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.