A 19-year-old Schwarzenegger was competing at a Mr Universe competition in London in 1966.
Although he did not get the title, finishing second, he did catch the attention of the judges, including Ivan Dunbar, a prominent figure in the bodybuilding scene in Northern Ireland at the time.
In an interview on the chat show Anderson On The Box in 1995, Dunbar said the bodybuilder had great charisma.
He gave Schwarzenegger some advice after the competition and invited him to take part in a body building show in Belfast.
When he arrived, Dunbar said he had no money and could not speak English.
“He didn’t have anything except enthusiasm and talent, and he did have a talent,” he said.
In a later interview with The Times, external, Dunbar said he had paid for Schwarzenegger’s fare over to Northern Ireland and let him stay at his house in Dundonald.
“Everyone who has ever stayed in our house got an Ulster fry, and Arnold was no different,” Dunbar said.