Indeed, after the school figures section at the 1936 Olympic competition, Colledge and Henie were virtually neck and neck with Colledge trailing by just a few points. And she built an elegant estate just outside of Oslo. Schooling was out and the best skating teachers were in: Oscar Holte, Martin Stixrud, and later, for a steep price, the full-time services of Howard Nicholson. Not to be confused with American basketball player, 1936 European Figure Skating Championships, "Cecilia Colledge: Champion figure skater", "AFI's 100 Years 100 Stars America's Greatest Legends", "Nektet pne festspill hvis Flagstad skulle synge", "International Women's Sports Hall of Fame", "Sonja Henie Joins 508th Regt. She herself earned over $200,000 from her film work alone in 1937. Leif would later paint his sister as promiscuous, but as one male skater of the era says, she was a lusty, healthy, happy woman. In the skating world, it was common knowledge that Sonjas skating partners often partnered her in bed. Her animated counterpart appeared in the Disney short, The Autograph Hound when Donald asked for her autograph. ** In 1992 Stevens put the home on the market to sell. Simultaneous with her film career, Henie launched an ice extravaganza that would crisscross the country. About Sonja Henie From Wikipedia: Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 - 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. The Henies were in a position to satisfy Sonjas every desire. Luciano Pavarotti warms up an hour before his 1978 performance is to begin at Chicago's Civic Opera House. She went on to receive gold medals for figure skating in 1928, 1932, and 1936. I wanted more than anything else, Sonja wrote, to make my free-skating program a blend of dancing and figure skating., You have to have an image of yourself, says Peggy Fleming, the 1968 Olympic gold medalist. Its very unusual to run on toe picks, says Aja Zanova Steindler, the world-champion figure skater who defected from Czechoslovakia in 1950, at the age of 18. Jimmy Kimmel Roasts Fragile Snowflake Donald Trump for Allegedly Trying to Censor Him, The Love Story of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall. This app will give precise advice on phonetic sounds that may not align with the standard American accent. Henie tried to break the musical comedy mould with the anti-Nazi film Everything Happens at Night (1939) and It's a Pleasure (1945), a skating variation of the often-told A Star Is Born tale about alcoholic-star-in-decline-helps-newcomer-up. Finally, I hope you enjoyed reading about Sonja Henie's home. [citation needed]. This home was built back in 1939. It was so cold, says Don Watson, she was doing her hula number with one of those Norwegian sweaters on.. But Sonja would part ways with Wirtz, prodded on by her second husband, Winnie Gardiner, who thought she should be getting a bigger percentage from Wirtz, even though she was already getting half. He liked Sonja, admired her, and though he knew himself to be shrewd, he once said, Sonja is shrewder.. This is from a Vanity Fair article about Sonja: In 1985, about 16 years after Sonja's death, a biography co-written by Raymond Strait and Leif Henie (who died in 1984) was published: Queen of Ice, Queen of Shadows: The Unsuspected Life of Sonja Henie. It was pretty savvy, Sonjas focus on RKOs Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers franchise as the model for what she might do in pictures. The first thing she remembers wanting was to skate. In Paris yesterday her condition worsened, and it was decided to fly her home. This old-style 3-story elegant Hollywood mansion is located across the street from Sunset Boulevard. Henie also insisted on having total control of the skating numbers in her films such as Second Fiddle (1939). Its a terrible thing. The audiences didnt understand ice shows or skating or Sonja. She was a three-time Olympic Champion (1928, 1932, 1936) in Ladies' Singles, a ten-time World Champion (1927-1936) and a six-time European Champion (1931-1936). In 1936, following a successful ice show in Los Angeles orchestrated by her father to launch her film career, Hollywood studio chief Darryl Zanuck signed her to a long-term contract at Twentieth Century Fox, which made her one of the highest-paid actresses of the time. After the 1936 World Figure Skating Championships, Henie gave up her amateur status and took up a career as a professional performer in acting and live shows. The couple decided to build a museum for their collection, and in 1968 donated 250 works to the Sonja Henie-Niels Onstad Art Center outside of Oslo. After precise and careful planning, they built a modernist architectural gem in which to house the collection in Oslo. *. Having announced her retirement from competition, she received calls from producers and film studios. While her ice show numbers were still worth watching, the film received few distributors and poor reviews, ending her film career. For the rest of the war, all of her possessions were left untouched by the Nazis. - 1969. oktber 12.) Henry Winkler, Nancy Meyers, and Ron Howard have paid tribute to the star, who died after a brief illness last week. VIDEO: Take a tour of some of the unique rooms at Villa Royale in Palm Springs. Her wealth allowed her to maintain a home in Hollywood, a villa in Norway, and an apartment in Lausanne, Switzerland, and to invest in impressionist and expressionist paintings. herunterladen. Sonja Henie and Neils Onstad At the height of her fame, Henie had her dream home designed by Paul Williams and built in 1937. For this, she was condemned by many Norwegians and Norwegian-Americans. A lofted bonus space sits atop a three-car garage. Furthermore, please leave your thoughts and comments below. Sonja spent her earliest years begging, yearning, for skates. 1932 The daughter of a fur wholesaler in Norway, Sonja Henie received her first pair of ice skates when she was six. It sits on 5 acres and has a sweeping circular drive, grand staircase, swimming pool, and tennis courts. [14] She died of the disease at age 57 in 1969 in an ambulance plane flight from Paris to Oslo. Also, Please follow us on each of these. Henie passed away at the age of 57 from chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. I saw Sonjas first movie, One in a Million, and said to myself, Thats what I want to do. Perhaps Sonja was trying to find Wilhelm in Winnie, trying to locate a strong man in the lightweight shed married. When she died, in 1969, her holdings were estimated at more than $47 million. The couple traveled the world and socialized. While Irina Slutskaya of Russia has held the record for most European titles among ladies' skaters since 2006, Henie still retains the record of most consecutive titles, sharing it with Katarina Witt of Eastern Germany/Germany (19831988). Additionally, he was one of the most prominent boxers []. She defended her Olympic titles in 1932 and in 1936, and her world titles annually until 1936. Beginning in 1927, at just 14 years old, figure skater Sonja Henie glided onto the world stage and dominated the icenot only revolutionizing her sport with 10 consecutive world championships and an Olympic record that has been nearly impossible to match, but also making millions with hit Hollywood films and sold-out ice shows in the 30s and 40s. Henie in her first Hollywood film, One in a Million, 1936., 20th Century Fox/courtesy of Everett Collection. Obviously the sibling of a superstar is going to have grievances, but Sonjas peers in the skating world, all that Vanity Fair spoke to, found the book unfair., Dick Button: Siblings fall out. All rights reserved. As Michael Kirby, the Canadian champion who was Sonjas skating partner in the late 1940s, would write, She had what was thought to be incredible gall for wearing pure white skates. Because balletic line was a key facet in Sonjas developing Jackson Haines-like skating style, she spent time in London studying classical dance with the Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina. Sonja fit into Fox. Things dwindled to the point where Sonja and a much-reduced company found themselves performing in New Brunswick, Canada, in a Quonset hut that held 600. And drinking.. He offered her a European tourParis, London, Berlin . (image - low resolution, fair use . [25]. She feared the wrath of those who couldnt forget her Heil Hitler, or who hadnt forgiven her for not helping, with all her millions, to fund the Resistance. Finally, I hope you enjoyed reading about, 's home. Sonia Heney competed in Lake Placid in 1932 and won the gold medal, her second of three gold medals. Henie became so popular with the public that police had to be called out for crowd control on her appearances in various disparate cities such as Prague and New York City. Nicole Saraniero February 17, 2023. Connie's story was highlighted in one season finale on Biographys. But she just up and took off like a bird., Sonja may not have been a Ziegfeld beauty, and as an actress, well, she was one of the few female stars in Hollywood not tested for the role of Scarlett OHara. When Geoffrey and Ken track Norden to a small village in the Swiss Alps, they soon find themselves competing over the affections of beautiful Louise (Henie), who has a deeper connection to the missing Nobel laureate than the reporters realize. Other thoughtful touches include heated flooring in all the bathrooms, as well as on the patios. And Sonja was going through that. She was also a ten-time World champion as well as a six-time European champion. Henie has won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies' figure skater. Henie was portrayed in the 2018 Anne Sewitsky film Sonja The White Swan, shown at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.[22][23][24]. A Sonja Henie party was still a big dealsparkling with stars like Joan Crawford, Cyd Charisse, Cesar Romero, Cary Grant, Liberace. Why Diane Kruger Changed Her Mind About Having Children, The actor said that in her mid-30s she began to wonder, What am I doing all this for?, Gus Kenworthy Says a Gay Kiss Was Cut From. And the details are all top-notch. Wide walls of windows have been added to bring the surrounding landscapes inside. She was 57 years old. She had the guts to follow her thoughtsto follow the image that she had of herself.. Neither man worked, both took advantage of Sonjas generosity, according to her brother, and both marriages failed. Seven thousand people standing.. And yet, Sonja risked further enmity from Norway when she chose not to donate funds to the Norwegian underground during World War II. Discover Sonja Henie famous and rare quotes. She refused to do a number in someone elses movie.. 5. During the 1930s, she was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. Beautiful figure, costume, lighting. The next day, her compatriots in Scandinavia were distraught, the newspapers asking, Is Sonja a Nazi? Her impulsive act was a stain on her white velvet. The early start was seen as a disadvantage, with the audience not yet whipped into a clapping frenzy and the judges known to become freer with their higher marks as the event proceeded. Wood paneling and wide-plank wood floors mark many of the indoor spaces. She is one of only two skaters to defend a ladies' singles Olympic title, the other being Katarina Witt, and her six European titles has only been matched by Witt. Onstad took her to several doctors, unwilling to accept the diagnosisleukemiawhich he decided to keep from her. She was to have danced to "Lara's Theme" from Doctor Zhivago. Tucked behind gates on about an acre of grounds, the 1940s home is fronted by a large motor court and fountain. Sonja went on to not one but two Social Register marriages: the first, in 1940, to Dan Topping, an heir to millions and part owner of the New York Yankees (his brother Bob was married to Lana Turner), and the second, in 1949, to Winthrop Gardiner Jr., who had inherited Gardiners Island. When Zanuck realized this, he cast her in more musical comedies; Sun Valley Serenade (1941) with Glenn Miller, John Payne, The Nicholas Brothers, and hit songs such as "In the Mood", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "It Happened in Sun Valley", and "I Know Why (And So Do You)"; followed by Iceland (1942) with Jack Oakie, Payne, and the hit song "There Will Never Be Another You"; and finally Wintertime (1943) with Cesar Romero, Carole Landis, Cornel Wilde, and Oakie. She then placed eighth in a field of eight at the 1924 Winter Olympics, at the age of eleven. 7. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Photo: Carlos Marques, Marcott Studios, The cozy family room malls, fading from their hip glory days, may get new lives as apartments. All sonja henie artwork ships within 48 hours and includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. He graduated from Arizona State and covered real estate news for Realtor.com before joining The Times. At home in Oslo, she trained at Frogner Stadium, where her coaches included Hjrdis Olsen and Oscar Holte. And over money, she ungratefully broke with Wirtz. For Sonja, the year 1936 was like winning the lottery. The collapse of a section of bleachers during a show in Baltimore, Maryland in 1952 compounded the tour's legal and financial woes. Musks master plan for Tesla is built around sustainable energy economy, What to expect from Elon Musks third master Tesla plan, Drugmaker Eli Lilly to slash insulin prices, Stocks slip as stubborn inflation raises rate expectations. Together, she and Onstad built a superb collection of modern artPicasso, Matisse, Bonnard, Mir, Villon, Rouault. Sonja Henie About Read More Birth Place Oslo, , NO Born April 08, 1912 Died October 12, 1969 Cause of Death Leukemia Biography Read More Winner of the Olympic Gold medal in figure skating an impressive three times in a row (1928, 1932, 1936), Henie came to Twentieth Century-Fox shortly after her last win and was built up as a popular star. Or, perhaps it was the other way around: the movies brought the masses to the shows. Plus, get the exclusive Robb Report tote bag FREE. Sonja inherited Wilhelms need for speedwinter drunk is how she described the sensation of sledding, skiing, and skating into icy winds. Sonja Henie was a professional figure skater and actress. As a result, none of Henie's properties in Norway were confiscated or damaged by the Germans. Leif would write that Wilhelm said hed give $5,000 to the charity of Hearsts choice if the actress Marion Davies, Hearsts mistress, would sponsor Sonjas shows. She and Onstad flew instead to Oslo for a quick transfusion. She was educated by tutors, and her father hired the best experts in the world, including the famous Russian ballerina, Tamara Karsavina, to transform his daughter into a sporting celebrity.[1]. He was a man of his word who honored a handshake. If a massive, 14,880-square-foot mansion set on 27 acres in Greenwich, Conn., doesnt already tempt with its spaciousness, privacy, classic beauty and proximity to Manhattan, this one amps up the offerings. Wilhelm, who came from old money generated by a brush factory and a fur company, was a smart businessman who grew the family fortune. Photo: Carlos Marques, Marcott Studios, The fitness studio Towards the end of her career, she began to be strongly challenged by younger skaters including Cecilia Colledge, Megan Taylor, and Hedy Stenuf. Additionally, there have been many rumors that her ghost still haunts her home to this day. Sonja Henie was born on 8 April, 1912 in Kristiania, Norway [now Oslo, Norway], is an Actress, Soundtrack, Writer. The large kitchen comes equipped with a black marble center island. She is mentioned by Ty Webb, Chevy Chases character in Caddyshack, as a possible but unavailable substitute for Rodney Dangerfields character (Al Czervik) in the final golf wager round before Michael OKeefes Danny Noonan is chosen. After her marriage to Mr. Onstad, a childhood sweetheart, in 1956, she became interested in modern art. . In addition, it starred Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, etc. The property abuts conservation land and links up with the Greenwich horse-riding trail system. The hardest thing is to quit at the top. Born in Oslo on April 8, 1912, Miss Henie received her first skates from her father, a Norwegian fur wholesaler, on the Christmas after her sixth birthday. Holmby Hills Celebrity Houses Golden Age Of Hollywood Memoriam Old Master Recognition Haunting Beautiful Homes Gallery Wall More information . This extensive exhibition skating was meant to give her poise under any pressure. Photo: Carlos Marques, Marcott Studios, The formal dining room A petite, glamorous woman with a taste for luxury and a shrewd business sense, she was immensely successful next with a series of her own ice revues, and prospered as a motion picture star. In addition to a modern and heated indoor pool, the lakeside boathouse and dock are just a short walk down the manicured lawns to the waters edge if you want to swim, paddleboard, kayak or row. 20th Century-Fox and debuted in. We post on luxury real estate and celebrity homes on our Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube. She started her career in a small bonnet shop, advanced to being a sales lady at Macy's department store, and from there started her own hat business.She was at the peak of her business career in the 1930s and 1940s. The daughter of a fur wholesaler in Norway, Sonja Henie received her first pair of ice skates when she was six. Photo: Carlos Marques, Marcott Studios, The walk-in closet About. 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Placid in 1932 and in 1936, and her world titles than other. Any other ladies ' figure skater, her compatriots in Scandinavia were,... I agree to the shows in the skating world, it starred Sandra Bullock, Trevante,. $ 200,000 from her film work alone in 1937 have danced to `` Lara 's Theme '' from Doctor.!