Since his movie career began in roughly 1970, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been an unstoppable force in cinema. But of all his memorable movies, which of them have his most unforgettable on-camera moments?
Although Arnold Scwharzenegger made his acting debut at age 22 in the 1970 film Hercules in New York, he achieved more notoriety through his appearance in the documentary Pumping Iron. At the time, Arnie was already thinking of quitting bodybuilding to pursue acting, but agreed to enter the 1975 Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia competitions. (Among his competitors: Lou Ferrigno, who eventually played the Hulk in the classic TV series.)
By 1982, Schwarzenegger landed the lead role of Conan the Barbarian, a film adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s pulp fantasy swordsman. Its success catapulted Schwarzenegger to Hollywood stardom, allowing the man to star in some of the most beloved action blockbusters and family comedies of all time. That fame also led him to the governorship of California, but that’s another story for another time.
With so many classic movie moments under his belt, it’s hard to remember them all. Below, we rank the 32 greatest movie moments featuring the one and only Schwarzenegger.
32. “This Man’s Not Dead!” (Last Action Hero)
Well, here’s a way to get rid of a bomb. In Last Action Hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Jack Slater, a popular action franchise hero from an in-universe film series. At a mob funeral where the corpse is rigged with a bomb set to unleash poisonous gas, Jack thinks on his feet by ghoulishly carrying the body away from the mourners. But no one fools the mob. The scene ends with Jack making a death-defying escape, dodging bullets and jumping onto a moving elevator. It’s classic action movie stuff, in other words, and there’s no one better to do it than Schwarzenegger.
31. Looking for Turbo Man (Jingle All the Way)
A satire of ‘80s/’90s consumerism in which parents fought over stocks of Cabbage Patch Kids and Power Rangers toys, Schwarzenegger plays a workaholic father desperate to make Christmas one to remember by acquiring for his son a coveted Turbo Man action figure. Early in the movie, Schwarzenegger hits up a toy store - as does a postman, Myron (Sinbad) - where he’s laughed at by everyone, from employees to customers, for asking about any more Turbo Man toys in stock. It’s rare to see someone like Schwarzenegger look embarrassed, but SNL’s Chris Parnell (playing a mocking employee) really sells how much Schwarzenegger is out of his depth. Christmas is about to be anything but holly and jolly.
30. The Importance of Draperies (Terminator: Dark Fate)
In what feels like the eighteenth reboot of the Terminator film series, the 2019 installment Terminator: Dark Fate sees Schwarzenegger return as a T-800 who actually kills John Connor. But after accomplishing its mission, the T-800 wanders aimlessly, eventually realizing the error of its ways. It also adopts the name Carl, and starts a family. Now a small business owner, “Carl” makes a living as a draper. During some down time before the climax begins, Carl (hilariously) lectures the group, including a seething Sarah Connor, about the importance of aesthetics in childrens’ bedrooms.
29. From Zero to Hero (Conan the Barbarian)
Who doesn’t love a good origin story? In the movie that really made Arnold Schwarzenegger a movie star, Arnie plays the epic fantasy hero (created by author Robert E. Howard) in his journey from slave to savior. Shortly after maturing into a ridiculously ripped man (after spending years on the Wheel of Pain), Conan is tossed into the gladiator pits where his numerous victories earn him notoriety. From here, Conan receives more training as a warrior and swordsman, and eventually obtains the mythological Atlantean Sword. Before superheroes dominated cinema, it had heroes like Conan.
28. Meeting the Kids (Kindergarten Cop)
Following a string of violent action movies and dark thrillers early in his career, Arnold Schwarzenegger began embracing his funny bone. In 1990, Arnie starred in Kindergarten Cop as protagonist John Kimble, a policeman working undercover as a substitute kindergarten teacher. On his first day, the towering Schwarzenegger stands tall before knee-high tikes. (Credit to director Ivan Reitman and cinematographer Michael Chapman, who really sell Schwarzenegger’s size through clever camera work.) But soon, Schwarzenegger finds out that one man, no matter how big, is no match for a classroom full of hyperactive toddlers.
27. Born to Be Bad (Twins)
Having muscles so big they rip out of a shirt is a good problem to have. In a scene midway through the cult comedy Twins, which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as genetic twins born out of a science experiment, Scwharzenegger's Julius begins to develop feelings for Marnie (Kelly Preston) during a late-night car ride. (Being that it’s his “first time” with someone, it’s a euphemism that his body “expands.”) At a convenience store, DeVito’s character tosses his brother a t-shirt with a cartoon graphic that reads “Born to be Bad.” Not even Schwarzenegger can make that t-shirt look good, but would you tell him that?
26. “You’ve Just Been Erased” (Eraser)
It’s peak ‘90s action cinema to have a terrible pun. In Eraser, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a federal agent working for WITSEC (Witness Security Protection Program) whose job is to “erase” high-profile witnesses by faking their deaths and giving them new identities. But at the end of the movie, Schwarzenegger corners the bad guy - leaving his limousine stranded on a railroad - to “erase” him for real. The moment is topped off with Schwarzenegger calling from a giant cellular phone to tell them, “You’ve just been erased.”
25. Santa Claus Showdown (Jingle All the Way)
Arnold Schwarzenegger might be a one-man army, but when he’s outnumbered, it’s not very merry. Partway into Jingle All the Way, Schwarzenegger insults a bunch of con men - all of them dressed as Santa Claus - after he discovers their counterfeit toy operation. Thus begins a Christmas battle royale, with Schwarzenegger pitted against roughneck Santas (some armed with nunchuck candy canes). The best moment is when actor and pro wrestler Paul Wright, known for his time in WWE as The Big Show, stands against Schwarzenegger. For once, it’s Schwarzenegger who looks as small as an elf, at least by comparison.
24. The Phone Call (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
It’s one of the creepiest and most unforgettable moments in all of Terminator 2. Shortly after being rescued by a reprogrammed T-800, John Connor calls up his foster parents, whom he admits aren’t the best parents but still tries to do the right thing by warning them and informing them of his whereabouts. But when his foster mom is uncharacteristically nice, he feels something off. That’s when the T-800, adopting John’s voice, gives everyone in the audience a startling lesson in how to realize dangerous situations without giving away any compromising information.
23. Fighting in the Arenas (The Running Man)
Before reality shows like Survivor and Fear Factor dominated television airwaves in the 2000s, Paul Michael Glaser’s bleak sci-fi satire The Running Man showed the exploitative potential in popular entertainment. Schwarzenegger stars as a police helicopter pilot who is forced into competing on The Running Man, a live game show where convicted criminals run for their lives against armed mercenaries. Late in the movie, Arnie is in the thick of the games, fighting off killers with comic book-like monikers like Sub-Zero and Buzzsaw.
22. “If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It” (Predator)
Good lesson to remember when you’re fighting an alien hunter in the South American jungle. In the classic sci-fi action hit Predator, from director John McTiernan, Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as “Dutch,” a Vietnam war veteran tasked with leading a special unit to rescue a foreign diplomat and his aide. Things get weird when the unit runs into a really foreign entity: A Yautja hunter. Though the unit realizes just how outgunned they are, Schwarzenegger reminds them that not everything is invincible.
21. Getting the Kids in Line (Kindergarten Cop)
In what is easily one of Schwarzenegger’s most adorable moments in his whole movie career, his undercover cop in Kindergarten Cop finally gets his classroom in order through the help of a whistle and his pet ferret. While one could nitpick the optics of turning actual children into marching soldiers, the point of Kindergarten Cop is really just enjoying the feel-good vibes of these overactive kids warming up to their gentle giant of a substitute teacher. More than anything, it’s Arnie’s character John Kimble, himself a lonely man who misses his growing son, that realizes just how much good he can do far away from dealers and criminals.
20. The Nightmare (Total Recall)
Where most action movie stars are overly precious about their image, Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t afraid to get weird. In this prologue scene to the sci-fi classic Total Recall, Arnie plays a construction worker on Earth with recurring dreams, or nightmares, of Mars. In this instance, Arnie’s character Douglas suffers a fall and his helmet breaks open, causing suffocation from the lack of oxygen in the atmosphere. That’s when some mesmerizing, and horrifying, special effects work kicks in, as Arnie’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. The effect is revisited later in the movie at the climax, just before Mars’ atmosphere is terraformed with breathable air.
19. Trying to Smile (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
Can you get a Terminator to act friendly? That’s what John Connor wants to figure out. Halfway through T2, John Connor (Edward Furlong) takes it upon himself to teach his T-800 protector how to have more swagger. After giving him what would be one of Arnie’s best catchphrases - “Hasta la vista, baby” - John tells the T-800 how to smile. Credit to Schwarzenegger for being an incredibly underrated comic actor. The man knows precisely how awkward his T-800 should be as it slowly adapts to the nuances of humanity.
18. Literally Any Action Scene (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
Arnold Schwarzenegger may not be a great actor. But he’s undeniably gifted as a movie star, one capable of so much humor and humanity no matter how much his buff Austrian persona might get in the way. All that said, Terminator 2: Judgement Day is a true masterpiece of action movie perfection. The movie’s many action set pieces feature Schwarzenegger operating at his absolute maximum levels of firepower. From highway chases on motorcycles to shootouts on skyscrapers, Arnold Schwarzenegger shines all the way as T2’s single greatest weapon.
17. Killing With Gardening Tools (Commando)
Commando is a prototypical Schwarzenegger classic. It’s shallow popcorn fare that mines all its worth out of the sheer entertainment value of its aspirationally gigantic leading man doing things we would never do ourselves. That includes a set piece late in the movie, when Schwarzenegger’s character Colonel John Matrix (yes that’s really his name) takes on an entire squadron of bad guys with gardening tools out of a random backyard shed. Pitchforks, machetes, handaxes, buzzsaws - who knew gardening could be so deadly?
16. Rescuing the Princess (Conan the Destroyer)
Arnold Schwarzenegger is so magnetic as an action hero, he can turn even the most rudimentary story beat into something sublime. In the Conan sequel Conan the Destroyer from 1984, Schwarzenegger returns as his title fantasy hero. Halfway through the movie, he rescues Princess Jehnna (Olivia d’Abo) from kidnappers. Wielding the legendary Atlantean Sword, Conan takes on black-clad roving marauders all by himself. It’s basic epic fantasy heroics, an encounter straight out of Dungeons & Dragons, yet Schwarzenegger and his bulging biceps have the raw power to make it feel totally unique to himself.
15. Cameo (The Expendables)
When The Expendables came out in 2010, it drew in audiences based on its hook alone: The union of multiple generations of action movie heroes. Led by Sylvester Stallone, the movie also featured the likes of Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, as well as WWE’s “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and UFC legend Randy Couture. But in an important exposition scene, the movie introduced one surprise participant: Arnold Schwarzenegger, appearing in a cameo as a professional rival to Stallone’s character. While Schwarzenegger didn’t get in on the action for The Expendables, he later joined in the sequels.
14. Remembering Nora (Batman & Robin)
Batman & Robin was so unpopular, it practically killed the Batman movie franchise (until Christopher Nolan came along with Batman Begins). But Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a great case for being one of its few redeeming qualities. It’s not his multitude of “ice” puns he delivers as Mr. Freeze, even if they’re low-key great, but his character’s motivations: To restore his beloved wife Nora, whom he froze to keep her alive from her illness. In a loose adaptation of Mr. Freeze’s origin story told in Batman: The Animated Series, Batman & Robin shows Schwarzenegger in rare form not as an imposing presence, but as a vulnerable man still in love.
13. Resurrection (Conan the Barbarian)
All great heroes suffer before they triumph. That’s especially true for Schwarzenegger’s star-making role in Conan the Barbarian. Left for dead by Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) on the Tree of Woe, Conan is eventually rescued by Valeria (Sandhal Bergman), who nurses him back to full strength. Upon waking, Conan feels like himself again, all thanks to the unconditional love - and as we’re soon reminded, sacrifice - of Valeria. Director John Milius frames Conan against a sprawling, endless ocean, bathed in sunlight that fosters our romantic imaginations for unbound heroism.
12. Strip Tease (True Lies)
For co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, it’s the performance that won her a Golden Globe. In James Cameron’s spy comedy True Lies, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a suburban family man who keeps his real job as a government spy secret. Long story short, his family including his wife Helen (Curtis) end up involved in his latest case. He stages a fake mission for Helen, in which she must bug a hotel room for a stranger (unaware the man is her own husband). Unforgettably sexy yet hilariously ironic, True Lies’ infamous “strip tease” is a rare moment in which Schwarzenegger does nothing but sit around and watch. It’s a good thing he does, because the scene is honestly Curtis’ to own.
11. “Excuse My Friend, He’s Dead Tired” (Commando)
More often than not, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best movie catchphrases are puns. In Commando, Schwarzenegger’s John Matrix is briefly held captive by his enemies and is forced to go on a commercial flight, with one of them watching over to basically babysit. But good luck getting someone like Schwarzenegger in line. In an act of quick thinking, Schwarzenegger cracks the dude’s neck, killing him without anyone else knowing on the plane. But isn’t someone going to find out? As far as the flight attendants are concerned, he’s just dead tired.
10. Divorce (Total Recall)
Talk about a loveless marriage. In Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Doug learns that he’s been living a false identity the whole time, and that his “wife” Lori (played by Sharon Stone) is but an agent of his enemies hired to monitor him. During a fight, Lori tries to get Douglas on her side, insisting that they are married, after all. But after she pulls a gun on him, Arnie fires back with his own lethal retort: “Consider that a divorce.” Even in weird sci-fi movies like Total Recall, Schwarzenegger can’t help but milk the heck out of a good one-liner.
9. The Manliest Handshake Ever (Predator)
“Dillon! You son of a…” In what is without question the manliest handshake in movie history, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch greets his old pal and U.S. Army buddy Dillon (the late, great Carl Weathers) in a South American bar. That’s when their handshake becomes an arm wrestling match, with their bulging biceps (amplified by the sound of cracking, whipping leather) containing more testerone in a single frame than in the entire history of human art. This image alone inspired countless people to finally hit the gym.
8. Gearing Up (Commando)
Cinema’s superheroes have Arnold Schwarzenegger to thank for laying down the blueprint for the perfect “putting the gear on” sequence. Late in Commando, when Arnie’s John Matrix finally prepares for battle, a brief but unforgettable thirty seconds of close-ups, showing Schwarzenegger lacing up combat boots, strapping on vests, locking and loading guns, sheathing knives, and painting his shredded bod with camouflage - all edited to a unique rhythm that gets the adrenaline pumping. Everything from Batman to Scott Pilgrim vs. The World have paid homage to Commando, but no one does it better than Schwarzenegger.
7. Arriving at the Bar (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
Only Arnold Schwarzenegger can walk into a biker bar, buck naked, and still look like the scariest person in the room. While the predecessor film The Terminator introduced time-traveling T-800s as arriving nude, T2 takes the concept up a notch by having Arnie appear and enter a public bar to demand patrons their clothes. They're resistant at first, of course, but Schwarzenegger has a way of being persuasive. Years later to promote The Terminator’s inclusion as a playable character in the video game WWE 2K16, Schwarzenegger recreated the scene with WWE stars as bar patrons.
6. Interrogating the Class (Kindergarten Cop)
When John Kimble begins his undercover work as a kindergarten teacher, it doesn’t start out so well. At one point, to suss out which child may actually be related to a criminal overlord, Schwarzenegger amusingly plays a “game” with his students called, “Who Is Your Daddy And What Does He Do?” Luckily for him, the kids are all game, and Arnie’s expressions at some of the kids’ impromptu presentations are priceless. But he soon learns that such work requires a more delicate approach.
5. Battle in the Ruins (Conan the Barbarian)
When Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in Conan the Barbarian, he was still getting his bearings as a movie star. But in a third act showdown against Thulsa Doom’s warriors, Schwarzenegger glows as a fearsome Conan who makes mincemeat out of Thulsa’s goons. It’s simply hard to pick which part of it is so good. Is it Conan’s prayer to the god Crom, in which Conan pleads to be granted revenge? Or is it the sheer, unadulterated violence that showed audiences what new breed of action hero they’re about to witness in Schwarzenegger? Maybe it’s both of them in concert that makes his scene so unforgettable.
4. Club Shootout (The Terminator)
Arnold Schwarzenegger is an unstoppable villain in The Terminator, and he flexes his muscles most in the movie’s centerpiece shootout in a nightclub. With the words “TECH NOIR” glowing in the background, the overpowered, heavily armed T-800 tracks down Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). Luckily, the handsome Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), also from the future, is there to thwart the assassination. It’s here where Kyle tells Sarah, “Come with me if you want to live,” which is later repeated by another T-800 in Terminator 2.
3. “Get to the Chopper!” (Predator)
When in doubt and when in danger, just listen to this evergreen instruction by Arnold Schwarzenegger to get out of dodge. Uttered by Arnie towards the end of Predator, “Get to the chopper!” was an early internet meme when nostalgic ‘80s kids grew up into twenty and thirty-somethings spamming online forums all day. Infamous not only because Predator is still a butt-kicking movie, but because Arnie’s unintentionally hilarious delivery - with his thick Austrian accent - makes his deadly serious command kinda funny.
2. “Come With Me If You Want to Live” (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
A powerful callback to The Terminator after Michael Biehn said it to Linda Hamilton, it’s now Arnold Schwarzenegger’s turn to be the hero in James Cameron’s epic sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day. With Arnie’s T-800 a memorable villain in the first film, it becomes a huge surprise when he appears in T2 to now protect the Connors. By quoting Linda’s past lover (and John’s father), Arnie shows he’s not their enemy this time. Though the quote isn’t a Schwarzenegger original, Schwarzenegger’s made it through sheer brute force.
1. "I'll Be Back" (The Terminator)
It’s not only Arnold Schwarzenegger’s single best movie quote of all time, it’s arguably his best movie moment too. Between the foreboding music by Brad Fiedel and the costuming of Schwarzenegger - in leather jackets and masking his eyes behind thick, straight brow sunglasses - Arnie’s words, a brief sentence that is outright ignored by front desk pencil pushers, comes across as dangerously ominous. (And it is.) “I’ll be back,” uttered with steely ferocity and a hint of irony, proves that the multi-hyphenate Arnold Schwarzenegger was ultimately destined to be a movie star.
