The pictures were reported to have grossed $25-million. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 - 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. Theatergoers of the era certainly were thrilled with Henie and their introduction to figure skating. 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. [3] While still a girl, Henie had decided that she wanted to move to California and become a movie star when her competitive days were over, without considering that her strong accent might hinder her acting ambitions. Although later cleared of any responsibility for the accident, she did not stage any more arena- type shows. In the effort, she exercised the same mental intensity and financial resources that were the foundation of her earlier work. When live television began to cut into the film industry, Henie stopped making movies and returned to traveling ice shows. Hans was himself very athletic; among his diverse pursuits, he was a former world champion in bicycling. Sonja Henie would have been 57 years old at the time of death or 103 years old today. Three years later she married socialite Winthrop Gardner Jr., who divorced her in 1956. The idea of an ice skating movie might seem quaint today, but Henie starred in a number of them, most notably One in a Million, the story of a skater's rise to Olympic glory, and Thin Ice. Three times the Olympic figure-skating champion, Miss Henie won most of the major world skating titles from 1927 to 1936, when she turned professional. ed. [13], Her innovative skating techniques and glamorous demeanor transformed the sport permanently and confirmed its acceptance as a legitimate sport in the Winter Olympics. Dressed in a white velvet, bell-skirted dress designed by her mother, Henie won over Austria's Herma Planck-Szabo. Moreover, her skating numbers were fantastic. accent audiences loved her. Scott, Paula Pyzik "Henie, Sonja In 1968, the Onstads donated 250 of their paintings, plus $3.5 million for a fan-shaped stone-and-glass museum near Oslo. 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. decided to become a US citizen and supported the USO in their efforts. Sonja Henie Biography, Life, Interesting Facts - Famous Birthdays By However, the date of retrieval is often important. and easily eclipsed the earnings of any other star athlete, male or female. "Henie, Sonja She later competed successfully in tennis and auto racing in the midst of her skating career. The pretty, blond skater stood out among the competitors in a white silk and ermine skating dress that had a short skirt. "Sonja Henie Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. Frogner Stadium was the site of the 1927 Women's World Figure Skating Championship. At home in Oslo, she trained at Frogner Stadium, where her coaches included Hjrdis Olsen and Oscar Holte. [2], Kestnbaum argues that although Henie's skating was "athletic and powerful for her day",[2] she purposively added elements,such as using the toepicks of her skates to run or pose on the ice, in movements similar to the use of pointe technique in ballet, that undercut her power and athleticism. "To her, there were no other skaters," wrote Colledge. Her talent was evident from a very early age. Skating, a feat she would repeat in 1932 and 1936. It would later house all of Henie's skating memorabilia. 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. Henie began skating when she was six years old. A bubbly, smiling figure in her performances, she was in fact a fierce competitor who wanted nothing to do with her rivals. 2009-05-21 23:06:30. 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. How did Sonja Henie the ice Star die? I want to do with skates what Fred Astaire is doing with dancing. Her first film, One In A Million with Adolphe Menjou, was a huge In 1936 she would turn professional and tour with her own ice show. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Sonja Henie was born on April 8, 1912 and died on October 12, 1969. 436. Henie married Daniel Reid Topping, an American sports investor from Greenwich, Connecticut, on 4 July 1940; they divorced in 1946. Did Sonja Henie marry? When sheas a gold medal winnerpassed Hitler's tribune with silver medalist Cecilia Colledge and bronze medalist Vivi-Anne Hultn, neither she nor the others honored Hitler with the Nazi salute. Sonja Henie's Ice Age - Vanity Fair first pair of ice skates when she was six. She was the champion in the Olympics in 1928, 1932 and 1936. She was the first Rap singer 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. Newsweek (October 25, 1999): 53. Wiki User. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Said to have had a keen business sense, she early acquired the nickname Little Miss Moneybags for her habit of prudent investments. Her name and appearance was shown in episode 285 of MASH 4077. Henie did not appear in these shows, but rather was an advisor and financial partner. She had often performed in Germany and her popularity Skating as a Sport Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other . ." (Read Scott Hamiltons Britannica entry on figure skating.). These activities made her one of the wealthiest self-made women in the world in her time. She announced then that she was turning professional, and toured the United States in an ice show. After her marriage to Mr. Onstad, a childhood sweetheart, in 1956, she became interested in modern art. During the twentieth century no competitor was able to match Henie's three consecutive Olympic gold medals in women's figure skating. . Date of Death: October 12, 1969. Troubles in Henie's film career were not mirrored in her popularity as a live performer. "Gee-Whizzer." We had been flying for only an hour and she just slipped away.. Eight Sonja Henie movies crossed the $100 million domestic gross mark. (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. "Even on the podium after the Olympics, there were no kisses, no handshakes, not even a word." Her skating built on the innovative styles of Jackson Haines and Hilda Holowsky. 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. This answer is: Study guides. 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." A little "meowing" before Ms. Henie takes the ice. 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. skating routines. ." Henie's first love was dancing, and she began to study ballet at age four; the ballet element in her later skating, both as champion amateur and professional, was always evident. She had to concentrate on her profession, and fulfill contracts, really from the age of nine on," he explained. She was among 250 female stars who were nominated for "50 Greatest Screen Legend" status by the American Film Institute. "Sonja Henie She also lit the entire performance with a dazzling, dimpled smile. She no longer attended school but studied at home with tutors. 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. deals. By 1939 she was one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood. Towards the end of her career, she began to be strongly challenged by younger skaters including Cecilia Colledge, Megan Taylor, and Hedy Stenuf. She appeared on several television shows in the next few years, including a one- hour special of her own. Where did sonja henie live in the us? - Answers At the age of ten she 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). Name variations: Sonia Henje. plummeted when a photo of her with Adolphe Hitler was published. She finished last, but she didn't give up. [3] She also won six consecutive European championships from 1931 to 1936. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sonja-Henie, Sonja Henie - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). During the 1940s, Henie's popularity with movie audiences began to falter and her contract with Twentieth Century-Fox was not renewed. . 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. A stand of bleacher seats collapsed at a Baltimore armory, injuring more than 250 people. (April 27, 2023). Sonja Henie, (born April 8, 1912, Kristiania , 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. She was signed by Indeed, after the school figures section at the 1936 Olympic competition, Colledge and Henie were virtually neck and neck with Colledge trailing by just a few points. She made seventeen performances in nine cities and earned phenomenal box office returns. While improving her skating, in the next few years, she also studied ballet with a former teacher of Anna Pavlova, and eventually she combined the two forms on ice. She won the first of 10 consecutive world skating titles at Oslo in 1927, captivating the crowd with her ballet style, a white silk and ermine costume and short skirt and a dimpled smile. . "Sonja Henie, Skating Star, Dies." At 14 she was the Norwegian Skating Champion. Since Wirtz controlled the best arenas and dates, Henie was left playing smaller venues and markets already saturated by other touring ice shows such as Ice Capades. (April 27, 2023). In addition to the income from the fur business, both of Henie's parents had inherited wealth. 2023
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