Arnold Schwarzenegger is many things: bodybuilder, actor, producer, politician, businessman, internet legend and a cultural icon. But there is one thing he is not: a great man.

Despite having a reputation as one of the most physically fit people to ever step foot on Hollywood soil, no one really knows how tall the man once called the Austrian Oak is – although he tried to tell us himself:

“I’m 6’2″. I’ve heard rumors that I’m a lot shorter in real life — like 5’6″ or something — which is ridiculous. I can assure you that’s not the case,” Arnie once boasted.

“People admire me, and not just because I do so much work in the community. I mean, most people really admire me.”

Only the Internet is not so easy to convince…

The problem with Arnie’s size seems to stem from a conflict between his reputation as a “huge” hunk turned actor and his obviously average height – giving the action icon a decidedly “stocky” look. (If he wasn’t so muscular, would anyone notice?)

The result is countless anecdotes about Arnie being “smaller than you think” for a screen giant and a confusing stream of conflicting height estimates on the Internet.

“Why is this important?” we hear you cry! We just love a good secret.

Let’s look at the facts…

Proof that he is great

In this photo, Arnie towers over the 5’7″ to 5’10” tall action star Sylvester Stallone…

Arnold’s “official” height is 6’2″ (188 cm), but on his page Celebheights.com (one of the most visited on the entire site), the star is listed as having a “shrunken” height of 6’1″ (186 cm).

Former competitive bodybuilder Vince Basille testified that he personally measured Arnie in 1969 and reported his height at the time as 6 feet 1.5 inches (187 cm).

Arnie is known for having “the legs of a tall man” (he estimates his inseam to be 36 inches). During his early bodybuilding career, his legs were even criticized for looking underdeveloped – most likely due to their excess length.

In his book The New Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger admits to having “slumped shoulders” (that is, too low on the torso). The shoulders are known to act as subconscious markers in height estimations, which can lead to lower estimates for Arnold.

Proof that he is small

Another photo of Arnie with Stallone, this time they are the same height. We are confused…

Statistics from Austrian Oak’s bodybuilding days put his height at anywhere between 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) and 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm), with no standard height being given.

Bob Mulholland, a political activist and former consultant to the California Democratic Party, also claimed that Schwarzenegger was 5 feet 10 inches tall and wore boots with lifts.

In 1988, articles in the Daily Mail and Time Out claimed that Schwarzenegger was much smaller than he looked.

In the DVD commentary for “Conan: The Destroyer,” 5’10” actress Sarah Douglas spoke openly about a scene in which she appeared to be taller than Arnie: “… in real life, he’s not taller than me. And I wear high heels, so I’m surprised he allowed that.”

Arnold is known for wearing shoes with electric heels that can increase a person’s height by an average of 2 inches. Why would a tall man need these so-called “magic shoes”?

Fans also noticed that Arnie’s teased hairstyle grew longer as he got older, possibly adding valuable inches to his hair.

According to US television star Kevin Sorbo, who is actually 6’3″, “Arnold Schwarzenegger is about 6’1″ tall… Yes, he says he’s 6’3”.

The verdict

The website Arnoldheight.com claims the actor’s actual height is literally anywhere between 5’10” and 6’3″, and illustrates the issue with a full-body photo it calls “gold dust” of Arnie standing next to an object of known size, a Humvee. See below.

Arnie is 6’3″ when standing next to the 6’2″ vehicle. However, the valuable picture clearly shows Arnie’s oft-mentioned power heel shoes, which completely rules out 6’3″ as a natural height. Arnoldheight.com even speculates that these “boosting shoes” probably contain “hidden elevations.”

One thing the picture does reveal, however, is Arnold’s surprisingly long legs, which further reinforces the argument of height. Or are these pins actually the result of stilt-like magic shoes?

Oh, we just don’t know anymore… Arnold, if you’re reading this, measure yourself up and settle the debate one way or another.