Sonja Henie, the daughter of a Norwegian fur wholesaler, received her first pair of ice skates at the tender age of six. By the time she was 14, she had already claimed the title of Norwegian Skating Champion. Just a year later, at the age of 15, she would go on to win the Olympic gold medal in skating, a feat she would repeat in 1932 and 1936.
As she continued to excel in her sport, Sonja turned professional and toured with her own ice show. Her talents did not go unnoticed, and she was soon signed by 20th Century-Fox. Making her film debut in the 1936 picture "One in a Million," she played the role of an ice skater. The film was a huge success, and Sonja continued to make a series of light comedies throughout the late 1930s and early 1940s.
While her acting skills may not have been the strongest, her skating abilities and physical appearance undoubtedly contributed to the films' success. Her popularity soared, and her films' success also led to the financial success of the Hollywood Ice Revues that she produced and starred in every year.
As the years went by, Sonja's movie career began to wind down in the mid-1940s. However, she continued to skate until her retirement in 1960. Off the ice, Sonja proved to be an astute businesswoman, and her marriage to shipping magnate Niels Onstad, known as "the Onassis of Norway," in 1956, made her one of the ten wealthiest women in the world when she passed away from leukemia in 1969.
