Who are Arnold Schwarzenegger's five children?

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s youngest son Joseph Baena has revealed why he’s not taken his famous dad’s surname, saying he wants to do things on his own.

Baena, 26, is the son that the Terminator actor had with Mildred ‘Patty’ Baena, his former housekeeper. He was born in October 1997, just days after Schwarzenegger’s then wife Maria Shriver gave birth to their youngest son Christopher.

Opening up about their relationship on Good Morning Britain (GMB), Baena said the former governor of California was “a great father”. “He has been nothing but amazing to me,” he said. “He’s been very supportive with everything that I have chosen to do.”

However, he has chosen not to take the name Schwarzenegger, explaining: “I think the main thing is that I am trying to do things on my own and pursue my career with my will, my determination and my work ethic. It’s just doing everything through me… I think it is really important growing up as a man to do things on your own and to figure it out.”

Baena has four half-siblings as Schwarzenegger had four children with Shriver, who he was married to from 1986 to 2011.

We have a look at all there is to know about the star’s brood.

Katherine

The star’s oldest child is daughter Katherine, 34, and may be better known than the rest of his brood as she is married to Hollywood actor Chris Pratt. The pair started dating in 2018 after they met at church and they tied the knot a year later and now have two daughters – Lyla, three, and Eloise, one.

Rather than following in her father’s footsteps, Katherine has carved out her own career as a writer. She was just 21 and still a student when she published her own book, Rock What You've Got: Secrets To Loving Your Inner And Outer Beauty from Someone Who's Been There And Back. Since then she’s followed up other self-help books and a children's book.

Schwarzenegger has often spoken of his pride in his eldest, and said on Facebook in 2021: "You changed my life when you came into this world and it’s been better ever since – being a father, and now a grandfather, is just the best role in the world."

Christina

At 32, Christina is Schwarzenegger’s second child with Shriver. She has followed in her mother’s footsteps when it comes to raising awareness of worthy causes, and is a member of the Special Olympics Founder's Council.

Five years ago she and her mum worked together on a documentary called Take Your Pills, after she shared that she took Adderall when she was younger. Christina told Fox News that she used the medication for a little while in high school having been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, then started using it again at university.

“I didn’t really become too dependent on it until I was in my junior year of college,” she said. “In our junior and senior year of college, I pretty much used it very frequently.”

Patrick

Patrick, 30, has modelled and started his own clothing line when he was in his teens. He is also an actor starting out with supporting roles then in 2022 bagging a part in true crime mini-series The Staircase.

That year he was also cast as a man with special powers in Gen V, the spin-off of TV series The Boys. Patrick has also worked with his mum, with the pair created a wellness and brain nutrition range called MOSH.

He was once romantically linked to Miley Cyrus but is now engaged to model Abby Champion.

Praising his son on his birthday a few years back, Schwarzenegger wrote on Facebook: “I love you, I’m proud of you, and watching you grow every day in every way is one of my greatest joys. Your business is booming, your acting career is taking off, but most importantly, you never forget to reach out and help others.”

Christopher

Christopher, who is 26, is the youngest child of Schwarzenegger and Shriver and was born less than week before his half-sibling Baena.

He tends to keep a lower profile than his siblings, and although it is known that he attended the University of Michigan, little has been said of what he’s up to now.

However, last summer there was a flurry of headlines about Christopher as he was photographed showing off a new trim physique after embarking on a fitness regime.

Wishing him a happy birthday a few years back, Schwarzenegger wrote on Instagram: "Happy birthday Christopher! I love you and I’m proud of you every day!

"You’re so smart, and you have such a big heart.

"Between your boxing classes, your weightlifting classes, your stretching classes, your cycling classes, and on and on, I can’t even keep up with you! I can’t wait to see what you accomplish this year."

Joseph

Baena discovered that the Hollywood star was his dad at 13 and previously said on the Unwaxed podcast that it “took a little while for me and him to get really close and just [feel] like I can joke around with him and talk about anything”.

Reflecting on finding out about it on GMB, he said: “As a kid you don’t really question too much. It’s just how it is. For me, I love my father. He is an amazing man. I love my mother, she is an amazing woman. So yeah, I’m just really happy and honoured to be a part of this family.”

Like his dad, Baena is a bodybuilder and actor, with films such as Lava and Bully High to his name. This year he will star in Gunner alongside Hollywood stars Morgan Freeman and Luke Hemsworth.

“It’s such an honour to be in the same film as Morgan Freeman and Luke Hemsworth," he said on GMB. "Luke is amazing. They are both amazing actors and I had such a blast filming with the both of them. This film is just so action packed and I am really excited for everyone to see it.”

Read more: Arnold Schwarzenegger

• Arnold: The biggest revelations from Arnold Schwarzenegger's Netflix documentary

• Antiques Roadshow expert struggles to value unique Arnold Schwarzenegger photos

Watch: Arnold Schwarzenegger pays heartfelt tribute to Carl Weathers