Arnold Schwarzenegger

Probably the biggest action movie icon when I was growing up. He may not have a wide range of acting, but not too many people can easily forget his movies, or his one liners, or his sense of humor. Also, not too many famous actors can say they accomplished half the stuff he did. He won Mr. Olympia 7 times, started his own business and became a millionaire before getting into acting, became one of the most famous action movie stars, got involved with the community, became governor of California, and over the years inspired millions of people (unlike many actors today). I really wish he had stayed in movies instead of pursuing a political career (thanks, Shriver...). He also makes some pretty funny movie commentaries:

When someone looks better as a robot in the leather jacket and dark shades, but looks rather unnatural in a role as a human, then it perhaps isn't a good sign about one's acting talent.

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This guy is NOT an actor!  He is just SUPER lucky, he came along and started making what are modern verisons of basically Tarzan movies, just at a time when young teen-aged boys had lots of money to spend going to movies and catapulted his movies over the top.  He has NO range what so ever!   He has two acting styles, wooden and wall like!  And as for his body, his wife that scarecrow, half starved to death Maria always says "look at his body" like it is something most women die for--nope, you keep him, his body is not that great, overmuscled men are not attractive to most of us.

He was excellent at what he did back during his heyday.

He's good at what he does... Acting in action films.

Actually, Arnold hits the nail on the head in most every one of his flicks.

I don't think he's a great actor,but he does pull off a lot of dry humor in his action roles.

Not overrated. . .Ah-nuld is a movie star, not an actor. . .and as a movie star he stays well within his capacities (albeit limited) as an 'actor'. . .

He was very good in The Terminator (original) and Twins. I don't feel he's too overrated for the types of movies he does best.

can't act but nice boobs

Thats it you people really are idiots. im a talent agent and to say arnold is a bad actor is rediculous. i beleive everyone can be a good actor with enough practice, as a scout i have been a critic of arnold and his acting skills are pretty good, its just that he got this reputation of being bad and now all you fools join in.

I agree with PBeavr here. Schwarzenegger has little or no talent, but he was shrewd, or had a shrewd agent. Unlike Stallone, he had no pretensions of being a serious actor, and took parts that showcased the unusual (ahem) talents he did possess...namely a massive and cartoonish physique, an odd face, an exotic accent. The Terminator was a great movie (although a bit of a rip-off of Harlan Ellison's Demon With A Glass Hand) and Schwarzenegger didn't have to do anything besides look freakish and evil. He did do his share of out-and-out crap as his career progressed, but he also displayed a surprising flair for light comedy. Now he's a politician. Seems logical to me. Was it Adlai Stevenson or anti-Irish bigot Winston Churchill who said, In a Democracy, people get the kind of governement they deserve... If true, America deserves George W. and California deserves the Terminator...

Vote for me in 2008 ....................Hillary, I will be BACK

Arnold's from a a NAZI-family in Austria and he can't tell me he's not a Hitler-supporter/enthusiast. Shouldn't ever think about running for US president. The US's WW2 vets and their families would never allow that to happen...because...according to Tom Brokaw, they were 'The Greatest Generation. So...he should stick to his bad acting, feed his underfed wife, run Calee-fornia, and stick to his bad acting (opps!...I said that once already).

Made 1 good movie and 28 bad ones.

As an actor I would rate him two stars as an action star he gets 5. He's obviously talented and smart to achieve so much, the guy has a good life.

Question: how can you dodge bullets when you move like a tank? Answer: you can't.

Action star, not actor.

he is one of the best actors in America.

Fabulous, in every way. Talent, brains, beauty, power, wealth, great family man, what a body (as the frosting on the cake....) Arnie, run for Pres Dude. Then I'll have to say Mr. President: Are you aware that you have a great body? Ha. Seriously, a treasure we are luckey to have in the USA.

You mean he actually acts? I thought he was just playing out his fantasies.

Terminator ruled. Total recall not bad either.

I think so many people under-rate him due to his accent, and I think he will be a great Gov. for California.

He's good at marketing, his huge ego has made him a success. His range is very very limited. He knows how to pick films that would suit him, except for a few flops. My favorite is Terminator 2 Judgement Day, but I watch it for Robert Patrick who's a better actor then Arnold Schwarenegger.

i love arnold shwarzenegger- i like his body and i like the way he says "hasta la vista baby"

I give him 4 stars, and if he wins the election in California and can straighten out that mess, I'll change it to a big fat FIVE.

The guy can't act, anyone can say, "I'll be back."

I don't care what anyone says, Arnold is an all around good guy and a pretty good actor too. He proves that you don't have to be nasty to make it in Hollywood. Good actor ! I recommend most of his movies.

Arnold is truly a GIANT of the industry. Starting as a body builder who did bit parts that he was cast in just because of his size, to filming some of the top box office takes ever! He makes action films. If you don't like action films then you should't watch them go watch Victor Victoria and put a cork in it. He is good at what he does and thats produce action! Remember his first language is not English so the accent isn't that bad really, How do you sound when speaking dutch?

He's in the pantheon of Truly Lame Actors, with a niche just down the portico from The Bruce Willis Wing, The John Travolta Enclave, The Sylvester Stallone Room, The George Clooney Urinal. Who actually spends money to go see his juvenile, cartoonish and ultimately boring flicks? Steroid-poisoned muscleheads who didn't get past the third grade? Teenage girls who dig a guy who has an accent like Col. Klink? All-around imbeciles who like action films because they're easier to understand than comic books? Rightwingers who hope to delude this idiot to thinking that he has a future in politics? Bicep-loving homos who would love to spot him in the weight room, or better yet, in the showers afterward? Maybe this guy should have spent less time at the benchpress and more time in acting class, but then again, if he had done that, he would probably get so much more work that movie theatres would have to supply patrons with air sickness bags whenever one of Schwartzenegger's bits of idiocy... Read more

Sadly, this guy is more talented than Stallone or Eastwood. What does that say about them?

Arnold is one of the most colorful Hollywood stars around today if you ask me. He's had such a successful career and has rarely delivered a bad performance (OK, maybe in "Batman and Robin"). He was the perfect choice for the role of The Terminator in both of those films, and I cannot wait until he returns to his roots in T3. His resume includes a long string of action films, most of which were good. "Eraser", "Predator" and "True Lies". One of my favorite of his films is "True Lies"- he and Jamie Lee Curtis had such chemistry. I also appreciated his branching out into more comedic roles in "Twins", "Kindergarten Cop", "Last Action Hero" and "Jingle All the Way", all of which he performed pretty well in. I also enjoyed his recent performances in "The Sixth Day" and "End of Days". Espescially in the latter, Arnold seemed to undertake a somewhat different role than he did in other roles in which he has played in the past. I can't put my finger on it, but he performed excellently in that f... Read more

Ya!! Steroids unt good!!! Too bad no steroid for acting Ya!!

He has really come along, I respect him alot.

Go back and watch Hercules in New York or Conan the Barbarian and then watch him in one of his latest films. He is honestly a lot better actor now. He'll never be able to lose the thick accent, but he has worked very hard to become a better actor.

Great actor, Better than a lot! Although he's getting on to 55 he's action career may be coming to an end.

A lot of action heroes turn out to be funny. I liked best his role in Jingle All The Way, a struggling Dad trying to find an out-of-stock Turbo Man.

he isn't really an actor, all that he does is shoot stuff, but hay, at least he does THAT with talent :)

I’ll have to admit that I’ve gotten a few yucks out of old Arnold – sometimes when you were meant to and sometimes not. He’s like a living action figure – a GI Joe with an Austrian accent. My impression is that the Schwarzenegger persona while carefully planned and crafted was never supposed to be taken any more seriously than it has been. This gives him freedom to continue to churn out Terminator clones and other cartoon-like action films for as long as the public will cough up the change to watch them. It definitely unburdens him from having to deal with things like art, depth, and meaning – which can really be a relief to the public sometimes as well. If this isn’t your cup of tea any more than it’s mine you still can’t deny that this guy has some powerful marketing skills.

Number one action actor!

Arnold as the Terminator is the single best casting I've ever seen. Take an actor with no range or ability to convey emotion and have him play a machine incapable of feeling anything. GENIUS!!!!

Arnold is one of the greatest actors in this list, and he should be in the top 10 for sure. He can make you laugh, cry, and when he plays the terminator he can make you scream. It took him 20 years to learn how to act, and he was acting in the 70's with movies like Scavenger Hunt and Hercules and New York. And then the 80's with The Terminator. and the 90's with T2, True Lies, Eraser, and Jingle All The Way.

Read through all the comments about Arnold and have a few things to say...the worst actor in the world is not Arnold; it's Tony Danza. Yes, Arnold's had some bad movies; who hasn't? I really thing there's some jealous people out there who don't understand nor appreciate Arnold's accomplishments. To be the best bodybuilder in the world, is an almost impossible task. He was the best SEVEN times as Mr. Olympia. This man's desire for challenges and success is hard to measure. Now, it is possible he will start paying for steroid use during his career. But, let's think about this: he used them to enhance his athletic performance. Not to get high, not to profit from the sale of the drug to others and he sure as hell didn't get rich by producing it. I don't see how steroid use can be viewed as cheating when every professional bodybuilder in the world uses them. This is a man of great accomplishments in spite of his shortcomings. That means he's human, folks. I also venture to guess... Read more

This guys acting career is pretty much dead. But hey, he was on top for a while in the eighties. Unfortunately, there is no amount of steriods a man can take to curb some anavoidable signs of aging. He'll probably go into politics, and then Leno and Letterman will have matieral for their nightly monologues.

Seen one of his movies, you have seen'em all!

Ok, good for him for making films people actually see (how else is he paid sooooo much money), however, I still don't understand how he get roles like, FBI agent, Policeman in NYC,..etc.... He has an Austrian accent....how many cops you know with German accents? So I can't believe his character at all.....

His movies were my favorite when I was a kid, but now it's all just cheesy crap. He should try to do something different.

Pure Power from Europe! Even thought his jokes are sometimes lousy, they're so bad I cannot help myself laughing.

Its funny that people say his movies stink. He is one of the highest paid stars EVER! But I will admit that his recent movies have not been to good. But almost everything prior to End of Days was a hit movies. He is paying the price for the steriod use but when he was using them they did not have the info they have now. Remember that was over 30 years ago!