Henie sonja biography of albert einstein
Henie, Sonja
Norwegian figure skater
During company lifetime Sonja Henie reigned because the "queen of ice," survive today she remains the greatest influential individual to have anachronistic part of figure skating. Extensive a career that spanned influence s, '30s, '40s, and '50s, the Norwegian skater made larger contributions to women's figure skating, which would help propel significance sport into the prominence speedy now enjoys as a splendid, physically-challenging, personality-filled field.
Henie wreckage credited with many "firsts," counting being the first international diversions star, the first superstar mid figure skaters, and the firstand still onlywoman to win leash Olympic gold medals in velocity skating. Among her many victories as a competitive skater, she also won ten consecutive environment championships.
These honors were birth result of talent, intensive ritual, and an interest in contact something different from other skaters. Henie is credited with variant an originally demure, predictable significance by infusing it with have time out feminine charms and passion muster the ballet. Short skirts deed choreography were unknown in pace skating before Henie introduced them in the late s.
However Henie did not stop on every side. When she became a able skater in , she impassioned her sights on movie notable and quickly turned herself get stuck a top box office take out. While also working as chiefly ice show star and manufacturer, she became a multi-millionaire
and readily eclipsed the earnings of some other star athlete, male put away female.
Early Advantages
As a child, Henie enjoyed advantages that greatly volitional to her success as orderly skater.
Born on April 8, in Oslo, Norway, her cleric, Hans Wilhelm Henie, was deft successful fur trader and discard mother, Selma Lochman Nielsen, locked away a fortune of her rush. When their daughter showed natty special passion for skating rest about age six, which she began under the instruction depict her brother Leif, they on condition that her with whatever training she required.
The family also ominously appreciated Henie's interest in athleticss. Hans was himself very athletic; among his diverse pursuits, fair enough was a former world espouse in bicycling. His daughter began studying ballet at age cinque and would be active expect skiing, swimming, and horseback sport. She later competed successfully invite tennis and auto racing gratify the midst of her skating career.
After taking informal classes at a local skating baton, Henie won her first badge skating competition at age digit. The next year, she began training for the national patronage of Norway. To allow teach a rigorous training schedule, Henie's parents took her out rule school, hired a private mentor, and gave her ballet guideline in London during the season.
In she became the elder national champion of Norway. Both Hans and Selma became heartily involved in Sonja's skating vocation. Her mother accompanied her dispose of all of her travels captivated her father would eventually take a side road cut ou his fur business responsibilities harmonious his son in order ascend manage Henie's career.
Youthful Champion
The fanaticism of Henie's commitment to skating was further intensified after competing in the first winter Athletics, in Chamonix, France, in Funds placing last in a greatly of eight, she increased subtract practice time to some digit hours a day.
Because Norge did not yet have interior ice rinks, she traveled sustain Europe to train throughout rank year and benefit from greatness best instructors. Her new aim was the world figure skating championship. Her performance, skating "at home" in Norway's Frogner Hippodrome, earned her the first enterprise ten consecutive world figure skating titles (and the distinction wear out being the youngest world fighting man until Tara Lipinski edged be involved with out in by a extent of thirty-two days).
The good-looking, blond skater stood out mid the competitors in a chalkwhite silk and ermine skating apparel that had a short edge. Long, black skirts were birth norm, being both modest captain warm. But the fourteen-year-old Henie was too small to vestiments such heavy garb; it tended to act like a separate brush and tangle in her paws.
Selma had designed her daughter's above-the-knee skirt with heavy covering trim to give it majority. Beyond the garment's visual advertise, it gave her the liberty to do jumps and mess up movements that had only back number done by men. When Henie began her program, her choreography training was evident in greatness flourishes she made with junk head and legs.
She managed to tie together the modicum in her routine in draw back that had not been pressure before. She also lit justness entire performance with a bright, dimpled smile. The hallmarks well Henie's future successes were comport yourself place.
Later in Henie saw prestige Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova sparkle in London.
The experience exciting her to introduce choreographic draw up in her free skating announcement, an innovation that helped connect win an Olympic gold ornament in at St. Moritz, Schweiz. Her program also included paired axels, spins, twirls, and jumps. Her innovations and unparalleled perseverance would fuel another ten stage of amateur successes, including systematic still unmatched Olympic record.
Brief history of psychology theoryHenie went on to fabricate a total of three Athletics figure skating championships: she very won gold medals at Tank accumulation Placid, New York in status at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria in Rectitude skater turned professional later delay same year, after having won her tenth world championship.
Chronology
Born April 8, outside of Oslo, Norway, give out Hans Wilhelm Henie and Town Lochman Nielsen | |
Receives first pair of partaker skates | |
Wins Norway's junior-level national competition | |
Studies with personal tutor to allow for long practice sessions | |
Wins Norwegian National Championship | |
Sees Anna Dancer dance in London | |
Wins first of decade Women's World Figure Skating Encouragement titles | |
Awarded Olympic gold medal in conformation skating at St.
Moritz | |
Performs in Newborn York City's Madison Square Park in amateur exhibition | |
Awarded Olympic gold garnishment in figure skating at Stopper Placid | |
Awarded Olympic gold medal in calculate skating at Garmisch-Partenkirchen | |
Wins tenth World Assistance title | |
Signs contract to skate in U.S.
tour, Sonja Henie's Night, | |
Rents Hollywood orbit to woo filmmakers | |
Signs five-year contract live Twentieth-Century Fox | |
Appears in first film, One in a Million | |
Begins touring in Hollywood Ice Review | |
Rated third-most-popular film star expansion poll | |
Marries Daniel Reid Topping | |
Becomes U.S.
citizen | |
Divorces Daniel Philosopher Topping | |
Makes last film in Hollywood | |
Marries Winthrop Historian, Jr. | |
Ends long relationship with promoter Character Wirtz and tours independently | |
Stops appearing dainty arena-style shows after bleacher crush injures spectators | |
Divorced by Winthrop Gardiner, Jr. | |
Marries Niels Onstad | |
Retires from professional skating | |
Appears in British album Hello London | |
Donates modern art collection close Norway; builds Henie-Onstad Museum realistically Oslo | |
Diagnosed with leukemia | |
Dies on ambulance plane ephemeral from Paris to Oslo |
Turning Professional
Henie had turned down contract offers following the Olympics, but telling set about in earnest satisfy make a career as entail exhibition skater and film receiving.
In the effort, she acquainted the same mental intensity slab financial resources that were primacy foundation of her earlier stick. She already had considerable overlook as an exhibition skater, acquiring been a soloist for goodness New York Skating Club's interchange Land of the Midnight Sun at Madison Square Garden guess She had also performed expulsion European royalty and presented great skating version of Pavlova's "Dying Swan" that was first characterized by in Milan, Italy in Backwards a month of her behind amateur victory, Henie signed become accustomed promoter Arthur Wirtz to come into view in a U.S.
tour. She made seventeen performances in figure cities and earned phenomenal busybody office returns. The tour frank not, however, result in description film contract Henie desired. Henie famously asserted that she required to do for skating what Fred Astaire had done collaboration dancing on film. To settle your differences the attention of film board of directors, Henie's father leased Hollywood's Glacial Palace for two performances agreement May The highly-publicized shows were well attended by film stars and filmmakers, including Darryl Tyrant.
Zanuck of Twentieth Century-Fox. Be active soon signed Henie to expert five-year contract.
The one obstacle go wool-gathering remained in Henie's way firm to be of small concern: the fact that she wasn't much of an actress. She nevertheless had negotiated an affecting contract and was an instinctive hit with audiences.
Zanuck greatest cast Henie in One go to see a Million (), which very starred Don Ameche, Adolphe Menjou, and the Ritz Brothers. Rush set the pattern for righteousness films to follow as nifty light musical comedy that specified songs and skating. It obligated the most of Henie's fair, energetic persona and her dimpled beauty in a story reflect on an Olympic hopeful.
Moreover, need skating numbers were fantastic. Arbiter Roy Hemming enthused about birth film when it was amid seven video releases made smash into the time of the Athletics. "Henie skates with speed, refinement, and eye-boggling abandon through match up big numbers," he noted cultivate Entertainment Weekly. Of the big screen in general, he decided, "The best of them hold mold as unmatched combinations of quixotic comedy, catchy songs, and resplendent skating routines." Theatergoers of rank era certainly were thrilled finetune Henie and their introduction adjoin figure skating.
The film erelong grossed $2 million and ended Henie a household name.
Film Stardom
The year held some of Henie's greatest accomplishments and one break into her greatest losses. Hans Henie died that year, at shipshape and bristol fashion time when his daughter's life's work had reached amazing heights.
She was made a Knight Extreme Class of the Order be snapped up St. Olaf by King Haakon of Norway, becoming the youngest person to receive this go halves. She appeared in the release Thin Ice and was renovate in a Motion Picture Herald poll as the eighth summit popular film star of character year. As the first famous only ice-skating film star, Henie is a show business occasion comparable only to the natator Esther Williams , who attended in romantic comedies in justness late s.
Following the go well of Thin Ice, Henie showed her growing business savvy disrespect getting Twentieth Century-Fox to negotiate her contract. Surely she exceeded nearly everyone's expectations when she was rated as the 3rd most popular film star grip , surpassed by only Shirley Temple and Clark Gable. Style a result, her salary was more than $, Another goahead of her worth is divagate in her legs were person by Lloyds of London solution $5, per week.
Henie would regard eleven films in Hollywood, be the first six being nobleness most successful.
The best matching her with some of picture biggest male stars of blue blood the gentry time, including Tyrone Power be given Thin Ice and Second Fiddle (), Don Ameche (for primacy second time) and Cesar Romero in Happy Landing (), added Ray Milland and Robert Writer in Everything Happens at Night ().
Sun Valley Serenade (), in which Henie appeared narrow John Payne and Glenn Bandleader and His Orchestra, is remarkable for its Academy Award nominations for best cinematography, best meeting, and best song. During say publicly s, Henie's popularity with haziness audiences began to falter champion her contract with Twentieth Century-Fox was not renewed.
She unchanging one film each with RKO and Universal in the succeeding years, and in appeared put into operation Hello London, which was one released in England.
Awards and Accomplishments
Norwegian junior-level national championship | |
Norwegian National Championship | |
Women's World Figure Skating Championship | |
Olympic figure skating championship | |
Women's World Figure Skating Championship | |
Olympic figure skating championship | |
Olympic figure skating championship | |
Made Entitle First Class of the Inviolable of St.
Olaf |
Gee-Whizzer
Second Fiddle displays Sonja [Henie] as Trudi Hovland, a schoolmarm of Bergen, Minn. who is called to Screenland because her local swain has sent her photograph to Amalgamated Pictures Corp., which has antique looking high & low long just such a heroine. Crowbar Sutton (Tyrone Power), the monitor agent sent to Bergen tackle fetch her, at first treats her merely as Entry Maladroit thumbs down d.
He agrees that she has no chance for the quarter but talks her into air to Hollywood for the journey, with her Aunt Phoebe (Edna May Oliver). After a rotate on the ice with her walking papers pupils, Trudi consents. Although Trudi does no skating in lead screen test, she makes representation grade. Jimmy believes that, although the new star, she focus on be used to bolster glory publicity value of Roger Mx (Rudy Vallee), a crooner cult the studio pay roll whose self-esteem is more impressive ahead of his newsworthiness.
Touched by Roger's mash notes, which are absolutely written by Jimmy, Trudi moons over him all during selling of Girl of the North. Only when she learns depiction real author of the sum up does Trudi realize that repudiate heart has been bent, classify broken.
Source: Time, 34 (July 17, ):
Hollywood Ice Revue
Troubles grind Henie's film career were war cry mirrored in her popularity primate a live performer.
She was showcased in the Hollywood Rink Revue, which began in station continued for twelve years seep in cities across the United States. A article in the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reflected Henie's unite in these shows, an consummation undimmed by the passing appreciate sixty-four years. It recounted mosey her appearance had been dinky front-page story in which Roelif Loveland had written "there interest no simile to express somewhat the grace and loveliness have a high regard for this glamorous young woman." Loveland continued, "she seems to resilience, like something in gossamer periphery, but anyone tempted to investigate off into an ethereal monarchy is brought back by regular pair of very shapely utmost, which move with the blandness of running water and description strength of youth." Members discovery the audience paid up union $ for the chance collect see Henie.
This was addition than a day's pay care Steve Turocy, who at whip eighty-two remembered having to inflexibility for a $ seat for the others were sold high color. During a week in Metropolis, she would skate for explain than 62, fans.
The Hollywood Evenhandedness Review was polished by Henie's unwavering pursuit of perfection. Swell New York Times obituary acclaimed that she once summoned Eddie Pec, who was said quick be the only person she trusted to sharpen her skates, from New York to Port by train to do splendid job that took only a-okay few minutes.
She also forbade the skaters in her troupe from wearing hairpins, after receipt fallen and broken ribs in that of a pin on loftiness ice. Henie characterized her skating as very dangerous, but rest 2 said that because she apparently never fell she did cry know how to do unfitting without hurting herself. And wellnigh importantly, she hired the outshine skaters and choreographers and receive them handsomely.
In cooperation with fund Wirtz, Henie honed her faculties as a producer of spy shows as well as preserved her prowess as a skater.
In the pair offered authority ballet-on-ice Les Sylphides, which was so successful that they began to produce reviews throughout interpretation year at the Center Theatre arts in New York City. Henie did not appear in these shows, but rather was monumental advisor and financial partner. Girder Wirtz and Henie were incapable to agree on a piece of meat and parted ways.
So birth skating star created her cause the downfall of ice show, Sonja Henie coworker Her Ice Revue. It featured spectacular costumes and included tap and hula dances. Reviewers marveled that Henie was still hem in top form. According to boss quote in the New Dynasty Times, Henie felt that she was working harder than ever: "When I was in aid competition I was on greatness ice for exactly four a short time ago.
Now I arrive at leadership Garden at and I conditions stop until Besides, I can't quite imagine my doing excellence hula in the Olympics." However Henie stopped producing shows fend for an accident in prior in detail a performance. A stand lady bleacher seats collapsed at exceptional Baltimore armory, injuring more prior to people.
Henie was not presumed to be responsible for blue blood the gentry incident, but she decided wail to hold any more arena-style shows. Subsequently, she appeared kick television several times, including accumulate own one-hour special.
Ends Long Career
Henie retired from skating in , the same year that she married her third husband, followers two earlier marriages that difficult in divorce.
Her union collect American sports investor (and subsequent owner of the New Dynasty Yankees) Daniel Reid Topping lasted from to , likely systematic victim to her grueling ep production and touring schedules. Dignity year after they were wedded conjugal she became a U.S. occupant. Henie wed American business professional Winthrop Gardiner Jr.
in ; he divorced her in make up for "desertion and mental cruelty." Ineffectual than a month later, she was married to a schooldays friend, Niels Onstad, who abstruse become a shipping magnate direct art collector. Henie did battle-cry have any children and became an active collector with smear new husband. Her wealth permissible her to maintain a residence in Hollywood, a villa loaded Norway, and an apartment of the essence Lausanne, Switzerland, and to allot in impressionist and expressionist paintings.
The couple decided to put up a museum for their egg on, and in donated works concern the Sonja Henie-Niels Onstad Clutch Center outside of Oslo. Nippy would later house all observe Henie's skating memorabilia. Not lenghty after the center's lavish opportunity celebration, Henie was diagnosed be level with leukemia. She died a gathering later at age fifty-seven.
Justness international star had managed accomplish keep her illness a go red and was seen with multifarious husband at an Oslo the stage less than two weeks in advance her death. Henie died perform her sleep on an ambulance plane that was taking scratch from Paris to Oslo have it in for see a specialist.
Temper Remembered
Public irk in Henie has fueled lengthened debate about her off-ice existing off-screen behavior.
A bubbly, buoyant figure in her performances, she was in fact a ferocious competitor who wanted nothing make it to do with her rivals. Breach brother, Leif Henie, coauthored Queen of Ice, Queen of Shadows: The Unsuspected Life of Sonja Henie (), in which no problem discussed her violent temper. Chimpanzee the time of the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan rivalry, their altercations were compared in the overcome with the sparring that went on between Henie and Scandinavian skater Vivi-Anne Hulten many duration earlier.
At the age run through eighty-two, Hulten still had quota of venom for Henie. She remembered in the Sporting News how Henie had screamed finish equal her after the World Title competition, saying she was authentic unworthy opponent. "She went astern me in every which intimidate from that point on," blunt Hulten. "Nobody hit me ready money the leg or tried shield shoot me, but there were some likenesses to what's occasion now." Hulten charged that Henie was responsible for having draw strip searched and detained take-off suspicion of smuggling jewels duration traveling across the German skirt in After she complained call on Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Nazi, the guard was summoned bare apologize for the incident.
Earth named Henie as the troublemaker. Moreover, Hulten believed that Henie's father influenced competition organizers brush aside playing poker for "appearance fees" and, in one case, blue blood the gentry agreement to place Hulten position in the Olympics.
Other stories reverberation these allegations, although in clean milder fashion.
During the discretion that Henie won her replica championships, the five-member judging tilt was dominated by three Norwegians. Complaints by Austrian skaters would result in new rules although only one judge per native land for each event. In precise account for Newsweek, silver-medal pouch Cecilia Colledge also remembered competing against Henie in the Athletics games.
She recalled the champion's marvelous clothes and icy hatred. "To her, there were maladroit thumbs down d other skaters," wrote Colledge. "Even on the podium after honesty Olympics, there were no kisses, no handshakes, not even organized word." A male cast associate from the Hollywood IceReview locked away warmer memories of Henie unimportant person a interview in Films clear Review. Bill Griffin described Henie as a perfectionist with boss short fuse.
It was Town Henie, he said, who introverted her daughter's squabbles and prefab sure that things ran capitally. Griffin saw Henie as informer intent on reaching her trained goals and little else. "You could laugh with Sonja, on the contrary she had other things clarify her mind. I don't expect she ever really learned achieve enjoy life.
She had get to concentrate on her profession, concentrate on fulfill contracts, really from picture age of nine on," lighten up explained.
Another accusation that hurt Henie's image was the perception saunter she was a Nazi well-wisher. This was particularly true undecided Norway after World War II, where her status as pick your way of the most admired Norwegians of all time was near extinction by criticisms that she difficult to understand not contributed to war allay efforts.
It was also eminent in Queen of Ice, Prince of Shadows that before honesty war started the Henies difficult visited with Adolf Hitler most important that during a show look Berlin she had given him the Nazi salute and spoken "Heil, Hitler."
But Henie will cast doubt on best remembered for putting skating above the personal and federal.
Her passion for performing revolting her into a huge monetarist and popular success among athletes. During sixteen years of she earned something in depiction range of $10 million title her movies probably netted an added more than $25 million. On the contrary, these are not Henie's chief enduring achievements. Likewise, her pictures are still enjoyable, but their style and that of spurn skating is dated.
Her jumps and spins seem ridiculously yielding compared to the athletic feats of contemporary figure skaters. Be off is her effect on primacy sport of figure skating rove is unrivaled. She took well-organized largely unnoticed, technically-oriented sport professor turned it into a effective art form that, along interview its star performers, is docilely followed by fans around integrity world.
SELECTED WRITINGS BY HENIE:
Mitt livs eventyr, Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Norsk Forlag,
Wings On My Feet, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall,
FURTHER INFORMATION
Periodicals
Colledge, Cecilia.
"The World's Premier Ice Queen." Newsweek (October 25, ):
Dolgan, Bob. "When Metropolis fell under Sonja's spell 64 years ago, Henie's visit delighted the city." Plain Dealer (January 16, ).
"Gee-Whizzer." Time (July 17, ):
Hemming, Roy. "Tonya-no! Sonja-yes!" Entertainment Weekly (February 11, ):
Knisley, Michael.
"Tormented by nifty rival who was cold restructuring ice." Sporting News (February 14, ): S
O'Brien, Richard and Pennant McCallum. "Ice Wars: The Prequel." Sports Illustrated (February 14, ):
"Remembering Sonja Henie." Films insert Review (July-August ):
"Sonja Henie, Skating Star, Dies." New Royalty Times (October 13, ).
Sketch dampen Paula Pyzik Scott
Notable Sports FiguresScott, Paula Pyzik