As a young girl, I learned about Sonja Henie from a book titled "Whatever Became Of......? In honor of her I pretended some of my stuffed animals were Norwegian.
Brown-eyed Sonja Henie was born in Kristiania (Oslo) Norway in 1912. She was a 3-time Olympic figure skating champion (1928, 1932, and 1936). Yet what endeared me to her is tha
t she was also a movie actress. My initiation into old Hollywood movies began with Betty Grable and Alice Faye musicals. Sonja's figure skating films were somewhat similiar to those musicals albeit skating. Even her co-stars were similiar to Grable's and Faye's eg. Tyrone Power, John Payne, Don Amerche, and Cesear Romero.
Henie had studied ballet. She helped popularize figure skating in part by her showmanship combining dance, leaps and costumes which is standard in today's figures skating whereas it previously was a mundane sport.
Henie was a diminutive woman at only 5'3' but a sharp businesswoman. Top Hollywood executives wanted to sign her but her asking price of $75,000 was deemed outrageous at the time.
She was eventually signed by Fox after renting an ice rink, producing and starring in her own Hollywood Ice Revue which sold out to standing-room-only crowds.
Her films showcased her skating talents. Naturally they were often at winter lodges. Henie began to demand contract revisions making her the highest paid star in Hollywood. After World War II, her popularity waned and she concentrated on ice revues. She became one of the wealthiest women in the world.
Sonja Henie founded the Henie-Onstad Centre in Norway. The collection includes artwork by Picasso, Matisse, Leger, Ernst, Miro, and Klee along with Sonja's skating trophies and photographs. It also includes prizes won by Sonja skiing, tennis, motor racing competitions.
Brown-eyed Sonja Henie was born in Kristiania (Oslo) Norway in 1912. She was a 3-time Olympic figure skating champion (1928, 1932, and 1936). Yet what endeared me to her is tha
t she was also a movie actress. My initiation into old Hollywood movies began with Betty Grable and Alice Faye musicals. Sonja's figure skating films were somewhat similiar to those musicals albeit skating. Even her co-stars were similiar to Grable's and Faye's eg. Tyrone Power, John Payne, Don Amerche, and Cesear Romero.Henie had studied ballet. She helped popularize figure skating in part by her showmanship combining dance, leaps and costumes which is standard in today's figures skating whereas it previously was a mundane sport.
Henie was a diminutive woman at only 5'3' but a sharp businesswoman. Top Hollywood executives wanted to sign her but her asking price of $75,000 was deemed outrageous at the time.
She was eventually signed by Fox after renting an ice rink, producing and starring in her own Hollywood Ice Revue which sold out to standing-room-only crowds.
Her films showcased her skating talents. Naturally they were often at winter lodges. Henie began to demand contract revisions making her the highest paid star in Hollywood. After World War II, her popularity waned and she concentrated on ice revues. She became one of the wealthiest women in the world.
Sonja Henie founded the Henie-Onstad Centre in Norway. The collection includes artwork by Picasso, Matisse, Leger, Ernst, Miro, and Klee along with Sonja's skating trophies and photographs. It also includes prizes won by Sonja skiing, tennis, motor racing competitions.
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