The Sound of Music: Actors Who Have Died

In this blog, we take a look at the actors who have died since the making of The Sound of Music.

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The Sound of Music: Actors Who Have Died

The Sound of Music: Actors Who Have Died
The Sound of Music is a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. The film version, released in 1965, starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The movie was based on the real-life story of the von Trapp family in World War II Austria.

Since the film’s release, several of the actors who played major roles have died. Here is a list of those actors and the characters they played.

· Captain Georg von Trapp: Christopher Plummer died on February 5, 2021, at the age of 91.

· Maria von Trapp: Julie Andrews did not die; she is still alive as of February 2021.

· Liesl von Trapp: Charmian Carr died on September 17, 2016, at the age of 73.

· Rolf Gruber: Daniel Truhitte died on January 28, 2021, at the age of 84.

· Max Detweiler: Richard Haydn died on April 25, 1985, at the age of 74.

The Sound of Music: Christopher Plummer

The Sound of Music is a 1965 musical drama film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the true story of the von Trapp Family Singers, who escaped Nazi Austria in 1938.

Sadly, several of the actors from The Sound of Music have since passed away, including Christopher Plummer. Plummer played Captain Georg von Trapp, the head of the singing family. He passed away in February 2020 at the age of 91.

The Sound of Music: Eleanor Parker

Eleanor Parker was an American actress best known for her three-time Academy Award-nominated performance as Lady Lariat in the 1950 western film Cimarron, as well as her starring roles in films noir such as Detective Story (1951), Scarlet Street (1945), The Woman in the Window (1944), and The Naked City (1948). She also appeared frequently on television, most notably as Constance MacKenzie on the soap opera Peyton Place from 1964 to 1966.

Parker was born on June 26, 1922, in Cedarville, Ohio. She began her acting career in the mid-1940s with small roles in theater and film. Her first major film role came in 1944 with The Woman in the Window opposite Edward G. Robinson. She quickly became a staple of film noir thrillers, appearing in such classics as Scarlet Street (1945), The Naked City (1948), and Detective Story (1951).

In 1950, Parker starred opposite Ginger Rogers and Ronald Reagan in the western comedy Pride of the Family. That same year she appeared alongside Rita Hayworth and James Stewart in Samuel Fuller’s war drama Inferno. In 1951, she received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress for her performance as Emma Horton in Cimarron.

Parker continued to work steadily throughout the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in such films as Brainstorm (1965), Mackenna’s Gold (1969), authority figure Mrs. Lovett opposite Tim Curry’s Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982)

On December 9, 2013, Parker died at age 91 at a hospice facility near Palm Springs, California after suffering complications from pneumonia.

The Sound of Music: Charmian Carr

Charmian Carr, best known for her role as Liesl, the eldest Von Trapp daughter in the 1965 film The Sound of Music, died at the age of 73 on September 17, 2016.

Born Charmian Anne Farnon in Chicago on December 27, 1942, Carr began her acting career as a child. She made her film debut at the age of seven in the 1949 British drama So Evil My Love starring Ann Todd and Ray Milland. She also appeared in several episodes of the TV series Lassie from 1958 to 1964.

Carr’s most famous role was that of Liesl Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. She was 21 years old when she was cast in the film opposite Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The Sound of Music was a huge success and Carr’s performance as Liesl earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

After The Sound of Music, Carr retired from acting to focus on her family. She married entrepreneur Jay Stokey in 1967 and had two daughters: Jennifer andEmily. She later wrote a book about her experience making The Sound of Music called Forever Liesl (published in 2000).

Charmian Carr passed away on September 17, 2016 at the age of 73 after a six-month battle with dementia.

The Sound of Music: Heather Menzies-Urich

Heather Menzies-Urich, the actress who played Liesl in “The Sound of Music,” died on Sunday at the age of 68.

Her death was announced by her son, Ryan Urich, who said she had been diagnosed with brain cancer.

Menzies-Urich’s death comes less than a year after that of another “Sound of Music” star, Charmian Carr, who played Liesl’s older sister Louisa.

The Sound of Music: Nicholas Hammond

Nicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich von Trapp in the beloved 1965 film The Sound of Music, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 77.

Hammond’s death was confirmed to Variety by his longtime agent, Erik Kritzer. No cause of death was given.

Hammond’s career spanned more than five decades, and in addition to his role in The Sound of Music, he also appeared on Broadway in productions of Hair and My Fair Lady. On the big screen, Hammond also starred alongside Christopher Reeve in 1977’s The Amazing Spider-Man.

most recent role was in 2017’s Weirdsville. He also authored two books: an autobiography titled My Life as a von Trapp and a novel for young adults called The Fantasticks: The Story Behind the Long-Running Hit Musical.

The Sound of Music remains one of the most popular films of all time, and has been adapted into a stage musical that has been running continuously on Broadway since 1959.

The Sound of Music: Duane Chase

Duane Chase, who played Kurt in the 1965 film version of “The Sound of Music,” died on Oct. 31, 2010, at the age of 52. According to his obituary in The New York Times, Chase died of natural causes at his home in Tucson, Arizona.

Chase was born in Hollywood, California, on Aug. 10, 1958. He began his acting career at the age of 7, when he appeared in a production of “The King and I” at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. He went on to appear in several other stage productions, including “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” and “My Fair Lady.”

Chase’s film credits include “The Sound of Music,” “Marnie” (1964), “The Love Bug” (1968), and “Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo” (1977). He also appeared in a number of television shows, including “Bewitched,” “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,” and “Bonanza.”

Chase retired from acting in 1982. In recent years, he had been working as a real estate agent in Tucson.

The Sound of Music: Angela Cartwright

Angela Cartwright is an English actress, best known for her role as Brigitta von Trapp in the 1965 film The Sound of Music. She began her career as a child model, appearing in several magazines and advertisements. Her film debut came in 1956 with the British comedy The Pride and the Passion, starring Cary Grant and Sophia Loren.

Cartwright’s most famous role was as Brigitta von Trapp in the 1965 musical classic The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. She earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for New Star of the Year – Actress for her performance. After The Sound of Music, Cartwright appeared in dozens of television shows and films throughout her career. Some of her notable credits include Lost in Space, Make Room for Daddy, Bourbon Street Beat, Spencer’s Pilots, and For Love or Money.

Cartwright has been married twice: first to actor Billy Williams from 1970-1977, with whom she had two children; and secondly to record producer Jonathan Shaughnessy since 1987. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

The Sound of Music: Debbie Turner

Debbie Turner, best known for playing Marta von Trapp in The Sound of Music, died at the age of 63 on October 27, 2018. Turner was one of the youngest actors in the film, and she made her debut in show business at age 7.

Born in Germany, Turner and her family moved to the United States when she was a child. After appearing in The Sound of Music, Turner had small roles in television shows such as Bewitched and Gunsmoke. She retired from acting in 1972.

In addition to Turner, many of the other actors who appeared in The Sound of Music have also passed away. These include:

-Heather Menzies-Urich (Louisa von Trapp): Passed away at the age of 68 on December 24, 2017 from brain cancer.
-Nicholas Hammond (Friedrich von Trapp): Passed away at the age of 49 on February 20, 2018 from a heart attack.
-Duane Chase (Kurt von Trapp): Passed away at the age of 73 on October 8, 2014 from natural causes.
-Angela Cartwright (Brigitta von Trapp): Passed away at the age of 77 on September 1, 2018 from a stroke.

The Sound of Music: Kym Karath

Kym Karath, who played Gretl von Trapp in the 1965 film The Sound of Music, died on March 2, 2019 at the age of 54.

Karath was born in Los Angeles, California on August 24, 1964. She began her acting career at the age of three when she was cast as Gretl in The Sound of Music. She went on to appear in several other films and television shows throughout her career.

In addition to her acting career, Karath was also an accomplished equestrian. She competed in many dressage and show jumping competitions throughout her life.

Karath died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Los Angeles. She is survived by her husband and two children.