What Happened to “The Sound of Music” Cast? Inside Their Lives After the Film Premiered
What Happened to “The Sound of Music” Cast? Inside Their Lives After the Film Premiered
Keith Langston, Emily KrauserMon, March 2, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC
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From left: Charmian Carr as Liesl von Trapp, Kym Karath as Gretl von Trapp, Nicholas Hammond as Friedrich von Trapp, Julie Andrews as Maria, Debbie Turner as Marta von Trapp, Angela Cartwright as Brigitta von Trapp and Duane Chase as Kurt von Trapp in 1965's 'The Sound of Music'Credit: Alamy -
The Sound of Music debuted in theaters on March 2, 1965, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer
Directed by Robert Wise, the iconic film was adapted from Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1959 Broadway production of the same name (based on Maria von Trapp's 1949 memoir)
The movie musical won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director
The cast of The Sound of Music is as tight as Julie Andrews singing the scales!
Starring Andrews and Christopher Plummer, the beloved musical film premiered on March 2, 1965, and went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.
The Sound of Music was based on the 1959 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, with the production drawing inspiration from Maria von Trapp's 1949 memoir, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. The book tells the incredible story of how she met the von Trapp family, then managed to escape Nazi occupation during World War II, before the brood went on to become world-famous singers.
A cultural touchstone, the film earned 10 Oscar nominations and won five — including Best Director, Best Picture and Best Scoring of Music — Adaptation or Treatment — and its soundtrack has continued to be loved by millions.
Though the cast landed other iconic roles, the seven young children who played the von Trapp children stayed close. Two of them, Charmian Carr (Liesl) and Heather Menzies-Urich (Louisa), died in 2016 and 2017, respectively, but the remaining five keep in regular contact.
"These guys are the people I've known longest in my entire life," Debbie Turner, who played Marta in the film when she was just 7 years old, told PEOPLE in September 2025. "The older we get, the less faux it is. I think these guys are truly my sisters and brothers. We've got history that nobody else can talk about. We go back."
It's been 61 years since Andrews' character Maria brought music back into the von Trapp house (and into the homes of audiences worldwide). Here's where the cast of The Sound of Music is now.
Julie Andrews as Maria
Julie Andrews as Maria in 1965's 'The Sound of Music'; Julie Andrews arrives at NBC's 'Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love' at the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles on March 2, 2023Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Andrews portrayed Maria, the precocious and inspirational governess who helps the von Trapp kids learn to embrace music and family and later becomes their stepmother.
After Andrews earned an Oscar nomination for her performance, she continued having hit roles in movies like 1967's Thoroughly Modern Millie and 1982's Victor/Victoria, the latter of which earned her another Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
These days, she is best known for her iconic roles as the queen in both The Princess Diaries and Shrek franchises. Andrews also served as the voice of Lady Whistledown across four seasons of Netflix's Bridgerton and its 2023 spinoff Queen Charlotte. In 2025, she won Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for her work as Whistledown at the Emmy Awards. Fans may see Andrews reprise her Princess Diaries role, as a third film is underway. (However, as of October 2024, only Anne Hathaway's return has been confirmed.)
Off-screen, she was married to her second husband, Breakfast at Tiffany's director Blake Edwards, from 1969 until his death in 2010. She has three daughters: Emma, whom Andrews shares with her first husband, the late costume designer Tony Walton, and Amy and Joanna, whom she adopted with Edwards. Andrews and Emma have penned several children's books together, including The Great American Mousical in 2025.
Christopher Plummer as Captain Georg von Trapp
Christopher Plummer as Captain Georg von Trapp in 1965's 'The Sound of Music'; Christopher Plummer attends the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 6, 2019Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty ; Stefanie Keenan/Getty
Plummer played the von Trapp's rigid patriarch. Following The Sound of Music, he went on to have a long career on Broadway and in Hollywood.
He won Tonys for his performances in 1974's Cyrano and 1997's Barrymore and earned three Oscar nominations. Two were for his roles in 2009's The Last Station and 2017's All the Money in the World, and one was for 2011's Beginners, which he won. He also appeared in 2019's Knives Out and on the series Departure.
Plummer died at age 91 in February 2021.
After his death, Andrews told PA Media (via BBC) of her former costar, "I treasure the memories of our work together and all the humour and fun we shared through the years."
The late Canadian star was previously married to actress Tammy Grimes, with whom he shared daughter Amanda, who followed in her parents' footsteps. From 1970 until his death, Plummer was married to actress Elaine Taylor.
Eleanor Parker as Baroness Elsa Schraeder
Eleanor Parker as Baroness Elsa Schraeder in 1965's 'The Sound of Music'; Eleanor Parker as Peggy Atwood on 'Fantasy Island'Credit: Glasshouse Images / Alamy ; ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Eleanor Parker played Baroness Schreader, the new woman whom Captain von Trapp intends to marry.
Before starring in The Sound of Music, Parker had already earned three Oscar nominations for her roles in Caged (1951), Detective Story (1952) and Interrupted Melody (1958).
After The Sound of Music, she transitioned to the small screen, earning a Golden Globe nomination in 1970 for Best TV Actress — Drama for the series Bracken's World. Later, Parker had guest roles on various shows like Hawaii Five-O and Murder, She Wrote. Her last credited role was in the 1991 TV movie Dead on the Money.
According to Playbill, Parker was married four times to Fred Losee, Bert E. Friedlob, Paul Clemens and Raymond Hirsch and had four children. She died in December 2013 at age 91.
Charmian Carr as Liesl von Trapp
Charmian Carr in 'The Sound of Music' (1965); Charmian Carr at a screening of 'The Sound Of Music' in Beverly Hills, Calif., on July 30, 2012Credit: Bettmann ; Tibrina Hobson/WireImage
Carr played the von Trapp's eldest daughter, Liesl, who is in love with Rolf (Daniel Truhitte), a young man who later becomes a Nazi soldier.
The Sound of Music is one of Carr's only big-screen acting credits. After the film, she appeared on an episode of ABC Stage 67 in 1966. She left acting behind to focus on her children, daughters Jennifer and Emily, whom she shared with ex-husband Jay Brent. When they were older, she started an interior design business, Charmian Carr Design, which counted Michael Jackson as a client, according to her now-defunct website.
Over the years, she wrote two books, Forever Liesl and Letters to Liesl, about her experience on the iconic movie set. In 2010, she appeared with her former costars to commemorate The Sound of Music's 45th anniversary. Carr even recorded the song "Edelweiss" with the great-grandchildren of the von Trapps in 2014, per the band Pink Martini's official website.
Carr died at age 73 in September 2016.
Nicholas Hammond as Friedrich von Trapp
Nicholas Hammond as Friedrich von Trapp in 1965's 'The Sound of Music'; Nicholas Hammond attends the opening night of "Chicago the Musical" at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney on June 13, 2024Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty ; Don Arnold/WireImage
Nicholas Hammond starred as Friedrich von Trapp, the eldest son of the von Trapp kids, who tells Maria he's "impossible."
"It was a joyous film to make. I'm enormously proud of having a small part in it and being a part of something that's brought so much pleasure to so many, now billions of people over the years," Hammond told PEOPLE in September 2025.
He added, "The fact that you go from just being a kid in the ninth grade at Williamsburg Junior High School in Arlington, Va., and by the time you come back from that, you are one of the seven most famous children in the world, that's a big thing to put on a 14-year-old."
After The Sound of Music, Hammond became best known in the late 1970s for starring as Peter Parker on the series The Amazing Spider-Man, as well as a set of made-for-TV Spider-Man movies. Throughout the 1980s, he appeared on the soap operas Dallas and General Hospital as well as in the miniseries The Challenge, Cyclone Tracy and Fields of Fire.
Hammond later held roles in the 2004 miniseries adaptation of Salem's Lot and 2019's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which he portrayed actor Sam Wanamaker. In 2025, Hammond appeared on the dramedy series Good Cop/Bad Cop and the film The Travellers.
The actor was married to Laura Soli from 1978 to 1984. As of 2015, he was living in Australia with his partner, actress Robyn Nevin, whom he met at the Sydney Theatre Company in 1987, according to The Daily Mail.
Hammond has kept in touch with his Sound of Music costars, telling PEOPLE that though they may "only physically reconnect as a group maybe every five or 10 years now, a week doesn't go by" that he doesn't get an email or a text message "from at least a couple of them."
Heather Menzies-Urich as Louisa von Trapp
Heather Menzies as Louisa von Trapp in 1965's 'The Sound of Music'; Heather Menzies attends the TCM Classic Film Festival opening night gala in Hollywood, Calif., on March 26, 2015Credit: TCD/Prod.DB / Alamy ; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
Menzies-Urich played daughter Louisa von Trapp.
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Aside from The Sound of Music, she is best known for the series Logan's Run. Menzies-Urich also guest-starred on shows like Vega$ and T.J. Hooker and starred in 1973's Sssssss and 1978's Piranha.
Her last TV credit was on a 1990 episode of American Dreamer, starring her husband, Robert Urich. The pair were married from 1975 until his death in 2002, after which Menzies-Urich devoted most of her time to a foundation she built in his honor.
The Canadian-American actress died in December 2017 at age 68. She was survived by her three children, Ryan, Emily and Allison, per The Guardian.
Duane Chase as Kurt von Trapp
Duane Chase as Kurt von Trapp in 1965's 'The Sound of Music'; Duane Chase attends the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award Tribute gala at the Dolby Theatre in L.A. on June 9, 2022Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty ; Michael Buckner/Variety/Penske Media via Getty
Duane Chase portrayed the youngest singing brother, Kurt von Trapp.
The former child actor graduated from high school in 1969 and had only two additional credits after The Sound of Music. He worked for the forest service in California before studying geology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He earned his master's degree in geology in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and later became a software engineer, per AL.com.
The geologist told Parade in November 2013 that his interest in rocks was sparked while on location in Austria filming The Sound of Music. He said he often went off to explore the set's surroundings even when he wasn't supposed to.
As of 2015, Chase was married to a woman named Petra and living in Washington, according to Northwest Prime Time.
Of his Sound of Music costars, Chase told PEOPLE that they constantly sought each other out over the decades, refusing to lose their connection.
"When we had the chances to get together, either on our own or because we were out in the field doing promo, we just always stayed in touch," Chase said. "Even when I moved up to Santa Barbara, I'd drive down to L.A., and I'd stay with Heather and Bob, and they would get together with Angie or Kymie and Debbie. And we just kind of bounced around in terms of who we saw at the time, when we had the time."
Angela Cartwright as Brigitta von Trapp
Angela Cartwright as Brigitta von Trapp in 1965's 'The Sound of Music'; Angela Cartwright attends the 48th annual AFI Life Achievement Awards at the Dolby Theatre in L.A. on June 9, 2022Credit: Allstar Picture Library Ltd / Alamy ; VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
Angela Cartwright played Brigitta von Trapp in The Sound of Music.
Cartwright told PEOPLE in 2025 that while filming the iconic musical, Andrews was a genuinely maternal figure to the younger actors.
"She just had this kind of mothering relationship with us, and when we were between takes, she would sing, she would teach us songs, we would dance, and she was part of that," Cartwright said. "She didn't go off to her dressing room. She was a real part of us being a family. It shows. I think that's such an important part of why this movie is so successful."
Cartwright went on to land leading roles on the sci-fi series Lost in Space and in the 1979 Poseidon Adventure sequel, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure. Cartwright later appeared in both the 1998 Lost in Space movie and its 2018 series reboot. She had guest parts on shows like Logan's Run and The Love Boat. In addition to lending her voice on an episode of Adventures in Odyssey in 2022, the actress launched a photography career and studio.
She married actor Steve Gullion in 1976. Their children, daughter Becca Gullion and son Jesse Gullion, are also actors.
Cartwright is still close with her Sound of Music siblings, joking to PEOPLE in 2025 that they call themselves the "Non-Trapps."
"We visit, we've been at births and marriages and deaths and been through experiences together," she said, adding, "We're like a family that's all over the world in separate places — and we are! I mean, from Australia all the way to Los Angeles and middle America, and yet we all come together ... we pick up where we left off."
Debbie Turner as Marta von Trapp
Debbie Turner as Marta von Trapp in 1965's 'The Sound of Music'; Debbie Turner attends the 48th annual AFI Life Achievement Awards at Dolby Theatre in L.A. on June 9, 2022Credit: Allstar Picture Library Ltd / Alamy ; VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
Debbie Turner played Marta, the second-youngest von Trapp sister. She was only 7 when she landed the role.
"Angela [Cartwright] was already an established actress beforehand. I wasn't," she told PEOPLE in September 2025. "I was a TV commercial actress."
The Sound of Music was Turner's only major acting credit, but her exit from Hollywood was "not really by choice."
"I'd go in interviews, and they'd go, 'Oh, so you were in The Sound of Music?' " she recalled to PEOPLE. "And then it's like, I don't know if I got put on a pedestal or I got thrown out the side — I don't know."
Acting opportunities dried up because, as she put it, "I just didn't get jobs."
She turned to other passions, including running a floral and wedding design company called Debbie Turner Originals — Turner had the opportunity to decorate the White House for Christmas in 2025, which she called a "neat experience" — and is now semi-retired.
Turner has been married to Rick Larson since 1989, and they share three daughters, Brooke, Amy and Angela.
Kym Karath as Gretl von Trapp
Kym Karath as Gretl von Trapp in 1965's 'The Sound of Music'; Kym Karath attends the 48th annual AFI Life Achievement Awards at Dolby Theatre in L.A. on June 9, 2022Credit: Allstar Picture Library Ltd / Alamy ; VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
Kym Karath starred as the youngest von Trapp sister, Gretl.
After The Sound of Music, Karath, who began acting as a toddler, held dozens of guest spots on popular series, including Lost in Space, The Brady Bunch and Archie Bunker's Place.
Sweetly, her Sound of Music costar Hammond took her to her first prom. Karth told PEOPLE in 2025 that her mother didn't trust anybody "with me at that point" but "thought she could trust Nicky — and she could trust Nicky."
She graduated from the University of Southern California and lived in Paris for a while, where she worked as a model. Her last acting credit came in the 1981 TV film Midnight Offerings.
Since then, she's become an advocate for kids with disabilities because of her experience caring for her son.
"My son has special needs, so I was needed in a way I never expected to be needed," Karath told Parade in November 2013. "You just rise to the occasion."
Karath feels nothing but love for her Sound of Music family, and she had an extremely close bond with the late Menzies.
She shared that "it was such a gift to be given six siblings."
"My sister and brother were 16 and 15 years older than I was, respectively, so I almost grew up as a little bit of an only child. So I suddenly had all of these siblings," she told PEOPLE. "... And yeah, they've remained in my life forever."
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