SACRAMENTO – California Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the 2026 class of inductees into the California Hall of Fame, a group that includes actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, who starred together in the 1994 action-comedy True Lies. The announcement, made alongside First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, recognizes individuals whose achievements embody the state’s spirit of resilience and creativity.
Schwarzenegger, a native of Austria who became a global icon through bodybuilding and a prolific acting career, later served as California’s 38th governor from 2003 to 2011. His filmography includes roles in Conan the Barbarian, the Terminator series, Predator, and Kindergarten Cop. Curtis, born in Los Angeles to actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, rose to prominence with her role in John Carpenter’s 1978 horror film Halloween and has since appeared in numerous films, including Trading Places, A Fish Called Wanda, and, most recently, winning an Academy Award for her supporting role in 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 also includes Olympic gold medalists Carl Lewis and Janet Evans, celebrity chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa, author Terry McMillan, and public servant John L. Burton and systems scientist Riane Eisler.
Lewis, widely considered one of the greatest track and field athletes in history, amassed nine Olympic gold medals across four Olympic Games. Evans, a distance swimmer, was the first American woman to win four individual Olympic gold medals in swimming and now serves as Chief Athlete Officer for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Matsuhisa, known simply as “Nobu,” has revolutionized the culinary world with his Nobu and Matsuhisa restaurants, which now span five continents and include 40 locations worldwide. McMillan is an acclaimed author whose novels, including Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, have centered Black experiences and elevated women’s voices in American literature.
Burton is recognized for his lifelong dedication to public service and advocacy for civil rights, healthcare, and foster youth. Eisler is a pioneering systems scientist and author of The Chalice and the Blade, a book translated into 27 languages, which promotes a vision of human rights and sustainable societies. Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles, America’s first all-women mariachi ensemble, is also among the inductees, having transformed the musical tradition for over three decades.
The induction ceremony will be held on March 19 at the California Museum in Sacramento. Newsom stated that the inductees “have reshaped our culture and our communities,” representing “the best of the California spirit.”
