Arnold Schwarzenegger undergoes heart surgery

Arnold Schwarzenegger is recovering in a Los Angeles hospital after undergoing heart surgery.

The 70-year-old former California governor had a scheduled procedure to replace a pulmonic valve, according to Schwarzenegger's spokesman, Daniel Ketchell.

He is now in a stable condition.

"His first words were actually 'I'm back," so he is in good spirits," Ketchell tweeted.

The operation was necessary to replace a valve that had originally been installed in 1997 for a congenital heart defect.

"That 1997 replacement valve was never meant to be permanent, and has outlived its life expectancy," Ketchell said.

Schwarzenegger opted for a less-invasive catheter valve replacement procedure.

An open-heart surgery team was ready during the procedure, but Ketchell said their presence wasn't unusual in such circumstances.

Schwarzenegger was a bodybuilding star before turning to movies. His career as an action hero took off with the box-office hit "Conan the Barbarian" in 1982.

His role in the "Terminator" in 1984 propelled him into box-office superstardom.

He served as governor of California from 2003 to 2011.

In addition to his heart ailments, Schwarzenegger had a motorcycle crash in 2001 that left him with several broken ribs. He's had a hip replaced and had rotator cuff surgery in 2003.