“Became an Alcoholic and Died Drunk Driving”: Raised by the Same Abusive Father, Arnold Schwarzenegger Concedes Painful Truth About His Brother

Arnold Schwarzenegger recently sat for a candid chat with James Hibberd from The Hollywood Reporter. During their conversation, the bodybuilding icon opened up about everything from his career, successes, failures, and personal life. In a loaded question, Hibberd asked Arnie about his father’s abuse. “You’ve described your dad’s abuse as fuel for self-improvement,” said the reporter. However, he also posed a more difficult question for the former Mr. Universe.

The THR reporter said one can’t walk away with “only… positive motivation,” from such treatment and if it left some “negative impact” on Schwarzenegger. However, the seven-time Mr. Olympia revealed his late brother was the one who suffered the most because of their father’s treatment.

How his father’s treatment affected Meinhard Schwarzenegger

“Well, look at my brother [Meinhard]. We were opposites,” Schwarzenegger told Hibbered while talking about the impact of his father’s mistreatment. “He was more fragile,” said Schwarzenegger. However, the bodybuilding legend also explained he and his bother got the same treatment. While he directed his frustration to improve, Meinhard did the opposite.

Arnie revealed his brother “became an alcoholic and died drunk driving. What tore him down built me up,” stated the 75-year-old during the interview. The Hollywood action icon then quoted the famous philosopher Fredrich Nietzche. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger — and he got killed,” Schwarzenegger said regarding the untimely passing of his brother.

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However, the metaphors didn’t stop there. The former Mr. Olympia put himself in the shoes of his famous character, Conan the Barbarian. He explains that his father, like Tulsa Doom, “had created this fire in the belly,” and inadvertently became the “spring” of Schwarzenegger’s strength. The 75-year-old instead focused on the good that happened in his life.

Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to focus on the negative

“The good thing is it made me hate my home so much that I left when I was 18 to start my own life,” Schwarzenegger said during the interview. Once he became successful, Schwarzenegger never looked back for anyone other than his mother. His father’s abuse and Nazi ties forever tarnished their relationship. Arnold Schwarzenegger also gradually distanced himself from his ambitionless brother.

However, in an episode of In Depth with Graham Bensinger, the Austrian Oak said he had some respect for his father for giving him the determination to succeed in life. However, the champion bodybuilder didn’t attend his father’s or brother’s funeral. Yet when it came to his nephew, the actor spared no expense to give the child a proper education. He even helped him settle in America.

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While some negative might be “left over,” it has never manifested. Finally, Schwarzenegger also told Hibberd he doesn’t “have nightmares,” about his father, so he doesn’t complain.