In her movies Sonja Henie gives the impression of a determined little cherub who wouldn’t let anyone get in her way – and it seems from this biography that was a true story. Little Sonja was born into a wealthy Norwegian family; she wanted to be a champion ice skater and by jove she became one, then she wanted to become rich and she did, and she wanted to become a movie star and she did that too, and she wanted to have sex with movie stars and she did and so on.
Sonja accomplished this with steely determination, hard work from a young age and, one assumes, ruthlessness. She also had considerable parental support who devoted their lives to her career (the Henies never seemed to have to work)
Sonja packed a lot into her life – so much so that by page 46 of this book she’s already won gold at the 28 and 32 Olympics. She won a swag of world championships then turned professional after gold at the 36 Olympics. A successful tour of the US saw movie offers. Daryl Zanuck sensibly wanted to trial her out as a novelty item, but to give Sonja her due she held out to be the star of her own vehicle. Zanuck relented (he was afraid of MGM signing her) and he was rewarded with a string of popular films.
Novelty stars like Sonja Henie and Esther Williams needed the studio system to thrive – the writers who could turn out tailored vehicles, supporting actors under contract to provide the acting, and, most of all, studio facilities (in Williams’ case, a pool, in Henie’s, an ice rink). Henie made a string of films, of which the best known today would probably be Sun Valley Serenade, owing to the appearance of Glen Miller and the Nicholas Brothers. According to this book she had delusions about wanting to be a dramatic actor, but never seems to have seriously pursued them. There was too much money to be made ice skating, and money was the great love of her life.
Henie made buckets of cash throughout her life, whether as a “shamateur” (dad charged appearance fees during her Olympic career), running her ice shows, not declaring large amounts of money to avoid tax, smuggling money from Norway to America, refusing to give a cent to the Norwegian resistance during the war (Henie was not at all hostile to the Nazis), constantly clearing out hotels in which she stayed of towels and bath mats, etc (something which got her into trouble in, ironically, Batista’s Cuba).
She was popular, with men as well as women. Like a lot of athletes who spend most of their time training therefore can’t eat, travel, drink or study, she liked sex. She had several toy boy skater lovers (one whom she dumped then who died in 1939 after picking up an infected rabbit and wiping his eyes), as well as a fling with Tyrone Power and a number of playboys, two of whom she married, both times disastrously. A third marriage lasted – he at least worked for a living and was rich, seemed to be a prick, but was at least nice when Henie got leukemia.
I’m surprised Sonia Henie isn’t more of a gay icon – imposing relationship with her mother (who was devoted to her), heaps of gay skater employees, a fling with bisexual Power (who apparently called his penis “Jack” and her vagina “Bertha” – they even quote a letter from Power to Henie where he mentions Jack), a lust for sex, money, fame, glamour and diamonds, elaborate ice shows, a tendency to marry idiots, middle age descent into alcoholism and true bitchiness. Her life would make a great musical – you could do it on ice. Maybe her friendliness to Nazis would be a bit off putting on Broadway – maybe you’d make her a support character instead.
Excellent biography, benefiting considerably from two superb sources – Sonia’s brother Leif and her secretary Dorothy. Main gripe - no referencing .
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