The Sound of Music’s stars 60 years later, including the child stars with tragic fates

Dame Julie Andrews has remained an indelible part of Hollywood since 1965, coming off of her Oscar win for Mary Poppins, continuing her legacy with classics like The Americanization of Emily, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Victor/Victoria, plus box office successes like the Princess Diaries and Despicable Me franchises.

After her divorce from Tony Walton in 1968, she found love with Blake Edwards a year later, and they remained together until his death in 2010. They adopted two children together, and Julie is now a grandmother of nine and great grandmother of three.

The Sound of Music made Christopher Plummer a household name, kickstarting a prolific career on screen and stage, nabbing two Tonys and an Oscar for 2011’s The Beginners. His final film role was 2019’s Knives Out.

He divorced his wife at the time, Patricia Lewis, in 1967 and tied the knot with actress Elaine Taylor in 1970. They remained together until his death in 2021 at the age of 91.

Charmian Carr played eldest von Trapp daughter Liesl when she was 22. She made appearances in a pair of TV pilots in 1965 and 1966 before leaving show business altogether.

She married dentist Jay Brent in 1967 and they welcomed two children before their 1991 divorce. She also owned an interior design firm in Encino, California. Sadly, Charmian passed away in 2016 aged 73.

Friedrich actor Nicholas Hammond, now 74, already had a few screen credits to his name before appearing in the musical at age 14. However, his list of credits is extensive, best known for playing the title role in the 1970s TV series The Amazing Spider-Man.

His most recent film credit was 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He moved to Sydney in the ’80s and has been with Australian actress Robyn Nevin since 1987.

Heather Menzies played Louisa at age 14 and continued making appearances on TV and film up until 1990, her best known appearance since being the 1977-78 series Logan’s Run.

She found love with actor Robert Urich in 1974. They tied the knot a year later, her second marriage, and adopted three children. After his death in 2002, she devoted herself to the Robert Urich Foundation, created in his honor, and passed away in 2017 aged 68 from brain cancer.

Kurt actor Duane Chase, now 74, quickly pivoted away from acting, going to college and graduating with a degree in geology. He devoted most of his life to geology, forestry and wildlife studies.

He currently lives outside of Seattle and now lives with his wife Petra Maria, a nurse born in Hamburg he has been married to since 1987.

Prior to her appearance in The Sound of Music, Angela Cartwright, now 72, who played Brigitta, had already established a solid career as a regular cast member on The Danny Thomas Show from 1957-64. Her older sister is actress Veronica Cartwright.

She continued acting after the musical, appearing in Lost in Space from 1965-68, and carrying that appearance as far forward as 2018. She has been a photographer for over three decades and tied the knot with Steve Gullion in 1976, welcoming two children. 

Debbie Turner, now 68, left the entertainment industry soon after playing Marta in the Oscar-winning film, although remains close with her on-screen siblings to this day.

She left show business behind to continue her education, relocating to Minnesota with her husband Richard Lanson, where they raised their four children. She is now a floral designer.

Kym Karath, now 66, who played the youngest von Trapp Gretl, continued acting after the movie, making brief appearances in several popular TV shows like Peyton Place, Lassie, Lost in Space, Family Affair, All My Children and The Brady Bunch.

After completing her education, she moved to Paris where she briefly modeled. In 1985, she tied the knot with Philippe L’Equibec and welcomed a son with him before their 2005 divorce. Since 2016, she has been married to Jeff Apple.