What Happened To The Sound Of Music Cast After The Movie?

Rodgers and Hammerstein's hit Broadway musical "The Sound of Music" was turned into a big-screen film in 1965, and it grossed $300 million, according to Biography. The film was based on the real-life Maria von Trapp's book, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers." Doris Day, Grace Kelly, and other actresses were considered for the role of Maria before Julie Andrews signed on, and actors such as Yul Brynner and Bing Crosby nearly got the role of Captain von Trapp before Christopher Plummer took the part. 

The movie is one of the world's most famous musicals with memorable songs, and it starred a large cast of children alongside the two adult leads. But what happened to the stars after the film was released, in the mid-1960s and beyond? Not surprisingly, Andrews and Plummer went on to have very successful acting careers. As for their on-screen children and others who appeared in the film, some continued acting, while others chose completely different career paths. Read on to see what happened to some of your favorite actors and actresses from "The Sound of Music."

Before starring in "The Sound of Music," Julie Andrews made her mark in "Mary Poppins," so she was already on everyone's radar when she appeared in the 1965 musical drama. Her career continued to flourish throughout the decade and beyond. In 1982, she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in the film "Victor Victoria (1982). In 2001, she starred in "The Princess Diaries," one of the most popular films of the year, and she appeared in the 2004 sequel, "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," according to IMDB.

Most recently, Andrews joined the streaming network Netflix as the narrator Lady Whistledown in the massively popular series "Bridgerton," reports Oprah Daily. According to showrunner Chris Van Dusen, Andrews was their number-one pick for the voice role. "We offered her the part, sent her the scripts, not thinking anything would really come of it," he explained. "But surprisingly she read the scripts and fell in love with them." Andrews, 85, lives in the Hamptons and performed her role from a studio in New York. All of her work was done virtually via Zoom, so she didn't need to fly overseas to England to perform. And she apparently was a pleasure to work with, according to Van Dusen: "Everything that you think Julie Andrews is, she is."

Christopher Plummer also had a successful entertainment career after starring in "The Sound of Music." The Canadian actor played Captain Von Trapp in the film and wrote in his 2008 memoir that he was less-than-impressed with the role and movie, saying he was an arrogant and snobby young man with a theater background who looked down on Hollywood, according to Biography. In 1974 he won a Tony Award for "Cyrano" and later starred in "Othello" and "Macbeth" on Broadway. He followed up with several film roles, obviously getting over the whole "Hollywood is beneath me thing," including 1999's "The Insider," 2001's "A Beautiful Mind," and 2003's "Cold Creek Manor."

Over the years he starred alongside Nicolas Cage and George Clooney and even lent his voice to the animated film "Up" in 2009. He won his first Academy Award in 2011 for "Beginners" in which he played a gay father who didn't come out until much later in life. One of his final films was the 2019 movie "Knives Out" about a family patriarch who dies and the murder mystery surrounding his demise. The actor passed away in February 2021 after falling and striking his head at his home in Connecticut. He was 91 years old.

Charmian Carr played Liesl von Trapp, the eldest daughter, in "The Sound of Music." She's most known for singing the song "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," in the movie. Carr had no singing or acting experience when her mother encouraged her to try out for the part, according to the BBC. The actress penned two books about the film, "Forever Liesl" and "Letters to Liesl" and often promoted the film at entertainment events. She didn't stick with acting and only appeared in one other movie, "Evening Primrose," a TV musical by Stephen Sondheim.

Carr opened an interior design business in California after starring in "The Sound of Music." The actual Liesl, Agathe von Trapp, passed away at the age of 97 in 2010. Carr, meanwhile, died in 2016 at the age of 73 after battling a rare type of dementia, according to her representative at the time. Carr made at least one long-lasting friendship on the set of "The Sound of Music." Following her death, Kym Karath, who played Gretl, wrote on Twitter that Carr was "like a sister throughout my life."

Nicholas Hammond played Friedrich von Trapp, the 14-year-old second child in the von Trapp family, in "The Sound of Music." One of his favorite parts of making the film was the "Do-Re-Mi" scene, according to Parade. He loved the location, riding a bike, dancing, etc. But he admitted that the floral outfit made of drapes wasn't exactly his jam. "If you want to see acting in its purest form, me looking happy to be in those clothes—that is acting," he joked. He also noted how he bonded with his on-screen siblings, whom he remained friends with for decades. He even referred to them as his "second family."

Hammond continued to work in movies and on television after starring in the musical. Most notably, he played the original Peter Parker in the 1970s series "The Amazing Spider-Man." He also played Marcia Brady's boyfriend in "The Brady Bunch." In 2013, he starred in a two-man show with Julie Andrews that toured Australia and New Zealand. Fans flocked to the performances, and he and Andrews were amazed that the film still resonated so deeply with fans. Hammond also released a documentary, "Climbed Every Mountain with Nicholas Hammond" that centered on the real-life von Trapp family. It featured interviews and rare footage of the Austrian clan.

Heather Menzies-Urich played Louisa von Trapp in "The Sound of Music." The Canadian actress was 15 years old when she played the third oldest von Trapp child in the award-winning film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Menzies-Urich died at the age of 68, one year after co-star Charmian Carr passed away. Following "The Sound of Music," Menzies-Urich starred in several TV shows and films, including the 1970s program "Logan's Run." She also appeared in the 1960s movies "Hawaii," "How Sweet It Is!," "and "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" as well as "Sssssss" (1973), "Red, White and Busted" (1975), "Piranha" (1978) and "Endangered Species" (1982).

The actress married film producer Robert Urich in 1975 and had three children. Her husband died in 2002, which prompted her to start the Robert Urich Foundation, which focuses on cancer research. Unfortunately, Menzies-Urich died of brain cancer in 2017 just four weeks after she was diagnosed with the condition. Following her death, president Ted Chapin of the Rodgers and Hammerstein estate, noted: "Of 'the kids,' [from 'The Sound of Music'] Heather was a cheerful and positive member of the group, always hoping for the next gathering. We are all lucky to have known her, and she will happily live on in that beautiful movie."

Duane Chase played Kurt von Trapp, the 11-year-old fourth child in "The Sound of Music." He was 13 years old at the time. During an interview with Parade, Chase conceded that he had some things in common with his character, explaining that the director and producer Bob Wise was keen on typecasting: "Kurt was a little precocious and I think perhaps my personality probably fit that role pretty well." He also remembered exploring places when he was on set and often people didn't know where he was. His favorite part was traveling around Austria with their teacher.

Chase stopped acting after graduating from high school. He had many interests and acting simply wasn't his priority. So, he decided that if he didn't find an acting gig, he would pursue other avenues. That included mountain climbing as well as joining the U.S. Forest Service as a firefighter. Chase also got a master's degree in geology before settling down as a computer software analyst and designer for a geophysical and geological software company.

English-born actress Angela Cartwright starred in a few films before joining the cast of "The Sound of Music" as Brigitta von Trapp, including "Somebody Up There Likes Me" opposite Paul Newman, according to her official website. She followed up the musical with the role of Penny Robinson in the sci-fi TV series "Lost in Space." She also made appearances in "The Love Boat," "Airwolf," "My Three Sons," "Make Room for Granddaddy," and several other series from the '60s through the '80s, according to IMDB.

Over the years, Cartwright wrote the coffee table book "Styling the Stars: Lost Treasures from the Twentieth Century Fox Archives" as well as a handful of other books focusing on art techniques and photographic images, including "In This House: A Collection of Altered Art Imagery and Collage Techniques." In addition, she contributed to "The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook." Cartwright also has a clothing and jewelry line and has led trips to Salzburg, Austria, to share her "Sound of Music" background with fans. In 2018, she co-wrote a fantasy novel, "On Purpose," with her "Lost in Space" co-star Bill Mumy.

Debbie Turner played sibling Marta in "The Sound of Music," but she has come a long way from her childhood entertainment roots. The only other film Turner appeared in was "North Dallas Forty." She currently lives in Chanhassen, Minnesota, with her husband Rick, according to the Star Tribune. She took advantage of the pandemic by making some very special masks. In the movie, Maria (Julie Andrews), makes recreational clothing for the children by repurposing fabric from drapery. Turner used the same fabric and made masks for four of her sibling co-stars (Nicholas Hammond, Duane Chase, Angela Cartwright, and Kym Karath), which turned into big business from fans around the globe.

Turner explained that she had been hunting for the fabric for years before the pandemic started. The former actress is a designer and owner of Debbie Turner Originals, which she has run for over three decades. When she posted the masks on Facebook, they became an instant hit. "They were right away gone," Turner explained. "I don't know if people were seeing them and telling their friends, whatever." At one point, she was making up to 50 masks a day.

She noted that she and the surviving sibling co-stars have kept in touch over the years, saying: "We've always all been close because we've been together so much over the years. We're like a family."

The youngest von Trapp sibling, Gretl, was played by actress Kym Karath, who was just five years old at the time. She told Parade that Julie Andrews had a "genuine connection" with her and her siblings on set, which translated on the big screen. Karath's favorite scene to film was "Favorite Things" and she got particularly close to co-star Charmian Carr, who played her eldest sister. Karath said she felt "absolute adoration" for. After "The Sound of Music," Karath kept acting and starred in "My Three Sons," "Peyton Place," "The Brady Bunch," and "Lost in Space."

Then the star took some time off to attend high school and the University of Southern California before once again pursuing acting and modeling jobs both in the states and overseas. Karath has a son with special needs, so she co-founded The Aurelia Foundation to help those who are seeking educational and care options for their children. In addition, Karath has kept on acting and is also a writer. She has written at least one screenplay and appeared in a TV series based in Austria.

Eleanor Parker played the aristocratic baroness in "The Sound of Music," and according to producer/director Robert Wise, she was perfect for the job. He explained, via The Hollywood Reporter, that, "She was wonderful in the part, a sort of light 'heavy' who was also ultimately quite touching." However, most of Parker's best work took place before she starred in the musical. She received three best actress Academy Award nominations in the 1950s. Parker appeared in several films during that decade, including "Caged," "Detective Story," and "The Man With the Golden Arm" opposite Frank Sinatra. This is in addition to all the films she appeared in during the 1940s, such as "Pride of the Marines" and "The Woman in White."

Following "The Sound of Music," Parker received a Golden Globe nomination for her role on NBC's TV series "Bracken's World," but she left the series in 1970. Other TV credits include "Hawaii Five-O," "The Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," and "Murder, She Wrote." Her final film was 1991's "Dead on the Money." Parker died in 2013 at the age of 91.

Daniel Truhitte played the role of Rolf and is known for singing "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" as well as alerting authorities when the von Trapp family left for Switzerland. The actor was 20 years old when he took on the role. He told the Salisbury Post in 2015 that "The Sound of Music" remained a part of him throughout his life, explaining that making the film was "magic." After filming, Truhitte joined the U.S. Marine Corps and spent six months on active duty and five years in the reserve. Appearing in the movie was one reason why he decided to enlist.

Truhitte also kept acting and was performing musically in his 70s. He performed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and has worked with Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. In 2013, he played at Carnegie Hall and took on the role of Captain von Trapp in several "Sound of Music" projects. In addition, Truhitte taught voice lessons from his home in Concord, North Carolina. He planned on working as long as he could, revealing, "As long as I'm feeling like I'm feeling and I'm youthful, I'm going to keep on going. I have no reason to slow down."

Marni Nixon played Sister Sophia in "The Sound of Music." It was a small role, and the year prior she played Eliza Doolittle in a 1964 theater production of "My Fair Lady" in New York. Interestingly, Julie Andrews played the role in the original 1956 Broadway production, according to the New York Times. But where Nixon really shined was when she sang for celebrities in numerous popular films. For example, she sang for Deborah Kerr in "The King and I," substituted for Natalie Wood in "West Side Story" and was Audrey Hepburn's singer in "My Fair Lady." She became labeled as "the best known of the ghost singers."

Her role was kept secret from the public, and she would have lost her job if people knew she dubbed for these famous stars. Eventually, however, her skills were leaked, and people knew that she was the true singer in these types of films. It didn't bother her until "West Side Story" when she realized, "I was giving my talent, and somebody else was taking the credit." She appeared on Broadway in the 2000s in James Joyce's "The Dead," Stephen Sondheim's "Follies," and the revival of "Nine." She hosted a children's television show in the '80s and voiced Grandmother Fa in Disney's animated film "Mulan." She kept singing through her 80s and died at the age of 86 in 2016.