Not even close, actually. Thirteen years before he played the titular mythical strongman in 1984's "Conan the Barbarian," he was playing a different titular strongman in 1969's "Hercules in New York."

That film would be forgotten by now if it weren't for the fact that it introduced the eventual action hero to the film world -- it wasn't the first low-budget Hercules film to be made, nor was it the last.

Indeed, Schwarzenegger, then a professional bodybuilder, only tried out for the part on the recommendation of his friend and iron-pumping colleague, Reg Park, who had played the Greek hero in four previous films in the 1960s.

But though it was Schwarzenegger's first film, it technically wasn't his name's first film, or his voice's. He was credited in the film as Arnold Strong, and his voice was dubbed over in the original release (though it has been restored for subsequent video releases).

Coincidentally, the only other actor of note in "Hercules in New York" is better known for his voice than his face. Arnold Stang, who played Hercules's sidekick Pretzie, is mostly known for his cartoon voice work, most notably voicing Top Cat in the 1960s Hanna-Barbera series of the same name.

Having failed to set the cinema world on fire with "Hercules," Schwarzenegger returned mostly to bodybuilding. He did two bit parts in the early '70s (including a little-known, uncredited turn in the 1973 detective picture "The Long Goodbye") before being cast suitably as a professional weightlifter in 1976's "Stay Hungry."

This was a more legitimate entry into Hollywood, starring opposite established stars Jeff Bridges and Sally Field, but Schwarzenegger was still doing bit parts for the rest of the '70s and early '80s. It wasn't until the success of 1982's "Conan the Barbarian" that he became a bona fide film star.

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