Dorothy Hamill

An Olympic champion who transcended her sport, Dorothy Hamill won the junior U.S. Championships in 1969 and went on to win three senior U.S. Championships from 1974-76. Charming the world with her effervescent personality, her giant glasses and wedge hairstyle, Hamill dazzled at the 1976 Winter Olympics, winning gold and becoming one of America's most admired and iconic sports heroes of all time. Credited with inventing her signature spin transition, the "Hamill camel," the skater went on to win the 1976 World Championships before turning pro and powering the Ice Capades through its prime years. Known fondly as "America's Sweetheart" and the hero of millions of young girls, Hamill was a major influence on the skaters who followed in her blade-strokes, and she toplined a series of skating-themed programs, including "The Nutcracker: A Fantasy on Ice" (HBO, 1983) and "Romeo and Juliet on Ice" (CBS, 1983), for which she won a Daytime Emmy. A breast cancer survivor who made a cameo in the hit comedy "Blades of Glory" (2007), Hamill scored national headlines when she decided to compete on "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 2005- ). A beloved legend who did much to promote her sport, Dorothy Hamill exhibited enviable grace, charisma and athleticism both on and off the ice.