Sonja Henie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sonja Kay Henie
Henie at the 1936 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Sonja Henie
Country represented	Norway
Born	(1912-04-08)8 April 1912 Oslo, Norway
Died	12 October 1969(1969-10-12) (aged 57) on a plane flying from Paris to Oslo
Height	1.55 m (5 ft 1 in)
Former partner	Jack Dunn Stewart Reburn
Former coach	Howard Nicholson
Skating club	Oslo SK
Retired	1956
Medal record Representing  Norway Ladies' Figure skating Olympic Games Gold 1928 St. Moritz Singles Gold 1932 Lake Placid Singles Gold 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Singles World Championships Gold 1927 Oslo Singles Gold 1928 London Singles Gold 1929 Budapest Singles Gold 1930 New York Singles Gold 1931 Berlin Singles Gold 1932 Montreal Singles Gold 1933 Stockholm Singles Gold 1934 Oslo Singles Gold 1935 Vienna Singles Gold 1936 Paris Singles Silver 1926 Stockholm Singles European Championships Gold 1931 St. Moritz Singles Gold 1932 Paris Singles Gold 1933 London Singles Gold 1934 Prague Singles Gold 1935 St. Moritz Singles Gold 1936 Berlin Singles

Sonja Henie (born April 8, 1912 – died October 12, 1969) was an amazing Norwegian figure skater and a famous movie star. She won three Olympic gold medals in women's singles (in 1928, 1932, and 1936). She also won ten World Championships in a row (from 1927 to 1936) and six European Championships (from 1931 to 1936).

Sonja Henie holds more Olympic and World titles than any other female figure skater. She is one of only two women to win the Olympic ladies' singles title more than once. Her six European titles have only been matched by another famous skater, Katarina Witt. Later in her life, she became one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood. She appeared in many popular movies like Thin Ice (1937) and Sun Valley Serenade (1941).

Sonja Henie's Story

Her Early Life

Sonja Henie was born on April 8, 1912, in Kristiania, which is now Oslo, Norway. She was the only daughter of Wilhelm Henie and Selma Lochmann-Nielsen. Her father was a successful fur dealer. Both of her parents had inherited money. Wilhelm Henie was once a World Cycling Champion. He encouraged his children to try many sports from a young age.

Sonja first showed talent in skiing. Then, she followed her older brother, Leif, into figure skating. As a girl, Sonja was also a skilled tennis player, swimmer, and horse rider. Once she started serious figure skating training, she stopped going to regular school. Tutors taught her at home. Her father hired the best experts, including the famous Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina, to help her become a sports star. Sonja started skating when she was just 5 years old. She loved music and dance from a young age. She studied ballet and admired the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova.

Her Amazing Skating Career

Henie with British skater Cecilia Colledge during the medals ceremony at the 1936 Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Sonja won her first big figure skating competition, the senior Norwegian championships, at age 10. At the 1924 Winter Olympics, when she was eleven, she placed eighth. This was her first Olympic appearance.

In 1927, at age fourteen, Sonja won the first of her ten straight World Figure Skating Championships. This was a record that no one had ever achieved before. The next year, she won her first of three Olympic gold medals. This made her one of the youngest figure skating Olympic champions. She won her Olympic titles again in 1932 and 1936. She also won her World titles every year until 1936. From 1931 to 1936, she won six European championships in a row.

No other female single skater has matched Sonja Henie's three Olympic gold medals or her ten straight World Championship titles. She shares the record for most consecutive European titles with Katarina Witt.

Towards the end of her competitive career, younger skaters like Cecilia Colledge and Megan Taylor started to challenge her. However, Sonja still won her third Olympic title at the 1936 Winter Olympics. Cecilia Colledge finished very close behind her. During her skating career, Sonja traveled a lot and worked with many coaches. In Oslo, she trained at Frogner Stadium. Later, she was coached by Howard Nicholson in London.

Sonja was very popular. Police sometimes had to help control the crowds when she appeared in cities like Prague and New York City. Her parents managed her career and traveled with her.

Becoming a Movie Star

Sonja Henie appeared on the cover of Time magazine on 17 July 1939

After the 1936 World Figure Skating Championships, Sonja Henie decided to become a professional performer. She wanted to be a movie star in California. She opened up new chances for figure skaters to earn a living. Besides making Hollywood films, she toured North America with her own ice shows. This made her very wealthy. By making ice shows popular, she created professional opportunities for other skaters.

In 1936, after a successful ice show in Los Angeles, Hollywood studio boss Darryl Zanuck signed her to a contract. This made her one of the highest-paid actresses at the time. Her first film, One in a Million (1936), was a big success. Sonja also insisted on having full control over the skating parts in her movies.

Sonja tried to make different types of films, like Everything Happens at Night (1939). This movie was even banned in Nazi Germany. She also made It's a Pleasure (1945). This was her only film shot in Technicolor. However, it was not as popular as her other movies.

When Zanuck saw this, he put her in more musical comedies. These included Sun Valley Serenade (1941) with Glenn Miller and Iceland (1942). She also starred in Wintertime (1943). Sonja became good at comedy. These films were some of the biggest hits for 20th Century-Fox. Eight of Sonja Henie's movies earned over $100 million in the US. Happy Landing (1938) was her biggest box office success.

Sonja Henie was nominated for "50 Greatest Screen Legend" status by the American Film Institute. She did not make the final list.

From 1936 to 1943, Sonja also worked with Arthur Wirtz. He produced her touring ice shows called "Hollywood Ice Revue." Sonja's popularity as a film actress brought many new fans to figure skating. Throughout the 1940s, Sonja and Wirtz created amazing ice skating shows at Rockefeller Center's Center Theatre. Millions of people bought tickets.

At the peak of her fame, Sonja earned about $2 million each year from her shows and tours. She also had many deals to promote skates, clothes, jewelry, and dolls with her name. These activities made her one of the wealthiest self-made women in the world.

Henie's handprint and signature in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre

In 1950, Sonja stopped working with Wirtz. For the next three seasons, she produced her own tours called "Sonja Henie Ice Revue." This was a difficult decision because Wirtz controlled the best venues. Sonja ended up playing in smaller places. A section of seats collapsing during a show in Baltimore, Maryland in 1952 caused more problems for her tour.

In 1953, Sonja partnered with Morris Chalfen for his European Holiday On Ice tour, which was very successful. She produced her own show at New York's Roxy Theatre in January 1956. However, a tour in South America later in 1956 was not successful. Sonja could no longer keep up with the demands of touring. This marked her retirement from skating.

She tried to make a series of travel films on her own. Only Hello London (1958) was made. While her ice skating parts were still good, the film did not get many distributors and received poor reviews. This ended her film career.

Her autobiography, Mitt livs eventyr, was published in 1938. An English version, Wings on My Feet, came out in 1940. When she died, Sonja was planning a TV special for January 1970.

Her Influence on Skating

Henie in Berlin, 1930

Sonja Henie is known for being the first figure skater to use dance choreography. She also helped make the short skirt popular in figure skating. She was also known for wearing white boots. These made skates look lighter and made the skater's legs appear longer. White boots quickly became standard for female skaters. Sonja then started wearing beige boots to be unique.

Her new skating techniques and glamorous style changed the sport forever. She helped make figure skating a respected sport in the Winter Olympics. She influenced how female skaters dressed, especially with her fur-trimmed outfits. Other skaters copied these at the 1930 World Figure Skating Championships. Sonja added dance moves to her skating, like spins and jumps, to match the music.

Sonja's biggest impact was through her professional ice shows and Hollywood films. For many people, these were the first time they saw figure skating. Because of her, the image of a figure skater became linked to a "glamorous movie star." The costumes she wore in her shows and films were short, sparkly, and feathery. These were more like entertainer costumes than the traditional competitive skating outfits. This "showiness" likely influenced the costume choices of future female skaters.

Her Personal Life

Sonja Henie was married three times. Her husbands were Dan Topping (1940–1946), Winthrop Gardiner Jr. (1949–1956), and the Norwegian shipping owner and art lover Niels Onstad (1956–1969). After she retired in 1956, Sonja and Onstad lived in Oslo. They collected a large amount of modern art. This collection became the basis for the Henie Onstad Art Centre near Oslo.

Sonja was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the mid-1960s. She died from this illness at age 57 in 1969. She was on a plane flying from Paris to Oslo. She is buried with Niels Onstad in Oslo, overlooking the Henie Onstad Art Centre.

Skating Results

Ladies' Singles

Henie's Olympic gold medal, St. Moritz 1928

Pairs Skating

(with Arne Lie)

Awards and Honors

• She was added to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1976.
• She was added to the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.
• Sonja Henie has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• In 1938, at age 25, she became the youngest person to be made a knight first class of The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
• She was made an Honorary Colonel and Godmother of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Filmography

Other Appearances

Norwegian Long Haul Boeing 787 painted with an image of Sonja Henie

• For a time, Sonja Henie's picture was on the tail of a Boeing 737-300 airplane for the airline Norwegian Air Shuttle. Later, her picture was moved to the tail of a Boeing 737-800 and then to the airline's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This airline often puts pictures of famous deceased Norwegians on the tails of its planes.
• In 2012, the Posten Norge (Norwegian postal service) released two stamps featuring Sonja Henie.

Images for kids

• 

  Sonja Henie with Adolf Hitler in 1936.

See also

In Spanish: Sonja Henie para niños