Arnold Schwarzenegger was an actor in action films.
Arnold Schwarzenegger . Schwarzenegger was nicknamed `` the Austrian Oak '' in his bodybuilding days , `` Arnie '' during his acting career , and `` The Governator '' ( a portmanteau of `` Governor '' and `` The Terminator '' ) during his political career . The Terminator is a 1984 American science-fiction action film directed by James Cameron . It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator , a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor ( Linda Hamilton ) , whose son will one day become a savior against machines in a post-apocalyptic future .