The ‘White Lotus’ actor, who turns 33 today, has always been vocal about how much his superstar dad inspires him

It’s no secret that Patrick Schwarzenegger is close to both his parents, journalist and author, Maria Shriver and actor-turned-politician, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He’s spoken highly of his mom, who “sacrificed a lot with her career to take care of us kids,” and shared how his dad’s life philosophy has inspired him as well.

“My dad is all about hard work, determination, work ethic,” he told PEOPLE in 2025. “That’s probably what’s kept me working each and every day at getting better.” 

And while he admires his father’s tenacity, the White Lotus actor, who turns 33 today, also revealed that he has discovered his own definition of success, based on his own set of values.

“Nothing against my dad, but his values and what his, you know, definition of success was is very career-driven, very much wanting to be the biggest movie star in the world, very much wanting to be the biggest bodybuilder in the world, you know, very much wanting to be the biggest politician, always taking those kind of next career steps,” he said on an episode of Dear Media’s Real Pod podcast in 2025.

Success, for him, is more centered around “family, faith, relationships, friends, [and] my [wife] [Abby Champion].” “Of course, I want to make money. Of course, I want to make a career for myself. Of course, I want to be a huge movie star,” he added. “And I want to have multiple successful brands and stuff like that, but that’s on par with other areas that I define as success.”

As the actor celebrates his 33rd birthday today, see Patrick Schwarzenegger’s sweetest photos with Arnold.

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Back in the Day

Patrick —rocking the ultimate 2008 bangs — attended the premiere of Rambo with his dad and little brother Christopher at The Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

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Bonding Moments

The father-son duo were pictured spending some quality time together courtside at an NBA All-Star Game in 2010.

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New Look

By the time he was 18, Patrick had switched up his look, and shared a laugh with his superstar dad at The Expendables 2 premiere in 2012.

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Big Day

As as kid, Patrick grew up visiting his dad’s sets and immediately fell in love with acting. Once older, Patrick told his parents he wanted to skip college and go straight to pursuing acting, which simply did not go over with Arnold. “My dad was like, ‘No, you’re not. You’re going to school, and you can study acting, but you can also get a degree in business,’ ” he told PEOPLE.

In the end, Arnold won. Above, the two are pictured at Patrick’s graduation from USC in May 2016.

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On the Spot

Arnold put Patrick in the hot seat as the father-son pair interviewed bodybuilder Stephanie Teixeira during the 2017 Arnold Classic at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition in 2017.

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Like Father, Like Son

The two cleaned up nicely at the GQ Men of the year Awards in classic tuxes back in 2017.

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Good Eats

The pair enjoyed some fresh pretzels during the 27th Weisswurstparty at Hotel Stanglwirt in Arnold’s home country of Austria in 2018.

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Happy Oktoberfest

And in 2022, the Schwarzeneggers celebrated the 187th Oktoberfest in Munich.

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Indulging Dad

Hey, we all learned new skills during the pandemic, right? Patrick looked unsure of his dad’s abilities in this playful shot shared for Arnold’s 75th birthday in 2022. “What can’t you do? Love you ArnOLD. 75. Damn. HAPPY BIRTHDAY,” Patrick teased.

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Showing Support

Arnold and Patrick Schwarzenegger were on hand at the grand opening of Planet Hollywood NYC in 2025. Arnold —along with famous friends Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone —was one of the original owners of the chain at its 1993 opening.

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Proud Moments

A proud Arnold was pictured beaming alongside his son at the premiere of White Lotus in 2025 — though perhaps he hadn’t seen all the episodes yet. During Variety’s Actors on Actors series, father and son were paired together and Arnold revealed his reaction to seeing his son nude on screen.

“I couldn’t believe [it],” he stated. “I said to myself, ‘I’m watching your show, and I’m watching your butt sticking out there.’ And all of a sudden, I see the weenie. What is going on here? This is crazy. Then I said to myself, ‘Well, Arnold, hello. You did the same thing in Conan and Terminator, so don’t complain about it.’ But it was a shock to me that you were following my footsteps so closely.”

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