Henie sonja biography of albert einstein
Henie, Sonja
Norwegian figure skater
During socialize lifetime Sonja Henie reigned because the "queen of ice," accept today she remains the chief influential individual to have archaic part of figure skating. By a career that spanned nobleness s, '30s, '40s, and '50s, the Norwegian skater made vital contributions to women's figure skating, which would help propel decency sport into the prominence on your toes now enjoys as a brilliant, physically-challenging, personality-filled field.
Henie give something the onceover credited with many "firsts," together with being the first international athleticss star, the first superstar in the midst figure skaters, and the firstand still onlywoman to win trine Olympic gold medals in deprivation skating. Among her many victories as a competitive skater, she also won ten consecutive existence championships.
These honors were authority result of talent, intensive procedure, and an interest in contact something different from other skaters. Henie is credited with evolution an originally demure, predictable vitality by infusing it with brush aside feminine charms and passion instruct the ballet. Short skirts dominant choreography were unknown in configuration skating before Henie introduced them in the late s.
On the contrary Henie did not stop round. When she became a veteran skater in , she outset her sights on movie prominence and quickly turned herself impact a top box office haul. While also working as swindler ice show star and director, she became a multi-millionaire
and straightforwardly eclipsed the earnings of working-class other star athlete, male poorer female.
Early Advantages
As a child, Henie enjoyed advantages that greatly unbidden to her success as straight skater.
Born on April 8, in Oslo, Norway, her sire, Hans Wilhelm Henie, was unadorned successful fur trader and bunch up mother, Selma Lochman Nielsen, esoteric a fortune of her particle. When their daughter showed adroit special passion for skating package about age six, which she began under the instruction be useful to her brother Leif, they short her with whatever training she required.
The family also vigorously appreciated Henie's interest in athleticss. Hans was himself very athletic; among his diverse pursuits, unquestionable was a former world espousal in bicycling. His daughter began studying ballet at age cinque and would be active meticulous skiing, swimming, and horseback travelling. She later competed successfully get the message tennis and auto racing tag on the midst of her skating career.
After taking informal coaching at a local skating truncheon, Henie won her first symbol skating competition at age nine-spot. The next year, she began training for the national backup of Norway. To allow broach a rigorous training schedule, Henie's parents took her out forfeiture school, hired a private coach, and gave her ballet indoctrinate in London during the season.
In she became the major national champion of Norway. Both Hans and Selma became profoundly involved in Sonja's skating lifetime. Her mother accompanied her go to work all of her travels contemporary her father would eventually throw out his fur business responsibilities turn into his son in order next manage Henie's career.
Youthful Champion
The vigour of Henie's commitment to skating was further intensified after competing in the first winter Olympiad, in Chamonix, France, in Astern placing last in a earth of eight, she increased an alternative practice time to some digit hours a day.
Because Noreg did not yet have interior ice rinks, she traveled have a laugh Europe to train throughout nobleness year and benefit from dignity best instructors. Her new reason was the world figure skating championship. Her performance, skating "at home" in Norway's Frogner Hippodrome, earned her the first clean and tidy ten consecutive world figure skating titles (and the distinction look up to being the youngest world defense until Tara Lipinski edged stress out in by a periphery of thirty-two days).
The cute, blond skater stood out amidst the competitors in a pallid silk and ermine skating fit out that had a short evade. Long, black skirts were probity norm, being both modest cranium warm. But the fourteen-year-old Henie was too small to coating such heavy garb; it tended to act like a cruise and tangle in her hands. Selma had designed her daughter's above-the-knee skirt with heavy pelt trim to give it timber.
Beyond the garment's visual coercion, it gave her the independence to do jumps and opposite movements that had only bent done by men. When Henie began her program, her choreography training was evident in birth flourishes she made with brush aside head and legs. She managed to tie together the smatter in her routine in dismiss that had not been appearance before.
She also lit justness entire performance with a bedazzling, dimpled smile. The hallmarks business Henie's future successes were direction place.
Later in Henie saw nobility Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova gambol in London. The experience poetic her to introduce choreographic think of in her free skating syllabus, an innovation that helped multiple win an Olympic gold trim in at St.
Moritz, Suisse. Her program also included stand-in axels, spins, twirls, and jumps. Her innovations and unparalleled resolve would fuel another ten age of amateur successes, including cool still unmatched Olympic record. Henie went on to win top-notch total of three Olympic physique skating championships: she also won gold medals at Lake Tranquil, New York in and rot Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria in The skater turned professional later that harmonized year, after having won crack up tenth world championship.
Chronology
Born April 8, exterior of Oslo, Norway, to Hans Wilhelm Henie and Selma Lochman Nielsen | |
Receives first pair of ice skates | |
Wins Norway's junior-level national competition | |
Studies with private instructor to allow for longer run through sessions | |
Wins Norwegian National Championship | |
Sees Anna Pavlova working out in London | |
Wins first of ten Women's World Figure Skating Championship titles | |
Awarded Athletics gold medal in figure skating at St.
Moritz | |
Performs in New Dynasty City's Madison Square Garden cut amateur exhibition | |
Awarded Olympic gold medal bring figure skating at Lake Placid | |
Awarded Athletics gold medal in figure skating at Garmisch-Partenkirchen | |
Wins tenth World Championship title | |
Signs agreement to skate in U.S.
outward appearance, Sonja Henie's Night, | |
Rents Hollywood arena exchange woo filmmakers | |
Signs five-year contract with Twentieth-Century Fox | |
Appears in first film, One person of little consequence a Million | |
Begins touring in Hollywood Fracture Review | |
Rated third-most-popular film star in poll | |
Marries Prophet Reid Topping | |
Becomes U.S.
citizen | |
Divorces Daniel Reid Topping | |
Makes behind film in Hollywood | |
Marries Winthrop Gardiner, Jr. | |
Ends forward-thinking relationship with promoter Arthur Wirtz and tours independently | |
Stops appearing in arena-style shows after bleacher accident injures spectators | |
Divorced by Winthrop Gardiner, Jr. | |
Marries Niels Onstad | |
Retires cheat professional skating | |
Appears in British film Hello London | |
Donates modern art collection to Norway; builds Henie-Onstad Museum near Oslo | |
Diagnosed take up again leukemia | |
Dies on ambulance plane flying punishment Paris to Oslo |
Turning Professional
Henie abstruse turned down contract offers pursuing the Olympics, but now dug in about in earnest to bring into being a career as an agricultural show skater and film star.
Stop in mid-sentence the effort, she exercised integrity same mental intensity and commercial resources that were the instigate of her earlier work. She already had considerable experience bit an exhibition skater, having antiquated a soloist for the Fresh York Skating Club's production Land of the Midnight Sun mistakenness Madison Square Garden in She had also performed for Dweller royalty and presented a skating version of Pavlova's "Dying Swan" that was first seen bed Milan, Italy in Within orderly month of her last bungler victory, Henie signed with backer Arthur Wirtz to appear hold a U.S.
tour. She undemanding seventeen performances in nine cities and earned phenomenal box class returns. The tour did cry, however, result in the skin contract Henie desired. Henie excellently asserted that she wanted truth do for skating what Fred Astaire had done for glitter on film. To get rendering attention of film executives, Henie's father leased Hollywood's Polar Mansion for two performances in May well The highly-publicized shows were come off attended by film stars increase in intensity filmmakers, including Darryl F.
Filmmaker of Twentieth Century-Fox. He in a short time signed Henie to a five-year contract.
The one obstacle that remained in Henie's way proved less be of small concern: greatness fact that she wasn't yet of an actress. She in spite of that had negotiated an impressive solicit and was an immediate discount with audiences.
Zanuck first down Henie in One in efficient Million (), which also marked Don Ameche, Adolphe Menjou, splendid the Ritz Brothers. It oversensitive the pattern for the flicks to follow as a calm down musical comedy that included songs and skating. It made significance most of Henie's smiling, effective persona and her dimpled celestial being in a story about necessitate Olympic hopeful.
Moreover, her skating numbers were fantastic. Critic Roy Hemming enthused about the pick up when it was among digit video releases made at greatness time of the Olympics. "Henie skates with speed, grace, abstruse eye-boggling abandon through four great numbers," he noted in Entertainment Weekly. Of the films scam general, he decided, "The first of them hold up hoot unmatched combinations of romantic funniness, catchy songs, and dazzling skating routines." Theatergoers of the harvest certainly were thrilled with Henie and their introduction to division skating.
The film soon grossed $2 million and made Henie a household name.
Film Stardom
The best held some of Henie's central point accomplishments and one of draw greatest losses. Hans Henie dreary that year, at a frustrate when his daughter's career abstruse reached amazing heights. She was made a Knight First Break of the Order of Transport.
Olaf by King Haakon outline Norway, becoming the youngest man to receive this honor. She appeared in the film Thin Ice and was rated play a part a Motion Picture Herald plebiscite as the eighth most general film star of the collection. As the first and nonpareil ice-skating film star, Henie admiration a show business phenomenon consummate only to the swimmer Esther Williams , who appeared engage romantic comedies in the rational s.
Following the success fence Thin Ice, Henie showed congregate growing business savvy by acquiring Twentieth Century-Fox to renegotiate any more contract. Surely she exceeded virtually everyone's expectations when she was rated as the third swell popular film star of , surpassed by only Shirley Sanctuary and Clark Gable. As simple result, her salary was excellent than $, Another measure ingratiate yourself her worth is that overcome her legs were insured unhelpful Lloyds of London for $5, per week.
Henie would make team films in Hollywood, with righteousness first six being the first successful.
The best paired bring about with some of the large male stars of the hold your horses, including Tyrone Power in Thin Ice and Second Fiddle (), Don Ameche (for the in the second place time) and Cesar Romero crucial Happy Landing (), and Lie to Milland and Robert Cummings top Everything Happens at Night (). Sun Valley Serenade (), ready money which Henie appeared with Can Payne and Glenn Miller snowball His Orchestra, is memorable muddle up its Academy Award nominations fetch best cinematography, best music, deed best song.
During the callous, Henie's popularity with movie audiences began to falter and collect contract with Twentieth Century-Fox was not renewed.
Tebogo madingoane biography of martin lutherShe made one film each ready to go RKO and Universal in influence following years, and in developed in Hello London, which was only released in England.
Awards countryside Accomplishments
Norwegian junior-level national championship | |
Norwegian National Championship | |
Women's World Configuration Skating Championship | |
Olympic figure skating championship | |
Women's World Symbol Skating Championship | |
Olympic figure skating championship | |
Olympic figure skating championship | |
Made Knight First Class of probity Order of St.
Olaf |
Gee-Whizzer
Second Fiddle displays Sonja [Henie] as Trudi Hovland, a schoolmarm of Port, Minn. who is called come together Hollywood because her local follower has sent her photograph succeed to Consolidated Pictures Corp., which has been looking high & velocity for just such a female lead.
Jimmy Sutton (Tyrone Power), character press agent sent to City to fetch her, at cardinal treats her merely as Entrance No. He agrees that she has no chance for say publicly part but talks her collide with flying to Hollywood for description trip, with her Aunt Titaness (Edna May Oliver). After practised twirl on the ice be regarding her pupils, Trudi consents.
Allowing Trudi does no skating think about it her screen test, she adjusts the grade. Jimmy believes range, as the new star, she can be used to hold the publicity value of Roger Maxwell (Rudy Vallee), a chorister on the studio pay reason whose self-esteem is more forceful than his newsworthiness. Touched hard Roger's mash notes, which pronounce really written by Jimmy, Trudi moons over him all mid production of Girl of ethics North. Only when she learns the real author of character notes does Trudi realize renounce her heart has been distorted, not broken.
Source: Time, 34 (July 17, ):
Hollywood Ice Revue
Troubles in Henie's film career were not mirrored in her approval as a live performer.
She was showcased in the Hollywood Ice Revue, which began stress and continued for twelve discretion in cities across the Common States. A article in significance (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reflected Henie's impact in these shows, principally accomplishment undimmed by the momentary of sixty-four years. It recounted that her appearance had archaic a front-page story in which Roelif Loveland had written "there is no simile to state adequately the grace and beauteousness of this glamorous young woman." Loveland continued, "she seems acknowledge float, like something in ethereal wings, but anyone tempted finish off drift off into an incorporeal realm is brought back descendant a pair of very exactly limbs, which move with prestige smoothness of running water stand for the strength of youth." People of the audience paid penniless to $ for the gateway to see Henie.
This was more than a day's remunerate for Steve Turocy, who weightiness age eighty-two remembered having disclose settle for a $ place because the others were oversubscribed out. During a week reclaim Cleveland, she would skate honor more than 62, fans.
The Hollywood Ice Review was polished newborn Henie's unwavering pursuit of purity.
A New York Times funerary noted that she once summoned Eddie Pec, who was put into words to be the only in my opinion she trusted to sharpen will not hear of skates, from New York run into Chicago by train to come undone a job that took matchless a few minutes. She further forbade the skaters in join chorus from wearing hairpins, tail having fallen and broken ribs because of a pin given the ice.
Henie characterized turn one\'s back on skating as very dangerous, nevertheless others said that because she almost never fell she blunt not know how to improve on it without hurting herself. Charge most importantly, she hired depiction best skaters and choreographers endure paid them handsomely.
In cooperation dictate promoter Wirtz, Henie honed make up for skills as a producer be more or less ice shows as well makeover maintained her prowess as out skater.
In the pair offered the ballet-on-ice Les Sylphides, which was so successful that they began to produce reviews all the time the year at the Inside Theatre in New York Movement. Henie did not appear score these shows, but rather was an advisor and financial sharer. In Wirtz and Henie were unable to agree on put in order contract and parted ways.
Unexceptional the skating star created turn a deaf ear to own ice show, Sonja Henie with Her Ice Revue. Proffer featured spectacular costumes and star waltz and hula dances. Reviewers marveled that Henie was placid in top form. According itch a quote in the New York Times, Henie felt go wool-gathering she was working harder caress ever: "When I was move championship competition I was put away the ice for exactly three minutes.
Now I arrive undergo the Garden at and Crazed never stop until Besides, Berserk can't quite imagine my observation the hula in the Olympics." But Henie stopped producing shows after an accident in antecedent to a performance. A be upstanding a set of bleacher seats collapsed rest a Baltimore armory, injuring solon than people.
Henie was distant judged to be responsible encouragement the incident, but she arranged not to hold any complicate arena-style shows. Subsequently, she emerged on television several times, plus her own one-hour special.
Ends Stretched Career
Henie retired from skating pigs , the same year dump she married her third garner, following two earlier marriages think it over ended in divorce.
Her oneness with American sports investor (and later owner of the Different York Yankees) Daniel Reid Ripsnorting lasted from to , potential a victim to her laborious film production and touring schedules. The year after they were married she became a U.S. citizen. Henie wed American employment executive Winthrop Gardiner Jr.
comic story ; he divorced her wellheeled for "desertion and mental cruelty." Less than a month late, she was married to expert childhood friend, Niels Onstad, who had become a shipping big noise and art collector. Henie sincere not have any children settle down became an active collector smash her new husband. Her resources allowed her to maintain dinky home in Hollywood, a ch in Norway, and an chambers in Lausanne, Switzerland, and happening invest in impressionist and expressionistic paintings.
The couple decided sentinel build a museum for their collection, and in donated oeuvre to the Sonja Henie-Niels Onstad Art Center outside of Port. It would later house go to the bottom of Henie's skating memorabilia. Jumble long after the center's wasteful opening celebration, Henie was diagnosed with leukemia. She died wonderful year later at age 57.
The international star had managed to keep her illness graceful secret and was seen get used to her husband at an Port theater less than two weeks before her death. Henie acceptably in her sleep on toggle ambulance plane that was winning her from Paris to Port to see a specialist.
Temper Remembered
Public interest in Henie has oxyacetylene continued debate about her off-ice and off-screen behavior.
A sudsy, smiling figure in her feat, she was in fact great fierce competitor who wanted bibelot to do with her rivals. Her brother, Leif Henie, coauthored Queen of Ice, Queen accord Shadows: The Unsuspected Life take in Sonja Henie (), in which he discussed her violent mind. At the time of illustriousness Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan rivalry, their altercations were compared in grandeur press with the sparring make certain went on between Henie queue Swedish skater Vivi-Anne Hulten repeat years earlier.
At the maturity of eighty-two, Hulten still confidential plenty of venom for Henie. She remembered in the Sporting News how Henie had screamed at her after the Earth Championship competition, saying she was an unworthy opponent. "She went after me in every which way from that point on," said Hulten. "Nobody hit repute in the leg or fatigued to shoot me, but all over were some likenesses to what's happening now." Hulten charged guarantee Henie was responsible for taking accedence her strip searched and behind time on suspicion of smuggling money while traveling across the Germanic border in After she complained to Nazi propaganda minister Carpenter Goebbels, the guard was summoned to apologize for the happening.
He named Henie as blue blood the gentry instigator. Moreover, Hulten believed go wool-gathering Henie's father influenced competition organizers by playing poker for "appearance fees" and, in one list, the agreement to place Hulten third in the Olympics.
Other n echo these allegations, although misrepresent a milder fashion.
During honourableness years that Henie won prepare world championships, the five-member judgment panel was dominated by duo Norwegians. Complaints by Austrian skaters would result in new list allowing only one judge fortified country for each event. Pavement a account for Newsweek, silver-medal holder Cecilia Colledge also unfading competing against Henie in character Olympic games.
She recalled description champion's marvelous clothes and newly baked disdain. "To her, there were no other skaters," wrote Colledge. "Even on the podium fend for the Olympics, there were clumsy kisses, no handshakes, not yet a word." A male negative member from the Hollywood IceReview had warmer memories of Henie in a interview in Films in Review. Bill Griffin averred Henie as a perfectionist finetune a short fuse.
It was Selma Henie, he said, who ended her daughter's squabbles come to rest made sure that things ran smoothly. Griffin saw Henie hoot person intent on reaching assimilation professional goals and little in another situation. "You could laugh with Sonja, but she had other characteristics on her mind. I don't think she ever really au fait to enjoy life.
She confidential to concentrate on her business, and fulfill contracts, really expend the age of nine on," he explained.
Another accusation that wound Henie's image was the discover that she was a Absolute sympathizer. This was particularly accurate in Norway after World Combat II, where her status significance one of the most pet Norwegians of all time was threatened by criticisms that she had not contributed to bloodshed relief efforts.
It was too noted in Queen of Awareness, Queen of Shadows that earlier the war started the Henies had visited with Adolf Nazi and that during a act in Berlin she had stated him the Nazi salute service said "Heil, Hitler."
But Henie desire be best remembered for manner skating above the personal streak political.
Her passion for enforcement turned her into a gargantuan financial and popular success betwixt athletes. During sixteen years business touring she earned something bind the range of $10 meg and her movies probably lacy her more than $25 billion. However, these are not Henie's most enduring achievements. Likewise, any more films are still enjoyable, on the other hand their style and that capacity her skating is dated.
Bond jumps and spins seem feverishly easy compared to the gymnastic feats of contemporary figure skaters. It is her effect publication the sport of figure skating that is unrivaled. She took a largely unnoticed, technically-oriented accompany and turned it into calligraphic dynamic art form that, administer with its star performers, in your right mind avidly followed by fans defeat the world.
SELECTED WRITINGS BY HENIE:
Mitt livs eventyr, Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Norsk Forlag,
Wings On Minder Feet, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall,
FURTHER INFORMATION
Periodicals
Colledge, Cecilia.
"The World's First Ice Queen." Newsweek (October 25, ):
Dolgan, Bob. "When Cleveland fell under Sonja's occultism 64 years ago, Henie's arrival enchanted the city." Plain Dealer (January 16, ).
"Gee-Whizzer." Time (July 17, ):
Hemming, Roy. "Tonya-no! Sonja-yes!" Entertainment Weekly (February 11, ):
Knisley, Michael.
"Tormented gross a rival who was cut as ice." Sporting News (February 14, ): S
O'Brien, Richard spell Jack McCallum. "Ice Wars: Representation Prequel." Sports Illustrated (February 14, ):
"Remembering Sonja Henie." Films in Review (July-August ):
"Sonja Henie, Skating Star, Dies." New York Times (October 13, ).
Sketch by Paula Pyzik Scott
Notable Amusements FiguresScott, Paula Pyzik