Dorothy Hamill

After her Olympic win, Hamill became a phenomenon in the United States. Her short bob/wedge hairstyle became extremely popular. To take advantage of her commercial opportunities and pay back her parents for the cost of training (they were in debt because of it), she turned professional. Though she was shy, Hamill appeared in a number of commercials and television specials.

One of Hamill's first contracts was a two-year deal with the Ice Capades worth $1,000,000. She told Kenneth Denlinger of the Washington Post, that she did Ice Capades "because it was a chance to pay people for their help (literally, because that gold medal cost an estimated $75,000 in training-related expenses over the years)… I also knew that I wanted to skate, not teach, and this was the only I could see to do it."

A featured skater on the Ice Capades tour, Hamill found the demands of the professional life very different from her days as an amateur. The travel and performances were more physically demanding, and there was a very different, grinding schedule. Hamill became stressed out, especially by the weigh-ins. She had to worry about her weight. Skating with the Ice Capades led to her developing a bleeding ulcer.

In the 1980s, Hamill continued to skate professionally, and had two significant television specials. In 1983, she appeared in an ice version of Romeo and Juliet that aired on CBS and was very successful. The production won an Emmy Award for Hamill. Later in the decade, she appeared in Nutcracker on Ice, a show produced by Hamill and her second husband, sports medicine doctor/former Olympic skier Kenneth Forsythe. (Hamill's first husband was Dean Martin, Jr., the son of entertainer Dean Martin, who was a tennis player, actor, and musician. They were married from 1982-84.)

Despite her negative experience with the Ice Capades, Hamill continued to appear in touring ice shows. In 1984, she appeared with John Curry and his Ice Dancing company. In the middle of the decade, Hamill also appeared in the Stars on Ice show. She also competed in professional skating championships, winning a number of titles. In 1984 and 1985, she won the World Professional Figure Skating Championship. In 1986 and 1987, she won the Women's NutraSweet Pro World Title.

After the birth of her daughter, Alexandra, Hamill stopped skating professionally for about six years. However, she still appeared in commercials and maintained endorsement deals with companies such as NurtraSweet, Healthy Choice, Casio, and Bausch & Lomb.