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Sonja Henie 1912 - 1969

Sonja Henie was born on April 8, 1912 in Oslo Norway, and died at age 57 years old on October 12, 1969 at - Oslo, in Oslo. Sonja Henie was buried at Henie Onstad Art Center 31 Sonja Henies vei, in Bærum County, Viken. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Sonja Henie.

Sonja Henie

April 8, 1912

Oslo, Norway

October 12, 1969

- Oslo, in Oslo, Norway

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Sonja Henie Sonja Henie (1912 - 1969)

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Sonja Henie's History: 1912 - 1969

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Introduction

Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. 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). 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 stars in Hollywood and starred in a series of box-office hits, including Thin Ice (1937), My Lucky Star (1938), Second Fiddle (1939) and Sun Valley Serenade (1941). Henie was born in 1912 in Kristiania (now Oslo) Norway; she was the only daughter of Wilhelm Henie (1872–1937), a prosperous Norwegian furrier, and his wife, Selma Lochmann-Nielsen (1888–1961). In addition to the income from the fur business, both of Henie's parents had inherited wealth. Henie won the first of an unprecedented ten consecutive World Figure Skating Championships in 1927 at the age of fourteen. The results of 1927 World Championships, where Henie won in 3–2 decision (or 7 vs. 8 ordinal points) over the defending Olympic and World Champion Herma Szabo of Austria, was controversial, as three of the five judges that gave Henie first-place ordinals were Norwegian (1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 7 points) while Szabo received first-place ordinals from an Austrian and a German Judge (1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 8 points). Henie went on to win first of her three Olympic gold medals the following year, became one of the youngest figure skating Olympic champions. She defended her Olympic titles in 1932 and in 1936, and her world titles annually until 1936.[3] She also won six consecutive European championships from 1931 to 1936. Henie's unprecedented three Olympic gold medals haven't been matched by any ladies' single skater since; neither are her achievements as ten-time consecutive World Champion. While Irina Slutskaya of Russia won her seventh European Championship in 2006 to become the most successful ladies' skater in European Championships, Henie retains record of most consecutive titles, sharing it with Katarina Witt of Eastern Germany/Germany (1983–1988). Towards the end of her career, she began to be strongly challenged by younger skaters including Cecilia Colledge, Megan Taylor, and Hedy Stenuf. 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. 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. As Sandra Stevenson recounted in her article in The Independent of 21 April 2008, "the closeness [of the competition] infuriated Henie, who, when the result for that section was posted on a wall in the competitors' lounge, swiped the piece of paper and tore it into little pieces. 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. 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. Years later, a fairer, staggered draw was adopted to counteract this situation". During her competitive career, Henie traveled widely and worked with a variety of foreign coaches. At home in Oslo, she trained at Frogner Stadium, where her coaches included Hjørdis Olsen and Oscar Holte. During the latter part of her competitive career she was coached primarily by the American Howard Nicholson in London. In addition to traveling to train and compete, she was much in demand as a performer at figure skating exhibitions in both Europe and North America. 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. 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. Both of Henie's parents had given up their own pursuits in Norway—leaving Leif to run the fur business—in order to accompany Sonja on her travels and act as her managers. Henie is credited with being the first figure skater to adopt the short skirt costume in figure skating, wear white boots, and make use of dance choreography. Her innovative skating techniques and glamorous demeanor transformed the sport permanently and confirmed its acceptance as a legitimate sport in the Winter Olympics. Professional and film career Sonja Henie appeared on the cover of Time magazine on July 17, 1939. Through her 1940 marriage to Dan Topping she had become an American citizen. As such she was not eligible to speak Norway`s cause and could have faced deportation. The Senate Subcommittee (Senate Foreign Relations) dealt with such matters. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when America was no longer neutral, Henie appeared in uniform and visited and gave money to Little Norway. All Norwegians got free tickets to her shows during the war and she paid and held parties for them. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, German troops saw Hitler's autographed photo prominently displayed at the piano in the Henie family home in Landøya, Asker.] As a result, none of Henie's properties in Norway were confiscated or damaged by the Germans. Henie became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1940. Like many Hollywood stars, she supported the U.S. war effort through USO and similar activities. After the Japanese attack, she invited the boys from Little Norway to her ice shows, gave the mechanics a plane as well a substantial sum of money to their educational fund. But her first rejection before the US entered the war was never to be forgotten. For this, she was condemned by many Norwegians and Norwegian-Americans. After the war, Henie was mindful that many of her countrymen considered her to be a quisling. However, she made a triumphant return to Norway with the Holiday on Ice tour in 1953 and 1955. The Norwegian Royal Family attended both events and indeed attended her funeral in 1969. The Royal Family were very mindful of whom they supported after the war and Norwegians looked to them as role models in that respect. Her complex reputation and legacy continues to stimulate debate among Norwegians, writers and historians Personal life Sonja Henie art collection is now held by the Henie-Onstad Art Centre. Henie was married three times, to Dan Topping (1940–1946), Winthrop Gardiner Jr. (1949–1956), and the Norwegian shipping magnate and art patron Niels Onstad (1956–1969) (her death). After her retirement in 1956, Henie and Onstad settled in Oslo and accumulated a large collection of modern art that formed the basis for the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter at Høvikodden in Bærum near Oslo.
04/8

1912

Birthday

April 8, 1912

Birthdate

Oslo Norway

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Wilhelm and Selma Henie. NORWEGIAN.
Early Life & Education

ICE SKATING CAREER 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. Henie initially showed talent at skiing, then followed her older brother, Leif, to take up figure skating. As a girl Henie also was a nationally ranked tennis player, and a skilled swimmer and equestrienne. Once Henie began serious training as a figure skater, her formal schooling ended. Henie's Olympic gold medal, St. Moritz 1928. Event 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 Winter Olympics 8th 1st 1st 1st World Championships 5th 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st European Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st Norwegian Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st Pairs (with Arne Lie) Event 1926 1927 1928 World Championships 5th Norwegian Championships 1st 1st 1st Awards Inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame (1976).[10] Inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame (1982).[11] She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1938, at age 25, she became the youngest person made a knight first class of The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Honorary Colonel and Godmother of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Military Service

Through her 1940 marriage to Dan Topping, she had become an American citizen. As such, she was not eligible to speak to support Norway's cause. For example, Producer Alexander Korda was set to produce the propaganda film That Hamilton Woman, that could have resulted in him facing deportation. The Senate Subcommittee on (Senate Foreign Relations) dealt with such matters. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when America was no longer neutral, Henie pulled on uniform and visited and gave money to Little Norway. All Norwegians got free tickets to her shows during the war and she paid for and held parties for them. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, German troops saw Hitler's autographed photo prominently displayed at the piano in the Henie family home in Landøya, Asker. As a result, none of Henie's properties in Norway were confiscated or damaged by the Germans. Henie became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1940. Like many Hollywood stars, she supported the U.S. war effort through USO and similar activities. After the Japanese attack, she invited the boys from Little Norway to her ice shows, gave the mechanics a plane as well a substantial sum of money to their educational fund. But her first rejection before the US entered the war was never to be forgotten. For this, she was condemned by many Norwegians and Norwegian-Americans. After the war, Henie was mindful that many of her countrymen considered her to be a quisling. However, she made a triumphant return to Norway with the Holiday on Ice tour in 1953 and 1955. The Norwegian Royal Family attended both events and indeed attended her funeral in 1969. The Royal Family was very mindful of whom they supported after the war and Norwegians looked to them as role models in that respect.
Professional Career

Filmography Year Title Role 1927 Seven Days for Elizabeth Skater 1929 Se Norge Herself 1936 One in a Million Greta "Gretchen" Muller 1937 Thin Ice Lili Heiser Ali Baba Goes to Town Herself 1938 Happy Landing Trudy Ericksen My Lucky Star Krista Nielsen 1939 Second Fiddle Trudi Hovland Everything Happens at Night Louise 1941 Sun Valley Serenade Karen Benson 1942 Iceland Katina Jonsdottir 1943 Wintertime Nora 1945 It's a Pleasure Chris Linden 1948 The Countess of Monte Cristo Karen Kirsten 1958 Hello London Herself
Personal Life & Family

Olympic Games Gold Medalist Athlete, Actress. Considered by many as one of the greatest figure skaters in history, she is probably best remembered for winning the gold medal for Women's' Figure Skating at the 1928, 1932, and 1936 Winter Olympic Games in the Ladies' singles category as well as winning an unprecedented ten consecutive World Championship gold medals from 1927 to 1936 and six consecutive European Championship gold medals from 1931 to 1936, all in the Ladies' singles category. She is credited with being the first figure skater to adopt the short skirt costume, wear white boots, and make use of dance choreography. Her father was a prosperous furrier and she, along with her siblings, were strongly encouraged to take up a variety of sports at a young age. As a young girl she excelled at skiing, swimming, tennis, and equestrienne, but figure skating became her passion. Her formal schooling came to an end once she started training seriously as a figure skater and her father hired the best tutors in the world, including the famous Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina. In 1922 she won her first major skating competition and placed last in a field of 8 at the 1924 Winter Olympics. After the 1936 World Figure Skating Championships she embarked on a career as a professional performer in acting and live shows. Later that year, after a successful ice show in Los Angeles, California that was orchestrated by her father to launch her film career, she was signed to a long term contract at Twentieth Century Fox by Hollywood studio chief Darryl Zanuck, making her one of the highest paid actresses at that time. Her first film "One in a Million" (1936), cemented her film career and she became increasingly demanding in her business dealings and insisted on having total control of the skating numbers in her films. She also formed a business arrangement with Arthur Wirtz, who produced her touring ice shows under the name "Hollywood Ice Revue" and acted as her financial advisor as well. Her popularity as a film actress would attract many new fans and her skating shows became a popular new entertainment throughout the 1940s. In 1941 she became a naturalized citizen of the US. However, her connections with Adolf Hitler and other high-ranking Nazi officials would make her the subject of controversy before, during, and after World War II. She performed often in Germany during her amateur status and was a favorite of German audiences and of Hitler personally. When she greeted Hitler with a Nazi salute during an exhibition in Berlin some time prior to the 1936 Winter Olympics, she was strongly denounced by the Norwegian press and she did not repeat the salute at the 1936 Winter Olympic games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, but did have lunch with Hitler after the games at his resort home in nearby Berchtesgaden, where he gave her an autographed photo with a lengthy inscription. After beginning her film career she kept up her Nazi connections, e.g., personally arranging with Joseph Goebbels for the release of her first film, "One in a Million," in Germany. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, none of her family's properties in Norway were confiscated or damaged by the German authorities. While she supported the U.S. war effort through the United Service Organizations and similar activities, she was very careful to avoid supporting the Norwegian resistance movement or making public statements against the Nazis. Because of this she was condemned by many Norwegians and Norwegian-Americans. She made as much as $2 million a year at the height of her fame from her shows and touring activities. Additionally she had many lucrative endorsement contracts and deals to market skates, clothing, jewelry, dolls, and other merchandise-type items with her name, making her one of the wealthiest women in the world at that time. In 1950 she broke off her arrangement with Wirtz and produced her own shows for the next three years under the name "Sonja Henie Ice Revue." It was not all that successful, as she still had to compete with Wirtz, who controlled the best arenas and dates with new Olympic skating champion Barbara Ann Scott, leaving her to play smaller venues and markets that were saturated with other touring ice shows, like the Ice Capades. In 1953 she formed a new partnership with Morris Chalfen to appear in his European "Holiday on Ice" tour, which was a great success. However, by 1956 she became addicted to alcohol and could no longer meet the demands of touring, and she retired from skating. During her life she was married three times, to Dan Topping (part owner and president of the New York Yankees baseball team), New York socialite Winthrop Gardner Jr., and finally to Niels Onstad, a wealthy Norwegian shipping magnate and art patron. After her retirement she and Onstad settled in Oslo, Norway where they accumulated a large collection of modern art that formed the basis for the Heine-Onstad Art Center at Hovikodden, Norway. She also reportedly had a variety of love interests throughout her life, including her skating partners Jack Dunn and Stewart Reburn, celebrated boxing legend Joe Louis, and actors Tyrone Power and Van Johnson. In the mid-1960s she was diagnosed with leukemia and succumbed to the disease in 1969 on a flight from Paris to Oslo at the age of 57. At the time of her death, she was planning a comeback for a television special that would have aired in January 1970. During the height of her acting career from 1936 to 1948 she made 12 films. Her last film appearance, "Hello London," came in 1958. In 1938 she became the youngest person made a knight first class of The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olaf. In 1976 she was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame and in 1982 she was inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
10/12

1969

Death

October 12, 1969

Death date

Died of leukemia during a flight from Paris to Oslo

Cause of death

- Oslo, in Oslo Norway
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Henie Onstad Art Center 31 Sonja Henies vei, in Bærum County, Viken 1311, Norway
Burial location
Obituary

Sonja Henie, Skating Star, Dies BY THE NEW YORK TIMES OSLO, Oct. 12 (AP)--Sonja Henie, ice-skating queen and film star, died tonight on an ambulance plane flying from Paris to Oslo. She was 57 years old. Miss Henie had been suffering from leukemia for the last nine months. In Paris yesterday her condition worsened, and it was decided to fly her home. Her husband, Neils Onstad, a Norwegian shipowner, said she "just slept away" halfway through the two-hour flight. Champion and Star 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. 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 her marriage to Mr. Onstad, a childhood sweetheart, in 1956, she became interested in modern art. The Onstads gave Norway an art museum and 250 of their paintings in August 1968. Two earlier marriages to Americans, Daniel Reid Topping and Winthrop Gardiner Jr., ended in divorces in 1946 and 1956. She had become an American citizen in 1941. Miss Henie had a home in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, an apartment in Lausanne, Switzerland, and an estate overlooking the Oslo fjord. Born in Oslo on April 8, 1912, Miss Henie received her first skates from her father, a Norwegian fur wholesaler, on the Christmas after her sixth birthday. She had already delighted in dancing, and--with her brother Leif giving her her first lessons--enjoyed skating even more. 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 children's figure skating championship of Oslo when she was 8, and two years later, in 1923, she won the figure skating championship of Norway. She entered her first Olympic Winter Games the next year, primarily for experience, and took third place in the free skating competition. Practicing as much as seven hours a day, she studied with teachers in Germany, England, Switzerland and Austria. With her well-to-do father's backing, she studied ballet in London, and began applying choreography to her routines. Her mother traveled with her constantly, as she did throughout Miss Henie's career. 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. Over the next decade Miss Henie won Olympic titles at St. Moritz, Switzerland (1928), at Lake Placid (1932), and at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria (1936). She announced then that she was turning professional, and toured the United States in an ice show. She said her greatest hope was to become a movie star, and she soon did. "I want to do with skates (in the movies) what Fred Astaire is doing with dancing," she said. She signed with Darrly F. Zanuck and 20th Century-Fox, and her first skating film, "One in a Million," was released at the end of 1936. It was a box-office smash, as were others she made in the following dozen years. The pictures were reported to have grossed $25-million. Henie was diagnosed with leukemia in the mid-1960s. She died of the disease at age 57 in 1969 during a flight from Paris to Oslo. Generally regarded as one of the greatest figure skaters in history, she is buried with Onstad in Oslo on the hilltop overlooking the Henie Onstad Art Centre. She herself earned over $200,000 from her film work alone in 1937. She also began staging and appearing in ice shows, in association with Arthur Wirtz, her business manager, and these, too, were very successful--with lavish costumes and spectacular routines. These shows, the "Hollywood Ice Revues," were major attractions at Madison Square Garden for many years, up to 1952. Miss Henie was an exacting star. She once called Eddie Pec, the only person she permitted to sharpen her skates, in New York, to ask him to come to Chicago, where her show was to open. He hopped on a train, reached Chicago the next day, rushed to her hotel, and sharpened the skates with a hand stone--a few minutes work. "Anything else?" he asked. "No, thank you," she said sweetly. "That's all." And back he went to New York. She broke with her manager in 1951, and began producing shows on her own, but gave them up after a block of seats at a Baltimore armory collapsed before a show in March, 1952, injuring more than 250 people. Although later cleared of any responsibility for the accident, she did not stage any more arena- type shows. She appeared on several television shows in the next few years, including a one-hour special of her own. 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. Now I arrive at the Garden at 6:45 and I never stop until 11:10. Besides, I can't quite imagine my doing the hula in the Olympics." Her illness had been a well-kept secret. Less than two weeks ago she attended a theater performance in Oslo with her husband. Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

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Sonja Henie lived 20 years shorter than the average family member when died at the age of 57.

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