Sonja Henie
Chronology
1912 | Born April 8, outside of Oslo, Norway, to Hans Wilhelm Henie and Selma Lochman Nielsen |
1918 | Receives first pair of ice skates |
1921 | Wins Norway's junior-level national competition |
1922 | Studies with private tutor to allow for longer practice sessions |
1923 | Wins Norwegian National Championship |
1927 | Sees Anna Pavlova dance in London |
1927 | Wins first of ten Women's World Figure Skating Championship titles |
1928 | Awarded Olympic gold medal in figure skating at St. Moritz |
1930 | Performs in New York City's Madison Square Garden in amateur exhibition |
1932 | Awarded Olympic gold medal in figure skating at Lake Placid |
1936 | Awarded Olympic gold medal in figure skating at Garmisch-Partenkirchen |
1936 | Wins tenth World Championship title |
1936 | Signs contract to skate in U.S. tour, Sonja Henie's Night, |
1936 | Rents Hollywood arena to woo filmmakers |
1936 | Signs five-year contract with Twentieth-Century Fox |
1936 | Appears in first film, One in a Million |
1937 | Begins touring in Hollywood Ice Review |
1938 | Rated third-most-popular film star in poll |
1940 | Marries Daniel Reid Topping |
1941 | Becomes U.S. citizen |
1946 | Divorces Daniel Reid Topping |
1948 | Makes last film in Hollywood |
1949 | Marries Winthrop Gardiner, Jr. |
1952 | Ends long relationship with promoter Arthur Wirtz and tours independently |
1952 | Stops appearing in arena-style shows after bleacher accident injures 250 spectators |
1956 | Divorced by Winthrop Gardiner, Jr. |
1956 | Marries Niels Onstad |
1956 | Retires from professional skating |
1958 | Appears in British film Hello London |
1968 | Donates modern art collection to Norway; builds Henie-Onstad Museum near Oslo |
1968 | Diagnosed with leukemia |
1969 | Dies on ambulance plane flying from Paris to Oslo |
Additional topics
Famous Sports StarsFigure SkatingSonja Henie Biography - Early Advantages, Youthful Champion, Chronology, Turning Professional, Film Stardom, Awards And Accomplishments - SELECTED WRITINGS BY HENIE: