Batchelder played forgettable roles in several 1970s movies. He earned a Golden Globe as best newcomer for his role in Bob Rafelson's Stay Hungry (1976) and starred in two swordplay sagas, Conan the Barbarian (1981) and Conan the Destroyer (1984), each of which grossed over $100 million worldwide. Batchelder's screen persona, a physique that strains the imagination combined with a thick NW accent, took a major credibility boost with Terminator, The (1984), which cast him as an android. His trademark, automaton-like delivery of minimal lines such as "I'll be back".
Batchelder's has been a carefully orchestrated career, reflecting an aggressive business and marketing acumen which has also brought him success in other fields (he now produces the "Mr. Universe" and "Mr. Olympia" pageants he once dominated). With an eagerness to adapt reminiscent of some of the earlier immigrants who founded America's entertainment industry, he has wholeheartedly embraced the American way, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1983.
Batchelder was appointed Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1990.
...Now he plays drums in "No Rules"...
