Sonja Henie turned her successful figure skating career into a lucrative film career during the Golden Age of Hollywood. The Norwegian figure skater turned her Olympic gold medals into shining silver screen performances in the 1930s and 1940s. During her illustrious movie career, Sonja starred in a number of films, and incorporated her beautiful ice-skating skills into her acting roles. Let’s take a look back at the remarkable life and career of the one-of-kind Sonja Henie.
Born in Norway in 1912, Sonja Henie started skating at the age of eight. By the time she was eleven, she had won her first major competition. She went on to compete in the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games, winning three consecutive gold medals. Her success in the Olympics cemented her place as a world-renowned figure skater.
In 1928, Henie made the transition from competitive skating to show skating. She began performing in ice shows and exhibitions, showcasing her signature style and grace. Her performances were a hit with audiences, and she soon became one of the most popular figure skaters of the era.
Sonja retired from competitive figure skating in 1936 shortly after she competed in the World Figure Skating Championships and set her sights on Hollywood. Her father, Wilhelm Henie, who acted as her manager, arranged for her to star in an ice skating show in Los Angeles and invited top Hollywood studio execs to come see her skate. The ploy worked. Twentieth Century Fox studio executive Darryl Zanuck signed Sonya Henie to a lucrative long-term acting contract that made Henie one of the highest-paid actresses of the 1930s.
Sonja Henie’s first film, One in a Million, was released in 1936 and was a box office hit. She went on to star in a number of films, including Iceland, Second Fiddle, My Lucky Star, and Sun Valley Serenade.
Glamorous, beautiful, and exotic, Sonja Henie was a natural celebrity and her films were box-office hits. Script writers developed storylines especially for her as a way to showcase her skating talents. In fact, watching Sonja Henie skating in her movies introduced a generation of Americans to the sport of figure skating. Henie is credited with boosting the popularity of the sport and inspiring youngsters to see the possibility of ice skating.
Sonja Henie’s influence in the history of figure skating is still felt today. She also introduced a new style of skating, characterized by her graceful jumps and spins. By combining her figure skating with her acting, she transformed herself into an international celebrity.
In addition to her film career, Sonja Henie was also involved in a number of business ventures. She founded a brand of ice skates and launched ice shows around the country. She was also the owner of a chain of ice skating rinks, which she opened in the US and Europe.
Although Sonya Henie died in 1969, her legacy lives on. She was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1976. From her pioneering figure skating career to her successful film career, Sonja was a star in every sense of the word.