Action man-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bid to outlaw same-sex marriage in California has been overturned by the state’s Supreme Court.

Officials have ruled that gay marriages are legal unions in the state, and those who wed during a spate of same-sex nuptials at San Francisco’s City Hall in 2004 will be recognized as married couples.

Those marriages were all declared void by officials who were against same-sex marriages.

Governor Schwarzenegger was among those who opposed the gay weddings.

But on Thursday, the Supreme Court officials ruled state laws against same-sex marriage are unconstitutional.

In a statement released shortly after the ruling, Schwarzenegger declared he will "respect" and "uphold" the decision.

The former movie star also reiterated previous promises he made to California’s gay community, that he will not support "an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this State Supreme Court ruling".

California becomes the second U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.