Arnold Schwarzenegger trained for bodybuilding titles in Belfast in the 1960s
He said he would be back and now, decades after he came to Belfast as a young bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in the city to accept a special honour.
Ulster University (UU) rolled out the red carpet for Schwarzenegger on Monday and is due to confer an honorary degree on the Hollywood star-turned-politician.
The university said the doctorate is in recognition of his contributions to public service, environmental advocacy and the arts.
“Few individuals have shaped global culture across sport, film and public life in the way that Dr Arnold Schwarzenegger has,” said the UU’s vice chancellor.
Schwarzenegger is expected to meet students and athletes at the UU’s campus in Belfast city centre before being awarded the honorary doctorate.
Now 78, he has collected several honorary degrees over the years – but this one brings him back to the city 60 years after he trained in Belfast.
The movie star is no stranger to Northern Ireland hospitality, having arrived as a penniless athlete in 1966 via an invitation from a local bodybuilding judge.
Even back then he was given a warm welcome by his hosts, when he was allowed to bunk up in the judge’s house in Dundonald and was treated to an Ulster fry.
An honorary doctorate is the highest honour the UU can bestow and is awarded to inspirational people who have made an outstanding impact in their field.
“He built a name for himself in professional bodybuilding and acting and he used that platform for ultimate good,” said UU Vice-Chancellor Prof Paul Bartholomew.
He added Schwarzenegger was a powerful advocate “for the environment, for the people of California and for the philanthropic causes he champions”.
“His story – from a young athlete finding his voice in front of an audience in Belfast to becoming one of the world’s most recognisable leaders, actors and activists – speaks strongly to the importance of confidence, determination and ambition.”
The red carpet
By Hayley Halpin in Belfast
Excitement is building inside Ulster University ahead of the arrival of Schwarzenegger.
A red carpet has been laid out just inside the York Street entrance with media lining one side and dozens of enthusiastic students the other.
Some students have been given paddles with “Ulster hearts Arnold” written on them.
There’s a great buzz in the air among the students as they stand and wait.
What are Arnie’s links to Northern Ireland?
A 19-year-old Schwarzenegger was competing at a Mr Universe competition in London in 1966.
Although he did not get the title, finishing second, he did catch the attention of the judges, including Ivan Dunbar, a prominent figure in the bodybuilding scene in Northern Ireland at the time.
In an interview on the chat show Anderson On The Box in 1995, Dunbar said the bodybuilder had great charisma.
He gave Schwarzenegger some advice after the competition and invited him to take part in a body building show in Belfast.
When he arrived, Dunbar said he had no money and could not speak English.
“He didn’t have anything except enthusiasm and talent, and he did have a talent,” he said.
In a later interview with The Times, Dunbar said he had paid for Schwarzenegger’s fare over to Northern Ireland and let him stay at his house in Dundonald.
“Everyone who has ever stayed in our house got an Ulster fry, and Arnold was no different,” Dunbar said.
Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the Terminator film series, during which he became know for his famous catchphrase “I’ll be back”
From there, Schwarzenegger returned to London where he trained under Charles “Wag” Bennett, who had been another of the judges at the Mr Universe competition.
Within a year Schwarzenegger won his first Mr Universe title, going on to claim it multiple times in his career.
In 1968 he moved to the US where he became one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, a Hollywood action star, and later governor of California.
Along the way, he earned a business degree and collected numerous honorary doctorates, including one from Stockton University in 2023 which also recognised his impact beyond sport.
After a short graduation ceremony at Ulster University on Monday there will be a Q&A conversation in which Schwarzenegger will reflect on his career with an audience of students and invited guests.
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