Stable Arnold Schwarzenegger after cardiac surgery

NEW YORK. - Arnold Schwarzenegger recovers in a hospital of Los Angeles after undergoing a surgery of the heart.

The actor and former governor of California, 70, had an operation scheduled to replace a pulmonary valve on Thursday, according to his spokesman Daniel Ketchell. He was in stable condition on Friday. Arnold Schwarzenegger recovers after emergency surgery

"His first words were 'I'm back', so he's in a very good mood," Ketchell tweeted.

The operation was necessary to replace a valve that Schwarzenegger had placed in 1997 for a congenital heart defect. The valve was not permanent and had exceeded its expectation of functionality, Ketchell said. Schwarzenegger opted for a less invasive catheter procedure. 

An open-heart surgery team was pending during the operation, but Ketchell said his presence is not unusual in these circumstances.

Schwarzenegger was a bodybuilder before he started in the cinema. His career as an action movie star took off with the success of "Conan the Barbarian" in 1982. His role in "Terminator" in 1984 catapulted him to stardom. He was governor of California from 2003 to 2011.

In addition to his heart problems, Schwarzenegger had a motorcycle accident in 2001 that left him with several broken ribs. They have also replaced a rib and had rotator cuff surgery in 2003.