3, Actors and Actresses (1986). Henie won Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932, and 1936 before retiring from amateur skating. She became a United States citizen in 1941. 436. Wiki User. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Sonja Henie, blonde Norwegian figure skater who dominated the rink for a decade and then skated her way to a second fabulous career in films, died Sunday of leukemia. It was her only film shot in Technicolor, but it was not as huge at the box office as her other films and also proved her limitations as a dramatic actress in her only dramatic film. Practicing as much as seven hours a day, she studied with teachers in Germany, England, Switzerland and Austria. [13] Henie incorporated dance elements into her figure skating, through the placement of spins, jumps, and choreography to reflect the mood of the music she used. While her ice show numbers were still worth watching, the film received few distributors and poor reviews, ending her film career. "Henie skates with speed, grace, and eye-boggling abandon through four big numbers," he noted in Entertainment Weekly. . "Sonja Henie, Skating Star, Dies." playing tennis and she excelled at ice-skating. From 1931 through 1936, Henie competed in and won six consecutive women's European Figure Skating Championships. She was educated by tutors, and her father hired the best experts in the world, including the famous Russian ballerina, Tamara Karsavina, to transform his daughter into a sporting celebrity. ." It set the pattern for the films to follow as a light musical comedy that included songs and skating. That Films in Review (July-August 1996): 60. The result of her first entry into the national championship at Frogner, in 1922, was to win second place. A male cast member from the Hollywood Ice Review had warmer memories of Henie in a 1996 interview in Films in Review. Encyclopedia.com. won her first ice-skating competition. [citation needed], Henie became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1940. "Henie, Sonja She was showcased in the Hollywood Ice Revue, which began in 1938 and continued for twelve years in cities across the United States. She therefore made the best of it and won her third Olympic medal. Darryl Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. A dynamic athlete, Henie ranked third among Norway's female tennis players and was "a daring equestrienne." ." She married Onstad that same yearby which time her film career was largely behind herand embarked on an avocation of art collecting which resulted in one of the finest collections of paintings in Hollywood. Henie began skating when she was six years old. In 1940 Sonja married businessman Daniel An excellent book that devotes much attention to Henie in the context of the development of skating is Nigel Brown, Ice-Skating: A History (1959). Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. from competitive skating Sonja wanted to pursue an acting career. It recounted that her appearance had been a front-page story in which Roelif Loveland had written "there is no simile to express adequately the grace and loveliness of this glamorous young woman." She took a largely unnoticed, technically-oriented sport and turned it into a dynamic art form that, along with its star performers, is avidly followed by fans around the world. [13], Her innovative skating techniques and glamorous demeanor transformed the sport permanently and confirmed its acceptance as a legitimate sport in the Winter Olympics. At 14 she was the Norwegian Skating Champion. Her fur-trimmed costume As a result, her 1939 salary was more than $250,000. "Nobody hit me in the leg or tried to shoot me, but there were some likenesses to what's happening now." . Henie characterized her skating as very dangerous, but others said that because she almost never fell she did not know how to do it without hurting herself. In 1953, Henie formed a new partnership with Morris Chalfen to appear in his European Holiday On Ice tour, which proved to be a great success. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. (Read Scott Hamiltons Britannica essay on "Training for Olympic Gold."). She also had numerous lucrative endorsement contracts, and deals to market skates, clothing, jewelry, dolls, and other merchandise branded with her name. Weatherly did not disclose his brother's cause of death as he paid emotional tribute alongside a throwback photo of himself and Will playing on the beach as children. Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies' figure skater. With Sonja Henie, Jack Oakie, Cesar Romero, Carole Landis. The one obstacle that remained in Henie's way proved to be of small concern: the fact that she wasn't much of an actress. Henie died in her sleep on an ambulance plane that was taking her from Paris to Oslo to see a specialist. She grew up in Norway and was a dominant presence on the ice for . turn professional and tour with her own ice show. Her wealth allowed her to maintain a home in Hollywood, a villa in Norway, and an apartment in Lausanne, Switzerland, and to invest in impressionist and expressionist paintings. However, she made a triumphant return to Norway with the Holiday on Ice tour in 1953 and 1955. back to Norway and opened a museum to showcase their art collection. "Ice Wars: The Prequel." Omissions? Hemming, Roy. Griffin saw Henie as person intent on reaching her professional goals and little else. Sandvika, Brum kommune, Akershus fylke, Norway Show Map. During the shooting of Second Fiddle (1939), she greeted the then Crown-Prince couple of Norway Olav and Mrtha during their US tour. Plain Dealer (January 16, 2002). Louis, and Van Johnson. 2023 . Henie married Daniel Reid Topping, an American sports investor from Greenwich, Connecticut, on 4 July 1940; they divorced in 1946. Corrections? She also lit the entire performance with a dazzling, dimpled smile. Because she was still a child, she competed in a knee-length skirt, rather than the calf-length outfits the older women wore. In 1936 Henie won her third and final gold medal at the fourth Winter Olympic Games at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, by earning 2,971.4 points. At 11 she won the national championshipand also entered her first Olympics, in which she placed last. These honors were the result of talent, intensive training, and an interest in doing something different from other skaters. Biography. Loveland continued, "she seems to float, like something in gossamer wings, but anyone tempted to drift off into an ethereal realm is brought back by a pair of very shapely limbs, which move with the smoothness of running water and the strength of youth." Four thoughts about Sonja Henie " I skated with Sonja, and wrote the first biography after her death. Soon after winning her first world championship, Henie saw a ballet performance by Russian great Anna Pavlova. He died of Tularmia (Rabbit . and easily eclipsed the earnings of any other star athlete, male or female. It was an open secret that, in spite of the strict amateurism requirements of the time, Wilhelm Henie demanded "expense money" for his daughter's skating appearances. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sonja-Henie, Sonja Henie - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Henie is credited with many "firsts," including being the first international sports star, the first superstar among figure skaters, and the firstand still onlywoman to win three Olympic gold medals in figure skating. Her first American film, One in a Million (1936) , starring Don Ameche and Adolphe Menjou, opened in New York in 1936 and quickly grossed $2 million. Born in Oslo, Norway, on April 8, 1912 (some sources erroneously cite 1910); died of leukemia on board an ambulance plane . She entered her first Olympic Winter Games the next year, primarily for experience, and took third place in the free skating competition. At home in Oslo, she trained at Frogner Stadium, where her coaches included Hjrdis Olsen and Oscar Holte. Sonja Henie (see photo above) had been the world's premiere figure skater in the 1920s and '30s. With her third husband, the Norwegian shipowner Niels Onstad, she established (1968) the Henie Onstad Art Center, a museum of modern art in Hvikodden, near Oslo, Norway. Another accusation that hurt Henie's image was the perception that she was a Nazi sympathizer. Like many Hollywood stars, she supported the U.S. war effort through USO and otherwise. She died a year later at age fifty-seven. at Graumann's Chinese Theatre. However, she held off these competitors and went on to win her third Olympic title at the 1936 Winter Olympics, albeit in very controversial circumstances with Cecilia Colledge finishing a very close second. Commenting on the difference between skating in her shows and in competition, Miss Henie once said: "When I was in championship competition I was on the ice for exactly four minutes. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures, Hamill, Dorothy Modern figure skating is deeply indebted to Sonja Henie (1912-1969), one of the greatest athletes of this century. As the first and only ice-skating film star, Henie is a show business phenomenon comparable only to the swimmer Esther Williams , who appeared in romantic comedies in the late 1940s. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/henie-sonja, "Henie, Sonja 20th Century-Fox and debuted in, - IMDb Mini Biography By: Tony Fontana . Dividing her remaining years between homes in Norway and the United States, Henie lived happily with her third husband, Niels Onstad. [6] Happy Landing (1938) was her biggest box office hit. Sonja was 57 years old at the time of death. Now I arrive at the Garden at 6:45 and I never stop until 11:10. [1], Henie was born in 1912 in Kristiania (now Oslo) Norway; she was the only daughter of Wilhelm Henie (18721937), a prosperous Norwegian furrier, and his wife, Selma Lochmann-Nielsen (18881961). Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other . And most importantly, she hired the best skaters and choreographers and paid them handsomely. Her passion for performing turned her into a huge financial and popular success among athletes. After placing last in a field of eight, she increased her practice time to some seven hours a day. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. All of her films By today's standards, Henie's routines were almost ridiculously simple, her jumps far from spectacular. Henie won her first major figure skating competition, the senior Norwegian championships, at the age of 10. After Nora falls for the handsome owner, she convinces her uncle to invest in the inn and modernize it. [citation needed]. "You could laugh with Sonja, but she had other things on her mind. [15], Also according to Kestnbaum, "Henie's largest contribution to public images of skating"[15] was in her professional ice shows and in her Hollywood films, which were often the first time audiences were exposed to figure skating through the mass media. Copy. Skating as a Sport Sonja Henie was born on April 8, 1912 and died on October 12, 1969. Typically, Henie films were short on plot and long on her trademark She is one of only two skaters to defend a ladies' singles Olympic title, the other being Katarina Witt, and her six European titles has only been matched by Witt. Sonja loved (June 6, 1956 - October 12, 1969) (her death), (September 15, 1949 - May 14, 1956) (divorced), (July 4, 1940 - February 13, 1946) (divorced), View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. This answer is: Study guides. At the time this was a brave departure from convention, and audiences loved it. The skater turned professional later that same year, after having won her tenth world championship. The daughter of a fur wholesaler in Norway, Sonja Henie received her first pair of ice skates when she was six. A petite, glamorous woman with a taste for luxury and a shrewd business sense, she was immensely successful next with a series of her own ice revues, and prospered as a motion picture star. After taking informal lessons at a local skating club, Henie won her first figure skating competition at age nine. About Sonja Henie. When Geoffrey and Ken track Norden to a small village in the Swiss Alps, they soon find themselves competing over the affections of beautiful Louise (Henie), who has a deeper connection to the missing Nobel laureate than the reporters realize. (April 27, 2023). The tour did not, however, result in the film contract Henie desired. Henie-Onstad museum. He agrees that she has no chance for the part but talks her into flying to Hollywood for the trip, with her Aunt Phoebe (Edna May Oliver). 27 Apr. However, being a naturalized citizen of the United States effectively put a stop to any propaganda on her behalf until Pearl Harbor. In December 1937 Henie was received into Norway's Knightly Order of St. Olaf. Henie was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the mid-1960s. It was also noted in Queen of Ice, Queen of Shadows that before the war started the Henies had visited with Adolf Hitler and that during a 1936 show in Berlin she had given him the Nazi salute and said "Heil, Hitler.". An obituary is in the New York Times (13 Oct. 1969). She died a year later at age fifty-seven. Henie had turned down contract offers following the 1932 Olympics, but now set about in earnest to make a career as an exhibition skater and film star. Encyclopedia.com. The Hollywood Ice Review was polished by Henie's unwavering pursuit of perfection. From Wikipedia: Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 - 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. O'Brien, Richard and Jack McCallum. The draw for the free skating [then] came under suspicion after Henie landed the plum position of skating last, while Colledge had to perform second of the 26 competitors. Knisley, Michael. She was signed by Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Notable Sports Figures. In her revised 1954 biography,[9] she states that no Norwegian judge was in the panel for the 1936 Olympicsas she was entitled to as a Norwegian. Released on 22 December 1939, it was banned in Nazi Germany. We had been flying for only an hour and she just slipped away.. 2023 . For this, she was condemned by many Norwegians and Norwegian-Americans. Sun Valley Serenade (1941), in which Henie appeared with John Payne and Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, is memorable for its Academy Award nominations for best cinematography, best music, and best song. Sonja Henie's Night, an exhibition that played before and during the intermission of ice hockey games at Madison Square Garden during March 1936, was a success. Henie also had great spinning ability. Michael Weatherly is mourning the loss of his brother. She produced her own show at New York's Roxy Theatre in January 1956. Until shortly before her death, Miss Henie had remained socially active and continued to direct the activities of the $3.5 million art museum she and her husband had presented to Norway. "Sonja Henie's tutu!" In cooperation with promoter Wirtz, Henie honed her skills as a producer of ice shows as well as maintained her prowess as a skater. Her new goal was the 1927 world figure skating championship. 1949. Five thousand potential ticket-buyers had to be turned away when she returned to Madison Square Garden in 1937 with the start of her Hollywood Ice Revue. Sonja Henie. At age 10 she won the Norwegian national figure-skating championship, and in 1924 she competed in the Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix, France. Her jumps and spins seem ridiculously easy compared to the athletic feats of contemporary figure skaters. "Remembering Sonja Henie." From 1937 to 1945 she was one of the leading box-office attractions in the film industry. She already had considerable experience as an exhibition skater, having been a soloist for the New York Skating Club's production Land of the Midnight Sun at Madison Square Garden in 1930. During her competitive career, Henie traveled widely and worked with a variety of foreign coaches. Surely she exceeded nearly everyone's expectations when she was rated as the third most popular film star of 1938, surpassed by only Shirley Temple and Clark Gable. Encyclopedia.com. Henie is credited with transforming an originally demure, predictable activity by infusing it with her feminine charms and passion for the ballet. -- Sonja Henie OSLO, Norway -- She was the first to spin, the first to jump, the first to be crowned a figure skating ice queen. In addition to appearing in Hollywood films, she toured North America with her own professional shows, thus amassing a great deal of personal wealth and by popularizing the ice show, opened up professional skating opportunities for other lesser-known figure skaters.[5]. There, Henie won her second gold medal in figure skating, with 2,302.5 points. The intensity of Henie's commitment to skating was further intensified after competing in the first winter Olympics, in Chamonix, France, in 1924. A huge star in the 1930s and '40s, she was also divisive and controversial. Miss Henie was an exacting star. Moreover, her skating numbers were fantastic. She incorporated 19 different spins into her programs, and she could spin nearly 80 revolutions. When Zanuck realized this, he cast her in more musical comedies; Sun Valley Serenade (1941) with Glenn Miller, John Payne, The Nicholas Brothers, and hit songs such as "In the Mood", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "It Happened in Sun Valley", and "I Know Why (And So Do You)"; followed by Iceland (1942) with Jack Oakie, Payne, and the hit song "There Will Never Be Another You"; and finally Wintertime (1943) with Cesar Romero, Carole Landis, Cornel Wilde, and Oakie. Two earlier marriages to Americans, Daniel Reid Topping and Winthrop Gardiner Jr., ended in divorces in 1946 and 1956. By 1939 she was one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood. Later programs included her famous hula sketch. She had also performed for European royalty and presented a skating version of Pavlova's "Dying Swan" that was first seen in Milan, Italy in 1933. champion in 1927 and the following year she won an Olympic gold medal. As a result, the image of the figure skater was linked to "the image of the glamorous movie star",[15] within the conventions of film and stage musicals of the 1930s. She was a three-time Olympic Champion (1928, 1932, 1936) in Ladies' Singles, a ten-time World Champion (1927-1936) and a six-time European Champion (1931-1936). Gradually her appearances dwindled, and in 1956 she retired. She finished last, but she didn't give up. American figure skater An excellent video documentary directed and produced by Edvard Hambro is entitled Sonja Henie: Queen of the Ice (1993). Her husband chartered a plane to convey her from Paris to Oslo to see her doctor, but she died onboard in her sleep. 1932 The daughter of a fur wholesaler in Norway, Sonja Henie received her first pair of ice skates when she was six. controversy. In Paris yesterday her condition worsened, and it was decided to fly her home. Less than two weeks ago she attended a theater performance in Oslo with her husband. ." Both of Henie's parents had given up their own pursuits in Norwayleaving Leif to run the fur businessin order to accompany Sonja on her travels and act as her managers. During her lifetime Sonja Henie reigned as the "queen of ice," and today she remains the most influential individual to have been part of figure skating. Her mother was willing to travel all across Europe with her to find coaches and outdoor ice rinks. After the success of her first film, One in a Million (1936), Henie's position was assured and she became increasingly demanding in her business dealings with Zanuck. ." This was more than a day's pay for Steve Turocy, who at age eighty-two remembered having to settle for a $3.30 seat because the others were sold out. She organized her own ice shows, which became immensely popular throughout the world. The international star had managed to keep her illness a secret and was seen with her husband at an Oslo theater less than two weeks before her death. Sonja is buried on a hilltop overlooking the Henie-Onstad museum. . Sports Illustrated (February 14, 1994): 18. In 1940, when the Nazis invaded Norway, she was out of the country. Members of the audience paid up to $4.40 for the chance to see Henie. Wilhelm Henie had been a one-time World Cycling Champion and the Henie children were encouraged to take up a variety of sports at a young age. I don't think she ever really learned to enjoy life. Notable Sports Figures. Her free-skating program, with its musical medley of stage songs, received a standing ovation. Through her live ice shows and a series of Hollywood movies, Henie enlarged the audience for figure skating and transformed it into a thrilling entertainment. She recalled the champion's marvelous clothes and icy disdain. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. "Gee-Whizzer." Encyclopedia of World Biography. But the fourteen-year-old Henie was too small to wear such heavy garb; it tended to act like a sail and tangle in her legs. Sonja Henie was born on April 8, 1912 and died on October 12, 1969. Bill Griffin described Henie as a perfectionist with a short fuse. To get the attention of film executives, Henie's father leased Hollywood's Polar Palace for two performances in May 1936. Dressed in a white velvet, bell-skirted dress designed by her mother, Henie won over Austria's Herma Planck-Szabo. Sonja Henie, (born April 8, 1912, Kristiania [now Oslo], Norwaydied October 12, 1969, in an airplane en route to Oslo), Norwegian-born American world champion figure skater and Olympic gold medalist who went on to achieve success as a professional ice-skater and as a motion-picture actress. Beyond the garment's visual impact, it gave her the freedom to do jumps and other movements that had only been done by men. She is mentioned by Ty Webb, Chevy Chases character in Caddyshack, as a possible but unavailable substitute for Rodney Dangerfields character (Al Czervik) in the final golf wager round before Michael OKeefes Danny Noonan is chosen. the age of 57. His daughter began studying ballet at age five and would be active in skiing, swimming, and horseback riding. Hans was himself very athletic; among his diverse pursuits, he was a former world champion in bicycling. Rap singer A stand of bleacher seats collapsed at a Baltimore armory, injuring more than 250 people. During the 1940s, Henie's popularity with movie audiences began to falter and her contract with Twentieth Century-Fox was not renewed. Name variations: Sonia Henje. At the time of her third marriage, Miss Henie was an admirer of Renoir and Gainsborough, but under her husbands influence became as avid purchaser of modern works. Encyclopedia.com. Did Sonja Henie marry? After Henie won the world championship one last time in 1936, she prepared to retire from amateur sports and enter professional skating. Within a year of turning pro, Henie had earned in excess of a quarter of a million dollars. Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 - 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. 1. The experience inspired her to introduce choreographic design in her free skating program, an innovation that helped her win an Olympic gold medal in 1928 at St. Moritz, Switzerland. Sonja became the ice-skating world She telegraphed her maid and told her to place a picture of her with Hitler, which he had autographed, in a prominent place in her house. In 1921, at Oslo's Frogner Stadium, Henie competed in and won Norway's highest junior level of competition. Henie became so popular with the public that police had to be called out for crowd control on her appearances in various disparate cities such as Prague and New York City. At 15 she would win the Olympic gold medal in So the skating star created her own ice show, Sonja Henie with Her 1952 Ice Revue. She died on October 12, 1969 at Second Fiddle displays Sonja [Henie] as Trudi Hovland, a schoolmarm of Bergen, Minn. who is called to Hollywood because her local swain has sent her photograph to Consolidated Pictures Corp., which has been looking high & low for just such a heroine. Scott, Paula Pyzik "Henie, Sonja It made the most of Henie's smiling, energetic persona and her dimpled beauty in a story about an Olympic hopeful. ." In [14] Figure skating writer and historian Ellyn Kestnbaum credits Henie with transforming figure skating into what she calls "a spectacle of the skater's body" and for "shifting [the sport's] meanings firmly in the direction of femininity". Only when she learns the real author of the notes does Trudi realize that her heart has been bent, not broken. Selma had designed her daughter's above-the-knee skirt with heavy fur trim to give it fullness. She had already delighted in dancing, and--with her brother Leif giving her her first lessons--enjoyed Sonja Henie died from leukemia on an ambulance plane flying from Paris to Oslo on October 13, 1969. Long, black skirts were the norm, being both modest and warm. April 08, 1912 Died October 12, 1969 Cause of Death Leukemia Biography Read More Winner of the Olympic Gold medal in figure skating an impressive three times in a row (1928, 1932, 1936), Henie came to Twentieth Century-Fox shortly after her last win and was built up as a popular star. She said her greatest hope was to become a movie star, and she soon did. The Onstads gave Norway an art museum and 250 of their paintings in August 1968. Henie broke off her arrangement with Wirtz in 1950 and for the next three seasons produced her own tours under the name "Sonja Henie Ice Revue". In 1936 she would turn professional and tour with her own ice show. . The early start was seen as a disadvantage, with the audience not yet whipped into a clapping frenzy and the judges known to become freer with their higher marks as the event proceeded. Sonja Henie Birthday and Date of Death. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Henie's connections with Adolf Hitler and other high-ranking Nazi officials made her the subject of controversy before, during, and after World War II. Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/sonja-henie.
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