View source for Dorothy Hamill

{{short description|American figure skater}}
{{Infobox figure skater
| name           = Dorothy Hamill
| image          = Dorothy_Hamil_2001.jpg
| caption        = Hamill in 2001
| country        = {{USA}}
| birth_name     = Dorothy Stuart Hamill
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1956|07|26|mf=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]], U.S.
| spouse         = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Dean Paul Martin]]|1982|1984|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Kenneth Forsythe|1987|1995|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|John MacColl<br />|2009}}
}}
| height         = 5 ft 4 in
| formercoach    = [[Otto Gold]], [[Gustave Lussi]], [[Sonya Klopfer|Sonya Dunfield]], [[Carlo Fassi]], Peter Burrows
| skating club   =
| retired        = 1976
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates = <!-- see [[Template:MedalRelatedTemplates]] -->
{{MedalSport | [[Figure skating]]: [[Single skating|Ladies' singles]]}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Figure skating at the Olympic Games|Winter Olympics]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[Figure skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics|1976 Innsbruck]] | Ladies' singles}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Figure Skating Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1976 World Figure Skating Championships|1976 Gothenburg]] | Ladies' singles}}
{{MedalSilver| [[1975 World Figure Skating Championships|1975 Colorado Springs]] | Ladies' singles}}
{{MedalSilver| [[1974 World Figure Skating Championships|1974 Munich]] | Ladies' singles}}
}}

'''Dorothy Stuart Hamill''' (born July 26, 1956) is a retired American [[figure skater]]. She is the [[Figure skating at the 1976 Olympics|1976 Olympic champion]] and [[1976 World Figure Skating Championships|1976 World champion]] in ladies' singles.

==Early life==
Hamill was born in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], to Chalmers and Carol Hamill. Her father was a mechanical engineer.<ref name=espn031119/> Shortly after her birth, her family moved to the Riverside neighborhood of [[Greenwich, Connecticut]], where Hamill spent the rest of her childhood. She has two older siblings, a brother, Sandy, and a sister, Marcia.<ref name=espn031119/>

Hamill started skating in early 1965 at the age of 8, taking weekly group lessons. She became more serious about the sport the next season, taking regular private lessons and passing her preliminary and first figure test before the seasonal rink closed in March. She would wake early in the morning to go to the rink for practice at 4:30 am.<ref name=espn031119/> Hamill was first coached by [[Otto Gold]] and [[Gustave Lussi]]. Ice time was limited in her area, so she eventually began training at Sky Rink in [[New York City]], staying overnight in the city with friends when possible. In the summers, Hamill trained in [[Lake Placid, New York]], and later in [[Toronto]] with her coach at the time, [[Sonya Klopfer|Sonya Dunfield]].<ref name=competitor/> During her career, her father would spend up to $20,000 a year on her skating expenses, including skating lessons, travel, living expenses, and costumes.<ref name=espn031119/>

Until the spring of 1970, Hamill attended public schools in Riverside, but at that point she switched to a small school with flexible tutoring to accommodate her skating schedule. She attended and graduated from [[Colorado Academy]] high school.<ref name=competitor/>

==Career==
Hamill's first national success came in 1969, when she won the novice ladies' title at the [[United States Figure Skating Championships|U.S. Championships]] at the age of 12. Later that spring, Hamill was invited to perform in [[Madison Square Garden]] with the exhibition tour (in later years known as [[Champions on Ice]]) that followed the [[1969 World Figure Skating Championships]]. She placed second at the junior level at the 1970 Championships, and made her senior debut in 1971.<ref name=competitor/> The [[U.S. Figure Skating Association]] arranged for her to be coached by [[Carlo Fassi]] when she began to compete internationally.<ref name=espn031119/>

Hamill was [[United States Figure Skating Championships|U.S. champion]] from 1974 to 1976. At the 1974 World Championships in [[Munich, Germany]], she was in 3rd place after the [[compulsory figures]] and the short program. She was set to skate directly after the West German skater [[Gerti Schanderl]], whose marks were booed while Hamill was already on the ice. Visibly upset, Hamill left the ice and burst into tears. After the crowd settled down, she returned to the ice and won the silver medal behind [[Christine Errath]] of East Germany.

Hamill competed with an injured right leg at the 1975 U.S. Championships.<ref name=CSGT750303/> She said her leg was fine after receiving treatment for a pulled hamstring (earlier believed to be pulled ligaments) while training in Denver during the month before the [[1975 World Figure Skating Championships|1975 World Championships]].<ref name=CSGT750303/> She won silver at Worlds in Colorado Springs, Colorado, behind [[Dianne de Leeuw]] of the Netherlands and ahead of Errath.

Hamill was disappointed by her performance at the 1976 U.S. Championships, admitting that she was outskated by [[Linda Fratianne]] because she had not trained properly. Immediately after the national championships, her coach [[Carlo Fassi]] left the U.S. to accompany his other star pupil, [[John Curry]], to the [[European Figure Skating Championships|European Championships]], leaving Hamill coachless with the Olympics only a few weeks away. She began training with Peter Burrows instead. She was pleased with their work together and wanted to bring him to the Olympics as her coach of record.<ref name=espn031119/> However, the USFSA refused her request, and she was reunited with Fassi for a brief period of training in Germany before the Olympics.<ref name=espn031119/><ref name=skatinglife/>

At the [[Figure skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics|1976 Winter Olympics]] in Innsbruck, Austria, Hamill came in second in the figures and then won the short and long programs, taking the gold medal. She was the last [[Single skating|single skater]] to win the Olympics without a triple jump.<ref name=espn031119/> Hamill also won the [[1976 World Figure Skating Championships|1976 World Championships]], and then turned professional.

Hamill is credited with developing a new skating move, a [[Figure skating spins|camel spin]] that turns into a [[Figure skating spins|sit spin]], which became known as the "Hamill camel."<ref name=tpn121228/> The bobbed hairstyle that she wore during her Olympic performance was created by stylist Yusuke Suga <ref name=espn031119/> and started a fad, known as the "short and sassy" look. Her eyeglasses with oversized frames also started a trend in the 1970s.<ref name=espn031119/> The media dubbed her "America's sweetheart."<ref name=tbs090922/> Her skating style was considered "athletic" and was compared to the more artistic skating style of fellow skaters [[Peggy Fleming]] and [[Janet Lynn]], although she was also praised for her elegant lines and carriage. According to figure skating writing and historian Ellyn Kestnbaum, Hamill, along with Lynn, "evoked associations with natural, outdoorsy wholesomeness", due to their athleticism, speed, freedom of movement, and appearance, which Kestnbaum states were "images that resonated with both conservative and feminist ideologies during the 1970s".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kestnbaum |first=Ellyn |title=Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning |publisher=Wesleyan Publishing Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-8195-6641-1 |location=Middleton, Connecticut |pages=113}}</ref>

Hamill became the face of [[Clairol]]'s Short & Sassy shampoo and conditioner. After her performance in the 1976 Olympics, which was viewed by millions globally, her iconic wedge haircut became a trend among women and girls. Ads for Short & Sassy, both on TV and in print, highlighted Hamill's lustrous dark hair as she gracefully glided on the ice.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sherrow |first=Victoria |title=Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History |edition=2nd |year=2023 |publisher=Greenwood |location=Santa Barbara, California |page=11 }}</ref>

Hamill was an [[Ice Capades]] headliner from 1977 to 1984. She was asked to join Ice Capades by Donna Atwood, who had been its star for years and who had eventually acquired financial control of the Ice Capades. Hamill was asked to be Atwood's successor as its new star.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.kabbage.com/blog/worst-celebrity-investments |title=The 7 Worst Celebrity Investments |access-date=2013-04-28 |website=Kabbage}}</ref> After Ice Capades folded due to competition and changing tastes, Hamill and her husband bought the financially strapped company's assets in 1993 in an effort to revive its earlier success, but they declared bankruptcy in 1994. It was sold to Pat Robertson's [[International Family Entertainment]], Inc. in 1995.<ref name=nbctoday/>

In 1993, the Associated Press released results of a national sports study showing that Hamill was statistically tied for first place with fellow Olympian [[Mary Lou Retton]] as the most popular athlete in America, ranking far ahead of other major sports stars such as [[Michael Jordan]], [[Magic Johnson]], [[Troy Aikman]], [[Dan Marino]], [[Wayne Gretzky]], [[Joe Montana]], [[Nolan Ryan]], and 800 other athletes.<ref name=ap930517/>

At 40, Hamill experienced debilitating chronic pain and was later diagnosed with [[osteoarthritis]]. Her condition responded well to medication and she was able to return to skating professionally.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/Hamill_Dorothy.html |title=ESPN Classic - Skating was passion, therapy for Hamill}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-aug-30-sp-12508-story.html |title=Arthritis Slows Jenner and Hamill - Los Angeles Times |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=30 August 2000 }}</ref>

Hamill has continued to skate in shows, including a regular principal role with [[Broadway on Ice]]. She was a special guest in the [[Brian Boitano]]–[[Barry Manilow]] skating extravaganza at [[AT&T Park]] in San Francisco in 2007.

In February 2013, it was revealed that Hamill would take part in the [[Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 16)|sixteenth season]] of ''[[Dancing with the Stars (U.S. TV series)|Dancing with the Stars]]'', partnering with [[Tristan MacManus]]. After only two dances, on March 26, 2013, she was forced to withdraw from the competition upon advice from her spine surgeon due to a severe strain on her lower back sustained during practice.<ref name=usm130327/><ref name=ew130327/>

On March 3, 2017, Hamill was announced as one of 16 celebrities taking part in a cooking competition on the Food Network TV series ''[[Chopped (TV series)|Chopped]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2017/03/chopped-star-power-tournament/ |title=Celebrities Enter the Chopped Kitchen for Charity in the All-New Star Power Tournament |date=March 2017}}</ref> She was featured in the "Star Power: Culinary Muscle" episode, alongside former NFL player [[LaMarr Woodley]], Olympic medalist fencer [[Mariel Zagunis]], and UFC fighter [[Paige VanZant]]. Hamill was the third and last contestant to be eliminated, narrowly missing out on advancing to the final heat, losing to Paige VanZant in the final round.

==Personal life==
Hamill wrote an autobiography titled ''On and Off the Ice''. She was married and divorced twice: to [[Dean Paul Martin]] (1982–1984), and then to Kenneth Forsythe (1987–1995), with whom she had a daughter named Alexandra. Hamill married her third husband, John MacColl, in 2009.<ref name=abc130227/>  Her second autobiography ''A Skating Life: My Story'', was published in 2007.

For much of her adult life, Hamill has experienced chronic depression, which is controlled through medication and therapy. Her daughter also suffers from the condition.<ref name = cbsnews/> In 2008, Hamill announced that she was being treated for [[breast cancer]].<ref name = people080104/>

Hamill was a mentor to 2010 U.S. national champion [[Rachael Flatt]].<ref name=tbs090922/> Flatt, like Hamill, trained in [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]].

==Results==
{|  class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! style="background-color: #ffdead; " colspan=9 align=center | International
|-
! Event
! {{tooltip|68–69|1968–1969}}
! 69–70
! 70–71
! 71–72
! 72–73
! 73–74
! 74–75
! 75–76
|-
| align=left | [[Figure skating at the Olympic Games|Winter Olympics]] || || || || || || || || bgcolor=gold | 1st
|-
| align=left | [[World Figure Skating Championships|World Champ.]] || || || || 7th || 4th || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || bgcolor=gold | 1st
|-
| align=left | [[Nebelhorn Trophy]] || || || || bgcolor=gold | 1st || || || ||
|-
| align=left | [[Prague Skate]] || || || || || bgcolor=gold | 1st || || ||
|-
| align=left | [[Richmond Trophy]] || || || || || bgcolor=gold | 1st || || ||
|-
| align=left | [[Grand Prix International St. Gervais|St. Gervais]] || || || || bgcolor=gold | 1st || || || ||
|-
! style="background-color: #ffdead; " colspan=9 align=center | National
|-
| align=left | [[U.S. Figure Skating Championships|U.S. Champ.]] || bgcolor=gold | 1st N || bgcolor=silver | 2nd J || 5th || bgcolor=d1c571 | 4th || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st
|-
| colspan=9 align=center | <small> Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior </small>
|}

==Records and achievements==

===Amateur===
*Olympic Champion (1976)
*World Champion (1976)
*Three-time United States National Champion (1974–1976)
*Invented the ''Hamill camel'', a camel spin followed by a sit spin

===Professional===
*[[World Professional Figure Skating Championships|World Professional Champion]] (1983–1987)

===Awards===
*Awarded the National [[Young American Award]] by the [[Boy Scouts of America]]
*Won [[Daytime Emmy Award]] – Outstanding Individual Achievement in the Performing Arts – Host/Hostess for Romeo and Juliet on Ice (1983)
*Inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame (1991)
* Golden Plate Award of the [[American Academy of Achievement]] (1996)<ref>{{cite web |title=Dorothy Hamill Biography and Interview |website=www.achievement.org |publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]] |url=https://www.achievement.org/achiever/dorothy-hamill/#interview}}</ref>
*Inducted into the [[World Figure Skating Hall of Fame]] (2000)
*The "Dorothy Hamill Skating Rink" in her hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut, is named after her.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.greenwichct.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Dorothy-Hamill-Rink-56 |title=Greenwich, CT |access-date=2018-12-01 |archive-date=2018-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202024817/https://www.greenwichct.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Dorothy-Hamill-Rink-56 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name=CSGT750303>{{cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/62200885/ |title=World skaters in final practices |publisher=Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph |date=March 3, 1975 |page=9}}</ref>

<ref name=competitor>"Competitor: Dorothy Hamill", ''Skating'' magazine, Jan 1971</ref>

<ref name=skatinglife>Dorothy Hamill, ''A Skating Life'', {{ISBN|978-1-4013-0328-0}}</ref>

<ref name=espn031119>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/s/add_hamill_dorothy.html |title=Relaxed Hamill gives gold medal performance |first=Lisette |last=Hilton |work=ESPN Classics |date=November 19, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226131323/http://espn.go.com/classic/s/add_hamill_dorothy.html |archive-date=February 26, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=ap930517>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1957&dat=19930517&id=XZYxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RuEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1249,4781703 |title=Retton, Hamill Most Popular Athletes In United States: Poll |first=Steve |last=Wilstein |agency=[[Associated Press]] |publisher=The Daily Gazette |date=May 17, 1993}}</ref>

<ref name=tbs090922>{{cite news |url=http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/thetoydepartment/2009/09/dorothy_hamill_still_golden.html |title=Dorothy Hamill still golden |first=Candus |last=Thomson |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=September 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100813124026/http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/thetoydepartment/2009/09/dorothy_hamill_still_golden.html |archive-date=August 13, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=people080104>{{cite news |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20169565,00.html |title=Olympic Skater Dorothy Hamill Has Breast Cancer |date=2008-01-04 |publisher=people.com |access-date=2009-10-08}}</ref>

<!-- Unused citation <ref name=nyp110913>{{cite news |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/hamill_biz_on_thin_ice_R24yfD4rgElSuSMkRbC1PP |title=Hamill biz on thin ice |first=David K. |last=Li |work=New York Post |date=September 13, 2011}}</ref> -->

<ref name=tpn121228>{{cite news |url=http://blog.pennlive.com/go/2012/12/stars_on_ice_dorothy_hamill.html |title=Dorothy Hamill talks 'Stars on Ice,' changes in figure skating |first=Julia |last=Hatmaker |work=[[The Patriot-News]] |date=December 28, 2012}}</ref>

<ref name=abc130227>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/dancing-stars-real-life-partners/story?id=18597814#6 |title=Real Life Partners of 'Dancing With the Stars' Contestants |publisher=abcnews.go.com |date=2013-02-27 |access-date=2013-03-05}}</ref>

<ref name=usm130327>{{cite news |url=http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/dancing-with-the-stars-dorothy-hamill-quits-due-to-spinal-injury-2013273 |title=Dancing with the Stars: Dorothy Hamill Quits Due to Spinal Injury |first=Justin |last=Ravitz |work=US Magazine |date=March 27, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name=ew130327>{{cite news |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/03/27/dancing-with-the-star-dorothy-hamill-interview/ |title='DWTS' eliminated contestant: Dorothy Hamill leaves show for health reasons, still smiling |first=Amanda |last=Taylor |work=EW.com |date=March 27, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name=nbctoday>{{cite news |url=http://www.today.com/id/21114260/ns/today-today_news/t/dorothy-hamill-life-wasnt-cake-after-gold/#.VuWV8ZwrKM8/ |title=Dorothy Hamill: Life wasn't 'cake' after gold |first=Mike |last=Celizic |work=today.com |date=November 3, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314123329/http://www.today.com/id/21114260/ns/today-today_news/t/dorothy-hamill-life-wasnt-cake-after-gold/#.VuWV8ZwrKM8/ |archive-date=March 14, 2016}}</ref>

<ref name=cbsnews>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dorothy-hamills-struggle-with-depression/ |title=Dorothy Hamill's Struggle With Depression |work=cbsnews.com |date=October 14, 2007}}</ref>

}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Team USA Hall of Fame|new_id=dorothy-hamill|old_id=Dorothy-Hamill|archive=20230720073203}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|dorothy-hamill|org_archive=20120313020042}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{IMDb name}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamill, Dorothy}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American female single skaters]]
[[Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Figure skaters at the 1976 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic figure skaters for the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in figure skating]]
[[Category:Figure skaters from Chicago]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Greenwich, Connecticut]]
[[Category:World Figure Skating Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Participants in American reality television series]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1976 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Colorado Academy alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportswomen]]