When Arnold Schwarzenegger scored his first Hollywood movie role, in 1970’s Hercules In New York, he was credited as “Arnold Strong”. Presumably some smart guy thought the movie-going public would have a problem with the name “Schwarzenegger”.

He needn’t have worried. Little more than a decade later, Schwarzenegger was one of the world’s biggest movie stars –  to the point where he barely needed a last name. If someone said “Arnold”, you knew who they meant.

As if to prove it, the three-part documentary coming to Netflix this week is simply called Arnold. Covering the Austrian-born legend’s life as he went from award-winning bodybuilder to world-famous actor to politician, it’s an insight into one of the most celebrated and successful self-made men of our time.

Coming just a matter of weeks after the release of his first ever scripted TV series, FUBAR (also on Netflix), this documentary shows that at 75, Arnold is still a guy whose very name draws interest, respect and love. And we’re celebrating the big man in our own way here at Virgin TV Edit, as the team pick their favourite Arnie flicks from over his long, hit-strewn career.

When is Netflix’s Arnold on TV?

You can find all episodes of Arnold in Apps & Games > Netflix from Wednesday 7 June.

Kindergarten Cop

Find it in Apps & Games > Prime Video. Cert 15

Narcotics cop John Kimble (Arnold) goes undercover in an elementary school in an attempt to find a drug dealer wanted for murder, whose child is thought to attend the school under an assumed name.

Chosen by: Charlotte Briggs, Staff Writer

“Even the Terminator is no match for a classroom full of naughty six-year-olds. But that’s what makes this nostalgia-filled gem so charming and one that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. Arnold’s transition into more family-friendly cinema sees him star as a teacher we all wish we’d had at school, while showcasing his surprising flair for comedy and smoochy romance.”

Best bit: “‘You hit the kid, I hit you.’ Compelling viewers to declare ‘Go on Arnie!’ at their screens, Mr Kimble delivers a punch and slice of well-deserved justice to an abusive father.”

Conan The Barbarian

Find it in Apps & Games > Disney+. Rated 16+

In this fantasy adventure, barbarian warrior Conan (Arnold) seeks vengeance on the snake cult whose members murdered his parents. Assisting him are a thief, a mysterious outlaw and – inevitably – a mystical blade.

Chosen by: Ailsa Bannerman, Picture Editor

“This is the film that made Arnie a household name. A classic dark arcane fantasy, with fast-paced and somewhat gory action, it’s become a firm cult classic thanks in part to its high production values and Basil Poledouris’s sensational score. The dialogue is on the thin side, but the heavy lifting is done by James Earl Jones and Max von Sydow. But primarily this is a film about revenge and the journey it takes you on while wearing a loincloth and wielding a big sword. Perfect Friday night viewing.”

Best bit: “Arnold gets the most memorable line of the film when Conan is asked: what is best in life? He replies: ‘To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!’”

The Running Man

Available in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert 18

In a dystopian future (2017!), criminals are forced to appear on reality TV show The Running Man, in which they flee from armed mercenaries. After police officer Ben Richards (Arnold) is wrongly convicted of murder, he escapes but is coerced into entering the show as a runner. Can he survive? Is water wet?

Chosen by: Jon Billinge, Senior Staff Writer

“Yeah, yeah, The Shining is amazing. The Green Mile is a certified tearjerker. But of all the film adaptations of Stephen King’s books and novellas, this is arguably the most fun. Why? Because it has the absolute landmass that is Arnold Schwarzenegger doing what he does best: ripping limbs, revving power tools and going ‘arghhhh’ for no apparent reason. He’s simply awesome as he runs a televised gauntlet of bloodthirsty psychopaths with names like Captain Freedom, Sub Zero and Fireball. Throw a bevy of could-not-be-more-80s go-go dancers, overzealous gameshow hosts and some spectacular pyrotechnics into the mix and well, you’ve got yourself a quintessential Arnie party.”

Best bit: “Hard to pick just one from a script fit to bursting with one-liners. However, chief among the pile has to be when Richards is asked about the whereabouts of elite stalker Buzzsaw. Richards sighs a sigh that’s more ‘ah, he went home than ‘ah, I just chainsawed him in half’, before blithely muttering: ‘He had to split.’”

Commando

Find it in Apps & Games > Disney+. Rated 16+

Former special forces colonel John Matrix (Arnold) is forced out of retirement when his daughter is kidnapped. When he attempts to rescue her, the kidnappers try to blackmail him into carrying out a political assassination. Does that look like a face that can be blackmailed? No. No it does not.

Chosen by: Jamie Slinn, Designer

“For me growing up, Arnold was the one and only action hero, and Commando epitomises everything about that status. The epic one-liners and 80s soundtrack are both pure nostalgia and what makes this classic one-man-army rescue act his most iconic. The final scene, where Matrix amasses a body count into the hundreds, goes down as one of the most hilariously violent of all time – the countless explosions and rounds of ammunition consumed were everything a young action-movie fan could’ve hoped for.”

Best bit: “Just before his flight takes off, Arnie kills his seat neighbour with two swift moves, then tells the stewardess: ‘Don’t disturb my friend – he’s dead tired’. Classic.”

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Available in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert 15

A lethal cybernetic organism, or cyborg, is sent back through time to kill a potential rebel leader named John Connor when he is just a boy. But John has help from another time-travelling cyborg (Arnold) as he tries to survive while preventing the apocalypse in this explosive sci-fi action sequel.

Chosen by: Chris Miller, Feature Writer

“James Cameron’s The Terminator and Terminator 2 are both incredible, indelible action movies for very different reasons. But the sequel is a huge-scale, visually astonishing, mind-blowing action spectacle with groundbreaking effects that honestly still stand up today. The questions were: now that Arnold was a huge star, could the ‘killer cyborg is the hero now’ story work? And was Arnold up to the role? The answers: yes and yes. While displaying no emotion, he perfectly embodies the T-800’s journey from monosyllabic robot to understanding why humans cry. As Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) realises, in many ways he’s the perfect father figure for her son.”

Best bit: “When the police catch up with them, the T-800 says he’ll ‘take care of’ them. John (Edward Furlong), having made him swear he won’t kill anyone, starts to object. The cyborg silences him with a trademark Arnold half-smirk: ‘Trust me.’ Human casualties: 0.0.”

Batman & Robin

Available in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert PG

The fourth instalment of the comic-book series that started with Tim Burton’s Batman featured George Clooney as the caped crusader on the hunt for a diamond thief known as Mr Freeze (Arnold). A notorious flop, its failure paved the way for the epic Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale reboot. So that’s something.

Chosen by: Simon Ward, Content Director

“This is not a defence of Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin. It’s a sugary Day-Glo nightmare built to shift toys that is somehow scarier than Burton’s vision. But Arnold has the time of his life as Mr Freeze. Like a malevolent Jimmy Carr auditioning for Avatar, he’s all blue and flexing his comic chops with constant one-liners like ‘What killed the dinosaurs? The ice age!’ after shooting a T-Rex statue with an ice gun. Why? Who cares, it’s brilliant. In between the madness (‘Let’s kick some ice!’), he brings pathos to the role, and his deadpan delivery works for the character. Arnold also had top billing, even above the fella playing Batman, showing you what a box office force he was in 1997.”

Best bit: “‘My passion thaws for my bride alone.’ Not only a great line, but it hints at the tragic love story that lay behind his character’s actions. What depths this film had…”

Where can I watch Arnold Schwarzenegger on Virgin TV?

Check out Arnold’s work here…

Hercules In New York (1970)

Find it in in Apps & Games > Prime Video and in Box Sets > LIONSGATE+

Conan The Barbarian (1982)

Find it in Apps & Games > Disney+

Commando (1985)

Thursday 1 June, 9pm, Film 4 HD (CH 428) or find it in Apps & Games > Disney+

Predator (1987)

Find it in Apps & Games > Disney+

The Running Man (1987)

Available in Sky Cinema on demand

Kindergarten Cop (1990)

Find it in Apps & Games > Prime Video

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Available in Sky Cinema on demand

True Lies (1994)

Find it in Apps & Games > Disney+

Junior (1994)

Saturday 3 June, 12.25pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)

Jingle All The Way (1996)

Find it in Apps & Games > Disney+

Batman & Robin (1997)

Available in Sky Cinema on demand

End Of Days (1999)

Available in Sky Cinema on demand

Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003)

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

The Expendables 2 (2012)

Available in Sky Cinema on demand

The Last Stand (2013)

Sunday 4 June, 12.30am, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108) or find it in Box Sets > LIONSGATE+

Escape Plan (2013)

Available in Sky Cinema on demand and in Apps & Games > Netflix

The Expendables 3 (2014)

Find it in Apps & Games > Prime Video

Aftermath (2017)

Find it in Apps & Games > Prime Video

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Find it in Apps & Games > Disney+

FUBAR (2023)

Find it in Apps & Games > Netflix

When is Netflix’s Arnold on TV?

You can find all episodes of Arnold in Apps & Games > Netflix from Wednesday 7 June.