Much to the delight of some in the audience, the 65-year-old former bodybuilder peppered his 15-minute speech in German with catchphrases from his movies such as "Hasta La Vista, Baby" and "I'll Be Back".

"Today I stand in front of you as an author," he said adding that although he had written several books in the past they were mainly about body building and fitness.

"Today it's about my life," he said. He was later due to sign copies of his memoirs at the five-day book fair, the world's biggest, which is held annually in the western German city.

Outlining his successes in bodybuilding, how he moved on to acting followed by politics, while on the way marrying into the storied Kennedy political dynasty, Schwarzenegger acknowledged "mistakes" were made.

He has in the past admitted he had multiple affairs during his doomed 25-year marriage to Maria Shriver.

In a TV interview on "60 Minutes" timed with the publication of the book at the beginning of October, he said fathering a child with their housekeeper was the "stupidest" thing he did.