10 Things You Didn't Know About Arnold Schwarzenegger

7. His Father Was A Nazi Stormtrooper

Arnold Schwarzenegger's own political career has seen him gravitate towards the right wing of American politics, joining the Republican party in which he became the governor of California. His father, however, took his right-leaning views to the extreme. Gustav Schwarzenegger started out his career as a postal worker before moving up to become an Austrian police chief, but when the Nazis came to power he was quick to volunteer for the Party when his country was annexed in 1938. During his time in the army in World War 2 he won numerous medals, including the Iron Cross First and Second Classes for bravery. His father's favouritism for Arnie's older brother Meinhard provided much of the impetus for Arnie to train hard. Arnie's most recent connection to the Nazis came in 2009, when he returned renaissance paintings to the grandchildren of the Jewish couple from whom they had been stolen in 1935.