ABOUT the SOM 7

Meet the 7 von Trapps from the movie.

Liesl:  Charmian Carr

Charmian who found fame as the eldest Von Trapp child, travelled for two years promoting the film and also did a TV pilot for 20th Century Fox.  When she married, acting took a back seat as she and her husband started a family. 
In 1976 Charmian became a full-time interior designer and later spent five years working for Michael Jackson helping him to create his mini Disneyland in Encino.
Charmian is survived by two daughters, Jenny and Emily and five grandchildren.

December 27, 1944 - September 17, 2016

CLICK HERE for our TRIBUTE to Charmian

Friedrich: Nicholas Hammond

Nicholas is an actor, writer, and director based in Australia. Following his role in The Sound of Music, he continued a distinguished acting career with leading roles on stage in Broadway, London, and Sydney. He starred in the television series
The Amazing Spider-Man and has appeared in over 200 TV shows, 40 films, including the documentary Climbed Every Mountain.

Most recently, Nicholas portrayed Sam Wanamaker in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. As a screenwriter, he’s a two-time First Prize winner at the New York International Film and Television Festival.

He also toured with Julie Andrews in the two-person stage production An Evening with Julie Andrews & host Nicholas Hammond, which played in major cities across the Northern Hemisphere. Nicholas is currently starring as General Mackenzie in Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None on tour in Australia and in the upcoming Bruce Beresford film The Traveler.

Louisa:  Heather Menzies

Heather was born in Toronto, Canada to Scottish parents who left the UK for Canada after the war.
Heathers first appearance was in the TV series The Farmers Daughter. At the age of 14 she was cast as Louisa von Trapp. After portraying Louisa, Heather continued her acting career with roles on Broadway, in various films, and on television—including the lead Jessica 6 in Logan’s Run.
She met her husband Robert Urich, on a Libbys commercial and was married to the late actor in 1975. Together they raised three children: Ryan, Emily, and Alison.
Throughout her life, Heather was deeply dedicated to philanthropy, working tirelessly on behalf of the Urich Sarcoma Fund. Just 4 weeks after her diagnosis of terminal brain cancer she passed away in Canada with her family around her. 

December 3rd, 1949 - December 24th, 2017

CLICK HERE for our TRIBUTE to Heather

Kurt: Duane Chase

After portraying Kurt Duane continued acting, with appearances in Disney’s Follow Me Boys, an episode of The Big Valley, and several commercials. After high school, his family moved to Santa Barbara, where he studied geology and worked for the U.S. Forest Service. His passion for the natural world led him to a career in geology in the field with a minerals company, and later through graduate studies at the University of Alabama. He went on to work for the Alabama Geological Survey and eventually joined a geophysical software company, launching a long and successful career in the
high-tech industry in Seattle.

Following his retirement after more than 30 years in software, Duane and his wife Petra, a dedicated neonatal nurse, made their home in Sisters, Oregon. He traded his volunteer work on Mt. Rainier for a new role with the local fire department, where he’s currently training to become an apparatus operator. Together, Duane and Petra enjoy hiking, working on their property, and occasional trips to Hawaii to soak up the aloha spirit.

Brigitta:  Angela Cartwright

Angela is best known for her beloved television role as Linda on the classic sitcom The Danny Thomas Show, which she starred in for seven years. After The Sound of Music, she landed the iconic role of Penny Robinson for three years in the sci-fi series Lost In Space. She went on to appear in a wide range of film and television projects. Married since 1976, she is the proud mother of two grown children and grandmother to five.

Her pictorial memoir Lost (and Found) In Space 2: Blast Off with the Extended Edition, co-authored with Bill Mumy, celebrates the enduring legacy of Lost In Space. She also co-wrote the award-winning Styling the Stars: Lost Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Archive, a project that took two and a half years of delving into rare continuity photographs from the 20th Century Fox archives. Angela can also be seen in Season 2 of the Netflix reboot of Lost In Space.

Today, she leads a vibrant artistic life — creating original art, designing and capturing moments through art.ography. She continues to write books and articles and recently collaborated with celebrated jewelry designer Michael Michaud on a 60th Anniversary of The Sound of Music Edelweiss inspired collection. Yearly Angela leads a tour of the Sound of Music locations through Craftours.  
Her newest creative adventure: a podcast titled Angela Cartwright - Pasticcio— coming soon.

angelacartwrightstudio.com
instagram.com/angelacartwrightstudio

facebook.com/TheAngelaCartwright
X.com/acstudio

Marta:  Debbie Turner

Debbie was already an experienced commercial actress when she was cast as Marta. After filming, she completed her studies at USC and moved to Utah to ski—where she met her husband, Rick. They later settled in Minnesota and raised four daughters. She is now the proud Grandmother to ten Grandchildren.

A trained artist and designer, Debbie Turner has built a celebrated career as a floral and event designer, known internationally for her elegant arrangements. Since the early 1990s, her work has been featured at high-profile events, including the 2008 Republican National Convention, the 2011 Pasadena Rose Parade (as a float judge), and in 2017, the White House Christmas, where she decorated the iconic Blue Room “People’s Tree.”

Today, Debbie continues her creative journey designing custom gardens for homes and businesses around Minnesota’s Lake Minnetonka.

debbieturneroriginals.com
facebook: Marta in SOM
X.com/DebbieTurnerDTO

Gretl: Kym Karath

Kym was just five years old when she played the youngest von Trapp child she had already appeared in three films - Spencer’s Mountain with Henry Fonda, The Thrill of It All as Doris Day’s daughter, and Good Neighbor Sam as Jack Lemmon’s daughter. After her role as Gretl, she continued acting, guest-starring in television favorites such as The WaltonsThe Brady Bunch, Lassie, Dr. Kildare, and Lost In Space.  She later earned her degree from USC and returned to acting with roles in Archie Bunker’s Place and Midnight Offerings before heading to Paris, where she modeled and studied at the École du Louvre. Upon returning to the U.S.A, she appeared in All My Children.

Kym married and devoted time to raising her son Eric, who has special needs. When she resumed her career, she created and hosted a pilot called Bouncing Back and wrote a screenplay set to be directed by Bruce Beresford. Today, Kym continues to work in production and acting, and leads
The Aurelia Foundation, a cause close to her heart that supports adults with special needs.

facebook.com/kym.karath
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The full story of the SOM 7, their life, and their experiences while making the movie The Sound of Music are in their book THE SOUND OF MUSIC FAMILY SCRAPBOOK which you can purchase along with other Sound of Music memorabilia at MY FAVORITE THINGS
Current photographs by: Art Streiber