The Sound of Music cast: where are they now?
Where are the Sound of Music cast now? As tributes are paid to the late Christopher Plummer, Femail reveals the varied fortunes of the actors who played the von Trapps – including one who became a florist and another who starred in a Quentin Tarantino film
- Christopher Plummer, who played Captain von Trapp, died peacefully at home on Friday in Connecticut
- Sound of Music co-star Julie Andrews was already household name after playing Mary Poppins in 1964
- Seven child stars who played Von Trapp children remained close though two have now passed away
Tributes flooded in yesterday following the sad news of Sound of Music star Christopher Plummer’s death at the age of 91.
The actor, who played the Von Trapp family patriarch in the 1965 musical flick, passed away peacefully at his home in Connecticut, with co-star Dame Julie Andrews calling him a ‘consummate actor’ and a ‘cherished friend’.
Plummer appeared in more than 100 films and was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Russian author Leo Tolstoy in 2009’s The Last Station. He went on to become the oldest actor to win an Academy Award in 2010 for his role in Beginners, playing a pensioner who comes out as gay following the death of his wife.
But for many fans his career was defined by his performance as stern widower Captain von Trapp in The Sound Of Music – a role he once dubbed ‘a cardboard figure, humourless and one-dimensional’.
Co-star Andrews, who played Maria Augusta von Trapp, the governess who won the captain’s heart in the film, was already a household name after making her feature film debut a year earlier in Mary Poppins in 1964.
So what happened to the rest of the Sound of Music cast – including the seven von Trapp children? Here FEMAIL reveals their varied fates and fortunes.
Tributes flooded in yesterday following the sad news of Sound of Music star Christopher Plummer’s death at the age of 91
For many Christopher Plummer fans his career was defined by his performance as an stern widower in The Sound Of Music – a role he called ‘a cardboard figure, humourless and one-dimensional’
Maria, played by Julie Andrews
The Sound of Music was just one element of a stellar film career for Julie Andrews, now 85, who won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her role as the unruly nun and nanny.
Some of her best-loved films include Thoroughly Modern Millie Millie, Star!, The Princess Diaries and Darling Lili.
In recent years she’s lent her voice to movies such as Despicable Me, Shrek 2 and Enchanted, and in 2020 she voiced the narrator Lady Whistledown in the Netflix series Bridgerton.
She created a preschool television series with her daughter, featuring Jim Henson puppets, and is also an author of children’s books.
Andrews has published two autobiographies; Home: A Memoir of My Early Years (2008) and Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years (2019).
The Sound of Music was just one element of a stellar film career for Julie Andrews, now 85, who won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her role as the unruly nun and nanny Maria
In recent years Andrews has lent her voice to movies such as Despicable Me, Shrek 2 and Enchanted, and in 2020 she voiced the narrator Lady Whistledown in the Netflix series Bridgerton. Pictured in September 2019
The von Trapp children
The von Trapp children formed their own little family over the months of making the musical and became known as The SoM 7.
Their parents befriended one another as the young performers travelled to Austria for filming, and the actors themselves have remained close for decades.
‘We’re beyond friends. We’re second family,’ said Kym Karath, who played the youngest von Trapp, Gretl. ‘As adults, we were deeply bonded, so our lives have really interwoven with each other.’
The von Trapp children formed their own little family over the months of making the musical and became known as The SoM 7
The von Trapp children formed their own little family over the months of making the musical and became known as The SoM 7. Pictured in 2005: Nicholas Hammond, Heather Menzies, Julie Andrews, Angela Cartwright and Duane Chase (front row) Charmian Carr, Debbie Turner and Kym Karath (back row)
Liesl, played by Charmian Carr
Charmian Carr played Liesl, the eldest of the von Trapp children. She was studying speech therapy and philosophy at college when her mother arranged for her to audition for the Sound of Music.
Afterwards she worked with Van Johnson on a pilot of a TV show, Take Her, She’s Mine and went on to appear in Evening Primrose, a Stephen Sondheim musical.
She quit Hollywood after marrying a dentist, Jay Brent (whom she divorced in 1991), to focus on raising her two daughters Jennifer and Emily, before becoming a successful interior designer.
She died from complications related to dementia in September 2016, aged 73.
Charmian Carr played Liesl, the eldest of the von Trapp children (pictured with Julie Andrews)
Charmian Carr died from complications related to dementia in September 2016, aged 73 (pictured in 2012)
Brigitta, played by Angela Cartwright
British-born Angela was 13 when she played the role of 10-year-old Brigitta, but she already had a solid career as a child actress behind her.
Aged three she appeared as Paul Newman’s daughter in the film Somebody Up There Likes Me, and starred in seven seasons of the US TV series Make Room for Daddy.
After The Sound of Music, she continued her acting career and starred in the TV series Lost in Space and Make Room for Granddaddy.
But after having her two children – Jesse and Rebecca Gullion – she swapped acting for other artistic pursuits. She has been a photographer for 30 years and her work is displayed at her studio in Studio City, Los Angeles.
Now 68, Angela has published several tomes on photography techniques. In 2019 she made a cameo appearance as Dr. Smith’s mother, Sheila Harris, in the third episode of the second season of the 2018 Netflix re-imagined Lost In Space series.
British-born Angela was 13 when she played the role of 10-year-old Brigitta, but she already had a solid career as a child actress behind her
Angela Cartwright (pictured in April 2018) made a cameo appearance as Dr. Smith’s mother, Sheila Harris, in the third episode of the second season of the Netflix reimagined Lost In Space series
Kurt, played by Duane Chase
Duane was 15 years old when he took on the role of Kurt von Trapp. He continued acting until his teens, including an appearance in the 1966 Kurt Russell film, Follow Me, Boys! as well as acting in Western TV series The Big Valley.
Chase switched gears in college, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in geology and working as a software engineer.
Now 70, he lives in Washington and is returning to wildlife and forestry work. He is married to Petra Maria, who was born in Hamburg, Germany and is a registered nurse.
Duane was 15 years old when he took on the role of Kurt von Trapp. He continued acting until his later teen years
Duane Chase (pictured with co-star Heather Menzies in 2005) now lives in Washington and is returning to wildlife and forestry work
Friedrich, played by Nicholas Hammond
The Sound Of Music was just the beginning of a flourishing career in entertainment for Nicholas Hammond. His best known role is probably his performance as Peter Parker in the television series The Amazing Spider-Man.
He went on to play guest roles in popular shows such as The Love Boat, Magnum, P.I. and Murder, She Wrote as well as a recurring part in Dallas.
In 2009, he made his directing debut with Lying Cheating Bastard, a play he co-wrote with magician James Galea.
Hammond, now 70, lives in Australia with his partner, actress Robyn Nevin, and is a writer for Australian television. He also has an English degree from Princeton to his name.
In 2019 he portrayed director Sam Wanamaker in the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The Sound Of Music was just the beginning of a flourishing career in entertainment for Nicholas Hammond
Hammond, now 70, lives in Australia with his partner, actress Robyn Nevin, and is a writer for Australian television. Pictured with Charmian Carr in 2005
In 2019 Hammond portrayed director Sam Wanamaker in the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Gretl, played by Kym Karath
Five-year-old Karath stole hearts when she played the youngest von Trapp child Gretl.
Roles in Lost In Space and The Brady Bunch followed, but after going to college at USC, she focused on parenting rather than performing when her son Eric was born with disabilities.
Along with other parents, Karath helped establish the Aurelia Foundation, which provides services for special-needs individuals once they finish high school.
She resumed her entertainment career as an actress and writer in 2005. Karath, now 62, has said she still is not fond of water after nearly drowning in the boat scene in Sound of Music, because she couldn’t swim.
Five-year-old Karath stole hearts when she played the youngest von Trapp child Gretl
Kym Karath (pictured in August 2016) helped establish the Aurelia Foundation, which provides services for special-needs individuals once they finish high school
Louisa, played by Heather Menzies-Urich
The Sound Of Music was Heather Menzies-Urich’s first movie, and she continued to enjoy a successful acting career, appearing in films and TV shows such as Logan’s Run, S.W.A.T and The Love Boat.
She married John Cluett in 1969, but they divorced in 1973. She wed her second husband, actor Robert Urich, in 1975, and the couple adopted three children.
Menzie-Urich stepped away from the limelight after Robert’s death from a rare form of cancer in 2002.
She set up the nonprofit organisation The Robert Urich Foundation, which provides funding for cancer research and to help families relocate for specialised treatment, and dedicated her later years to the project.
Menzies-Urich was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in November 2017 and died on December 24, 2017 – 21 days after her 68th birthday.
The Sound Of Music was Heather Menzies-Urich’s first movie, and she continued to enjoy a successful acting career
Heather Menzies-Urich (pictured in March 2015) was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in November 2017 and died on December 24, 2017 – 21 days after her 68th birthday
Marta, played by Debbie Turner
Debbie was as much an athlete as an actress as a child, and she opted for sports after playing Marta von Trapp.
The keen skier and mother-of-four began a new career as an interior designer and now owns a floral-design business in Minnesota.
She was called on to provide flowers for a wedding in Salzburg, Austria, at a palace that inspired the sets of The Sound Of Music.
Debbie was as much an athlete as an actress as a child, and she opted for sports after playing Marta von Trapp
Debbie Turner began a new career as an interior designer and now owns a floral-design business in Minnesota
