Fantastic : The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger - Hardcover

Leamer, Laurence

3.82

164 ratings by Goodreads

9780283070242: Fantastic : The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0283070242 ISBN 13: 9780283070242

Publisher: Pan MacMillan, 2005

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

The life of Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most extraordinary success stories of our time. Born in a village in Austria, he became the greatest bodybuilder in history and then the number one movie star in the world. Today, he is the Republican husband of a Kennedy princess, and the governor of the greatest of American states. Leamer has had exclusive interviews with Arnold Schwarzenegger and his closest associates, including his Austrian schoolfriends, his mentors, bodybuilding competitors, lifelong friends, first serious girlfriend, political rivals, agents, publicists and producers, many of whom have never been interviewed before. The resulting biography is studded with revelations - from the untold story of his traumatic relationship with his father to how his first mentor, a Jewish partisan in the Second World War helped shape him; from the movie star who tried to ruin his career to why Arnold married Maria Shriver and the startling story of their wedding day; from how Arnold overcame the sordid sexual revelations that marred his campaign for governor of California to the game plan that may bring him to the White House. Insightful, highly entertaining, this book captures the public and private Schwarzenegger, a cultural and political figure unlike any other.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Back Cover:

LARGER-THAN-LIFE
He has been known as the Austrian Oak, Mr. Universe, and the Terminator. Now he answers to "Governor." From humble beginnings in a small Austrian village, Arnold Schwarzenegger pumped himself into the greatest bodybuilder in history, the biggest movie star in the world, and a political force to be reckoned with--all with raw ambition and driving self-confidence. In Fantastic, esteemed biographer Laurence Leamer captures Arnold's amazing story as no one else could. Drawing on unprecedented interviews with Arnold, his wife Maria Shriver, and Arnold's friends, family, lovers, competitors, business partners, and political adversaries, Leamer offers a brilliant, uniquely detailed portrait of this self-made man who married a Kennedy princess and scaled the heights of America's elite. Readers will discover:

� A troubled youth: growing up the son of a strict former Nazi and overcoming adversity by discovering the potential of weight training
� The superhuman: the arrogant showman who revolutionized bodybuilding--and his astounding string of Mr. Olympia titles
� Blockbuster stardom: why a heavy accent and wooden acting style couldn't keep Arnold and his publicist from marketing him into the world's largest grossing film icon
� The unlikeliest Kennedy: his marriage to Maria Shriver and her role in Arnold's rise to governor of the Golden State
...and more!

"Provides rich insights into the conditions that have made Schwarzenegger what he seems to be, material that will no doubt form the basis for any subsequent biographies."
--The Washington Post

"Utterly fascinating, unflinchingly candid, and relentlessly readable, Fantastic will be the standard by which all other works on Arnold Schwarzenegger are judged."
--Nigel Hamilton, author of JFK: Reckless Youth

WITH 16 PAGES OF STRIKING PHOTOGRAPHS!

From the Inside Flap:

Fantastic is a biography like no other about a man like no other. The life of Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most extraordinary success stories of our time. An immigrant with a heavy accent from a village in Austria, he became the greatest bodybuilder in history, the number one movie star in the world, the Republican husband of a Kennedy Princess, and the governor of the greatest of American states with a game plan that he hopes may bring him to the White House.

Fantastic is a lesson in how to succeed. It shows how and why this man of willful ambition and limitless drive achieved his unprecedented accomplishments. The book is startlingly intimate, written with a novelist’s panache, and an historian’s rigor.

Laurence Leamer, one of America’s preeminent biographers, has found his most fascinating subject ever. Leamer has extensively interviewed both Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, Schwarzenegger's closest associates, including his elementary school friends in Austria, his mentors, bodybuilding competitors, lifelong friends, first serious girlfriend, lovers, his longtime publicist and agent, producers, directors, political friends and foes, many of whom have never before been interviewed.

In this groundbreaking biography, Leamer captures the public and private Schwarzenegger, who could change the face of politics in our country. What is most extraordinary is how much the life of this most famous of men was unknown and uncharted until Fantastic. Here is the poignant story of Schwarzenegger’s traumatic relationship with his father and how his first mentor, a Jewish partisan in WW II, helped shape the youth. Here is the intimate story of Schwarzenegger’s first great love and the five years the couple lived together. And here is the passionate account of Schwarzenegger’s decade long affair with Maria Shriver and their marriage.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.