Patrick M. Knapp Schwarzenegger

Patrick M. Knapp Schwarzenegger (born February 2, 1968)^[1] also known under his mother’s maiden last name as Patrick Knapp, is an Austrian-American attorney based in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of Meinhard Schwarzenegger and Erika Knapp, and nephew of bodybuilder, actor and former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]}

Early life

Knapp Schwarzenegger was born in Munich, Germany. He is the only child of Erika Knapp and Meinhard Schwarzenegger, elder brother and only sibling of former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. On May 20, 1971, Patrick’s father Meinhard Schwarzenegger, died in a tragic car accident in Kitzbuehel, Austria, when Patrick was three years old. Patrick was raised by his mother and grandparents in Austria and Germany. In 1981 at age 13 he moved to Lisbon, Portugal, where he attended the German School of Lisbon. In 1987 Patrick graduated with the German Abitur High School Diploma and that same summer he immigrated to the United States to attend college with the help of his uncle Arnold Schwarzenegger.^[2]

Career

In 1991 Patrick graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with degrees in Economics and Political Science and briefly worked for Congressman Lee H. Hamilton (D-Indiana), Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Between 1992 and 1995 Knapp Schwarzenegger attended law school and in May 1995 he graduated with a Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California School of Law. His legal experience includes work in the Sony Music legal department in New York under the helm of Tommy Mottola in 1994, and during his last year of law school Knapp Schwarzenegger worked at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. That same year he was admitted to practice law in California and joined the Beverly Hills based entertainment law firm Bloom, Dekom & Hergott, currently known as Bloom, Hergott, Diemer, Rosenthal, Laviolette, Feldman, Schenkman and Goodman. His legal practice focuses on the transactional representation of TV and motion picture actors, writers, directors and producers.^{[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]} In 2003 Knapp Schwarzenegger became a partner at Bloom Hergott.^[3][16]

Knapp Schwarzenegger is serving as an advisor to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Season 8 of the Mark Burnett produced NBC television show "Celebrity Apprentice", with some of the other advisors being Tyra Banks, Warren Buffet, Jessica Alba and Steve Ballmer.^[17][18]

Personal life

In 1999 Knapp Schwarzenegger’s mother Erika Knapp died following a two year battle with cancer. On April 30, 2005 Patrick married Texas born model turned publicist Bliss Ellis. The couple reside in Los Angeles with their four children, Valentina, Franziska, Leonardo, and Mario. In 2006 Knapp Schwarzenegger became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Before he gained his U.S. citizenship, he asked the Austrian Government for the right to keep his Austrian citizenship, as Austria does not usually allow dual citizenship. His request was granted, and he is now a dual citizen of the Federal Republic of Austria and the United States.^[2]

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