Ted Kennedy's nephew-in-law ~ the Governator!

  Arnold Schwarzenegger                                                   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Arnold Schwarzenegger was "nephew" to Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy by marriage to Kennedy's niece, Maria Shriver.  Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and uncle to Maria Shriver, a broadcast journalist. 

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still One of his quotes he was known for, lives and the dreams shall never die." ~ Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy was not an actor, unless working in politics counts!  

Kennedy died August 25, 2009.  Sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded the Special Olympics in the 1960s as a national organization, and she died August 11, 2009.

Kennedy's nephew-in-law, Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger, is an Austrian American bodybuilder, actor, businessman, and politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of the state of California.

Schwarzenegger took to visiting a gym in his home town of Graz where he also frequented the local movie theaters to see bodybuilding idols such as Reg Park, Steve Reeves and Johnny Weissmuller on the big screen.  He said, first in a 2001 speech, and then of his experience seeing Steve Reeves,

My own plan formed when I was 14 years old. My father had wanted me to be a police officer like he was. My mother wanted me to go to trade school.

I was inspired by individuals like Reg Park and Steve Reeves.  As a teenager, I grew up with Steve Reeves. His remarkable accomplishments allowed me a sense of what was possible, when others around me didn't always understand my dreams ... Steve Reeves has been part of everything I've ever been fortunate enough to achieve."

Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon, noted for his lead role in such films as Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator.  He wanted to move from bodybuilding into acting, finally achieving it when he was chosen to play the role of Hercules in 1970's Hercules in New York.  Talking about his early struggles in developing his acting career,

Schwarzenegger & Pres. Reagan

It was very difficult for me in the beginning – I was told by agents and casting people that my body was 'too weird', that I had a funny accent, and that my name was too long. You name it, and they told me I had to change it. Basically, everywhere I turned, I was told that I had no chance." 

Arnold Schwarzenegger married Maria Owings Shriver, an award-winning American journalist and author, and now the First Lady of California, in 1986.  Maria Shriver became passionate about broadcast journalism after being sent to the back of the campaign plane with the press corps when volunteering for her father's 1972 U.S. vice-presidential race, saying,

[It was] the best thing that ever happened to me." ~ Maria Shriver

Shriver's husband, actor and Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a primary character in two film franchises: as Conan in the Conan series and as Terminator in the Terminator series. Other notable roles include Ben Richards in The Running Man, Douglas Quaid in Total Recall, and Harry Tasker in True Lies. Although Schwarzenegger's acting career has been put on hold due to his position as Governor of California, he has made several cameos in various films.

Schwarzenegger will take on a cameo role, as himself, in the 2010 film The Expendables.