Actor, Governator, Dad! Meet All 5 of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Kids
Schwarzenegger says 'fatherhood is really the greatest joy.'
He’s been called the Terminator and the Governator, but to his five kids, Arnold Schwarzenegger is just plain, old “Dad.” Of course, having a movie star-turned California governor-turned-Apprentice host like Schwarzenegger as your father is anything but ordinary.
"Fatherhood is really the greatest joy. Watching all five of my kids grow into their own successful lives is fantastic," Schwarzenegger told Men's Health in 2018. "You start to realize, wow, they are really growing up and now it’s not just me pumping them up. We are all pumping each other up."
Let’s take a closer look at Arnold Schwarzenegger's children and what it’s really like having “Ah-nuld” as their family patriarch.
How many kids does Arnold Schwarzenegger have?
The 75-year-old Schwarzenegger shares his four oldest children with ex-wife Maria Shriver. After meeting in 1977 and marrying in 1986, they welcomed their oldest child, Katherine Eunice Schwarzenegger, in 1989. (Katherine’s middle name was given to her in honor of Shriver’s mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who was a sister to President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and Sen. Ted Kennedy.) Daughter Christina Maria Aurelia Schwarzenegger was born in 1991, followed by Patrick Arnold Shriver Schwarzenegger in 1993 and Christopher Sargent Shriver Schwarzenegger in 1997 (named in part after granddad Robert Sargent Shriver Jr.).
Schwarzenegger’s fifth and youngest child is Joseph Baena, who was born just a few days after son Christopher in 1997. Baena’s mother is Mildred Patricia Baena, who worked for the Schwarzeneggers as a household employee for 20 years before retiring in 2011—the same year that Schwarzenegger’s marital infidelities with her came to light. Shriver moved out of their L.A.-area home and filed for divorce that year, while Schwarzenegger confessed in 2012 on 60 Minutes that he realized Joseph was his son when the boy “started looking” like him when he was 7 or 8 years old.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger's children
Katherine Schwarzenegger
Katherine Schwarzenegger became a published author before she’d ever graduated college! In 2010, she released a self-help book titled Rock What You've Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty from Someone Who's Been There and Back. She got her degree from USC in 2012, then came out with a college-grad survival guide in 2014, I Just Graduated...Now What? A noted dog lover, she also authored a children’s book about a girl and her pup in 2017 titled Maverick and Me.
These days, of course, she’s best known for being Mrs. Chris Pratt after marrying the Guardians of the Galaxy star in 2019. They welcomed their first child together, Lyla Maria, in August 2020, and a second daughter, Eloise Christina, in June 2022.
Christina Schwarzenegger
Christina, a Georgetown University graduate (just like her mom!), has worked at Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand, Goop. She and her mom also co-executed produced the 2019 Netflix documentary Take Your Pills, which dives into the perils of widespread Adderall abuse—a film that was inspired in part by Christina’s own issues with ADHD and prescription medications.
In April 2020, dad Arnold shared an adorable video on social media that shows him and Christina engaging in their favorite (or at least, his favorite) father-daughter bonding activity: Polishing his extensive cowboy boot collection!
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Patrick Schwarzenegger
Patrick Schwarzenegger is a model and actor who’s appeared in such films as Grown Ups 2 and Midnight Sun. Two of his most recent projects were the HBO series The Staircase and Prime Video's The Terminal List. Like his sister Katherine, he also graduated from USC. In 2014-2015, he dated Miley Cyrus, but he’s now rumored to be in a years-long relationship with model Abby Champion. Based on some of Arnold’s social media posts, Patrick is also his dad’s workout buddy!
Christopher Schwarzenegger
The youngest child of Shriver and Schwarzenegger is just setting out in life as an adult, having graduated from the University of Michigan in 2020. (Maybe he should read sister Katherine’s guidebook for help!) Dad Arnold sent him sweet props on social media for achieving this life milestone:
In the two years since his college graduation, Christopher has embarked on a major weight loss journey, and in September 2022, he showed his new slimmer physique at this brother Patrick's 29th birthday celebration.
Joseph Baena
Based on Baena’s social media profiles, it seems he’s following in his father’s footsteps the most! The 25-year-old frequently shares bodybuilding snaps (dad Schwarzenegger, of course, was a former Mr. Universe before breaking into acting) and is likewise trying to launch a movie career. One of his first credits? The 2016 short film Terminator 2 Remake With Joseph Baena: Bad to the Bone. In 2022, he appeared on season 31 of Dancing with the Stars partnered with Daniella Karagach. The pair was eliminated in week 5.
Is Arnold Schwarzenegger close with his kids?
The entire, extended family seems to get along great. In 2018, daughter Katherine and then-future son-in-law Pratt joined Schwarzenegger for a brunch double date alongside Schwarzenegger’s longtime girlfriend, Heather Milligan. And in 2021, half-brothers Patrick and Joseph were even spotted working out together alongside Baena’s girlfriend, Nicky Dodaj, founder of the athleisure brand called Malibu Juice Club.
And in 2016, daughter Katherine told PEOPLE, "We do everything together...My family has done a great job at keeping us all together, showing up for one another. We are all very, very close and love one another and just because my parents aren't necessarily together, doesn't mean anything or affect our family in any other way."
Next, get to know Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's kids.