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| Birth Name(s) : Sonja Henie |
Date of Birth: April 8, 1912 |
| Status:
Married
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Partner:
Niels Onstad |
| Profession:
Actor |
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Full Sonja Henie Biography
| The daughter of a fur wholesaler, Sonja Henie received her first pair of ice skates when she was six. At 14, she was the Norwegian Skating Champion. At 15, she would win the Olympic gold medal in Skating - a feat she would repeat in 1932 and 1936. In 1936 she would turn professional and tour with her own ice show. She would be signed by 20th Century Fox and debut in 'One in a Million (1936)' where she played an ice skater. As the picture was very successful, Sonja would continue to make a series of light comedies throughout the late 30's and early 40's. More a testament to her skating skills and physical appearance, the films were profitable and her popularity soared. Her film success garnered financial success for the Hollywood Ice Revues that she produced, and starred, in every year. He movie career would wind down during the mid 40's, but she would continue skating until she retired in 1960. An astute businesswoman, Sonja would be one of the ten wealthiest woman in the world when she died of leukemia in 1969. |
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Additional Sonja Henie Biography
Sonja Henie (April 8, 1912 - October 12, 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and actress. She is a three-time Olympic Champion (1928, 1932, 1936), a ten-time World Champion (1927-1936) and a six-time European Champion (1931-1936). Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater. At the height of her acting-career she was one of the highest paid movie-stars in Hollywood.
Sonja Henie was born in Kristiania, current Oslo, the daughter of Wilhelm Henie, a one-time World Cycling Champion and a prosperous Norwegian fur trader. Her father hired the best experts in the world, including the famous Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina, to transform his daughter into a sporting celebrity. She took the gold medal in the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Winter Olympics. She first placed eighth in a field of eight at the 1924 Winter Olympics, at the age of eleven. During the 1924 program, she skated over to the side of the rink several times to ask her coach for directions.
But by the next Olympiad, she needed no such assistance. Henie won the first of an unprecedented ten World Figure Skating Championships in 1927 at the age of fifteen, and her first Olympic gold medal the following year. She also won six consecutive European championships. She is credited with being the first figure skater to adopt the short skirt costume in figure skating, and make use of dance choreography. Her innovative skating techniques and glamourous demeanor transformed the sport permanently and confirmed its acceptance as a legitimate sport in the Winter Olympics. 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. She was also an accomplished tennis player.
After the 1936 Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, she gave up her amateur status and took up a career as a professional performer in acting and live shows. She mostly performed in the United States, but had triumphant shows in Norway in 1953 and 1955. In 1938 she published her autobiography, which was republished in a revised edition in 1954. In 1941, she became a naturalized citizen of the United States. She retired from acting in 1958 with the film Hello, London. She became one of the wealthiest women in the world in her time.
Henie was married three times, with Dan Topping, Winthrop Gardiner, and finally the wealthy Norwegian shipowner and art patron Niels Onstad in 1956. Together, Henie and Onstad settled in Oslo and accumulated a large collection of modern art that formed the basis for the Henie-Onstad Art Centre at Høvikodden, near Oslo.
In 1938, at age 25, she became the youngest person made a knight first class of The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
In 1936, her career was damaged after taking a picture shaking hands with Adolf Hitler and agreeing to have breakfast with the Nazi leader at his residence at Berchtesgaden, something the Norwegian people never forgave her for. She kept Contacts to high-ranking Nazis until the 40s.
In 1939, Walt Disney released the animated short, "The Hockey Champ," starring Donald Duck and his three nephews. In the cartoon, Donald Duck parodies/imitates Henie, complete with short, curly hair and long, dark eyelashes, as he figure skates on the ice.
In the film Caddyshack, when asked to select an alternate, Chevy Chase's character says "Well, Sonja Henie's out."
In the "Are You Being Served?" episode "Cold Comfort", Mr. Lucas exits the lift (elevator) wearing a pair of ice skates around his neck. Upon seeing this, Mr. Humphries states, "Oh look! It's Sonja Henie!" |
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