champion bodybuilder while living in Austria, he would eventually become known as the greatest bodybuilder in the world when he won the Mr. Olympia competition won, two years after arriving in the US.
That ended up being his first of six Mr. Olympia titles that he won in a row until 1975.
He then set his sights on Hollywood as an action hero star, on his way to rising to the top of the A-list with roles in hits such as The Terminator (1984), Predator (1987), Total Recall (1990), Kindergarten Cop (1990) , Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Last Action Hero (1993), True Lies (1994), Junior (1994), Jingle All The Way (1996), Batman & Robin (1997) and The Expendables (2010), among Others.
He also served as California’s 38th governor from 2003 to 2011 after winning a special recall election to replace then-Governor Gray Davis.