Manfred Schnelldorfer (born 2 May 1943 in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

, Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

) is a German figure skater

Figure skating

Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

, and a World and Olympic champion.

Career

Schnelldorfer won his first competition at age eight. His parents, both quite famous in Germany as figure skater coaches, coached him. He skated for the Munich ERC club and therefore he represented the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

).

At his one and only German Junior Championships he came in second behind Hans-Jürgen Bäumler

Hans-Jürgen Bäumler

Hans-Jürgen Bäumler is a German pair skater, actor, singer and television host.- Biography :...

, twice World champion in pairs. The following year, at the German Senior Championships, Schnelldorfer won. His rival Hans-Jürgen Bäumler came in 4th place and later competed as a pair skater

Pair skating

Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...

.

Later Schnelldorfer studied architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

 for four years, but could not graduate due to his figure skating activities.

The highlight of his career was becoming Olympic champion in 1964 in Innsbruck. His victory was a surprise. The favorite was Alain Calmat

Alain Calmat

Alain Calmat is a French former competitive figure skater, surgeon, and politician. He is the 1964 Olympic silver medalist, the 1965 World Champion, the 1962–1964 European Champion, and the 1958 & 1962–1965 French national champion.-Career:Calmat started skating at the age of nine...

 of France, who won the Europeans

European Figure Skating Championships

The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion...

 between 1962 and 1964 and was silver medalist at the 1963 Worlds

World Figure Skating Championships

The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...

.

In all, Schnelldorfer was an eight-time German champion, one-time World champion (1964), three-time bronze and two-time silver medalist at the Europeans. After his amateur career he turned professional and worked with an ice show

Ice show

An ice show refers to an entertainment production which is primarily performed by ice skaters. Such shows may primarily be skating exhibitions, or may be musical and/or dramatic in nature, using skating as a medium in order to accompany a musical work or to present a story. The term ice show...

 for four years.

He also was pop singer (German: Schlagersänger) and actor. After that he became a coach and sport teacher. He was the first West German national coach for figure skating between 1974 and 1981.

Manfred Schnelldorfer lives in Munich and owns some sport shops. He is married and has two children.

Manfred Schnelldorfer songs

• Wenn du mal allein bist (When you are once alone)
• Deine schönen blauen Augen (Your beautiful blue eyes)
• Mizzie

Manfred Schnelldorfer films

• Holiday in St. Tropez (1964)
• Ich kauf' mir lieber einen Tirolerhut (1965) (I prefer to buy a Tiroler hat)
• Tausend Takte Übermut (1965) (Thousand takts high spirits)
• Spukschloß im Salzkammergut (1966)
• Komm mit zur blauen Adria (1966) (Come to the blue Adria)

Competitive highlights

Event	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964
Olympic Games							8th				1st
World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...			WD	11th	15th		7th		5th	3rd	1st
European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion...		10th	10th	7th	7th	5th	3rd	3rd	3rd	2nd	2nd
German Championships German Figure Skating Championships The German Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Germany. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....	1st J.	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st		1st	1st

• WD = Withdrew