Arnold the Great: 63 years young today

You’re kidding, right? Arnold Schwarzenegger turns 63 today? Is such a thing even possible?

Apparently so. The clock stands still for no one, not even one of the toughest action stars in cinema history. As such, and in the man’s honor, I list the top 10 films of the California governor’s career.

1. “Hercules in New York” (1969): It passed by without much notice at the time. And, to be honest, it makes you question whether Schwarzenegger should have been given another movie role. Seen now, though, this bit of muscle-mass exploitation is one campy view.

2. “Pumping Iron” (1977): This so-called documentary first showed the inherent, irreverent charm that Mr. Universe (and five-time Mr. Olympia winner) Schwarzenegger could bring to the big screen.

3. “Conan the Barbarian” (1982): He swings the sword well, our anti-hero does. Great quote. Conan is asked what is the best in life? “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.” Yeah.

4. “The Terminator” (1984): It may not be the best of the series, but it established not just the idea but the careers of both Schwarzenegger and writer-director James Cameron.

5. “Predator” (1987): The first of another series, though this one went downhill pretty quickly, John McTiernan’s sci-fi thriller cast Schwarzenegger in the role that came to define him - that of the tough but fair leader of men.

6. “The Running Man” (1987): Though what’s most memorable is Richard Dawson doing a satiric take on his “Family Feud” success, this is actually a thinking-man’s action flick (with lots of asplosions!).

7. “Total Recall” (1990): He’s never been much of an actor (hell, he can barely speak English), but Schwarzenegger fit perfectly into Paul Verhoeven’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s short story as a man who steps into a “real” life of virtual reality.

8. “Kindergarten Cop” (1990): Schwarzenegger had shown a touch for comedy in Ivan Reitman’s 1988 farce “Twins” (in which his “twin wasDanny DeVito). But this film is arguably better, especially when he delivers the line, “It’s not a toomah!”

9. “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991): Cameron’s followup to his 1984 film was important in a number of ways. Top two? It was a CG marvel, and it changed Schwarzenegger’s cyborg character from the ultimate villain to the ultimately trustworthy good guy.

10. That’s … about it. Schwarzenegger made films throughout the 1990s, including a third “Terminator” (“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”). But none of them had the fresh qualities of his earlier work. So here let’s put his first election as California’s governor in Oct. 7, 2003 .

In so many ways, playing a poltician has been Schwarzenegger’s biggest, and most memorable, role of all.

Below : The great Arnold Schwarzenegger, in action.