‘Our lives have really interwoven with each other’: Fifty years on from The Sound Of Music the actors who played the von Trapp children have remained lifelong friends

• The 1965 Oscar-winning film adaptation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical The Sound Of Music is celebrating turning 50 this year
• The actors who starred as the von Trapp children have remained close friends over the five decades since they traveled to Austria together 
• ‘We’re beyond friends. We’re second family,’ said Kym Karath, who played the youngest von Trapp, Gretl

The seven young actors who became part of cinematic history when they were cast as the von Trapp children in Rogers & Hammerstein’s The Sound Of Music in 1965 have grown to become lifelong friends in the fifty years since the famous film’s release. 

Known as The SoM 7, they formed their own sort of family over the months of making the musical. Their parents befriended one another as the young performers traveled to Austria for filming, and the actors themselves have remained close for decades.

‘We’re beyond friends. We’re second family,’ said Kym Karath, who played the youngest von Trapp, Gretl. ‘As adults, we were deeply bonded, so our lives have really interwoven with each other.’

As The Sound Of Music celebrates its 50th anniversary, here’s a look at what the SoM 7 are doing now:

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The 1965 Oscar-winning film adaptation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical The Sound Of Music, starring Julie Andrews and the actors who played the von Trapp children, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year

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The seven young actors who became part of cinematic history when they were cast as the von Trapp children in Rogers & Hammerstein’s The Sound Of Music have grown into lifelong friends (2012 photo)

Chairmian Carr, who played the role of Liesl, is now 72 and sells custom furniture that she designs

LIESL: Now 72, Charmian Carr played the eldest von Trapp daughter and has published two books about her experience making the film: Forever Liesl and Letters To Liesl. 

She maintains a website where she sells the custom furniture she designs, as well as autographed photos from her Sound of Music days. 

Carr lives in Southern California and regularly sees her Sound Of Music sisters.

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BRIGITTA: Angela Cartwright, who started performing at age 3, went on to star in the TV series Lost in Space and Make Room for Granddaddy after playing Brigitta in The Sound Of Music. She traded acting for other artistic pursuits after having children. 

Now 62, Cartwright works as a photographer, painter and writer in Los Angeles. Her most recent book was released last year: Styling The Stars: Lost Treasures From The Twentieth Century Fox Archive.

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Duane Chase played the role of Kurt, in the film. Now 64, he worked as a software engineer and is now considering retirement

KURT: Duane Chase, who played little brother Kurt von Trapp, continued acting until his teens, including an appearance in the 1966 Kurt Russell film, Follow Me, Boys! 

Chase switched gears in college, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in geology and working as a software engineer. 

Now 64, he recently went on sabbatical and is considering retirement. He lives near Seattle with his wife and their two cats.

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Nicholas Hammond played Friedrich in the film and at 64 now lives in Australia where he works as an actor, writer and director

FRIEDRICH: For Nicholas Hammond, who portrayed the eldest von Trapp son, The Sound Of Music came early in a still-thriving entertainment career. 

Hammond continued to collect film and TV credits as he pursued an English literature degree at Princeton. Now 64, he lives in Australia and works as an actor, writer and director.

Kym Karath was only 5 years old when she played Gretl. Now 56, she is returning to her entertainment career as an actress and writer

GRETL: Kym Karath was only 5 years old when she played Gretl von Trapp. She quit acting for high school and college at USC, and focused on parenting rather than performing when her son was born with disabilities. 

Along with other parents, Karath helped establish the Aurelia Foundation, which provides services for special-needs individuals once they finish high school. 

Now 56, Karath is returning to her entertainment career as an actress and writer.

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Heather Menzies played Louisa, in the film. Now 65, she runs the nonprofit organization she established after her husband died from a rare form of cancer

LOUISA: The Sound Of Music was Heather Menzies-Urich’s first movie. She continued acting after she wed actor Robert Urich, but stopped when their children were born. 

Now 65, Menzies-Urich runs the nonprofit organization she established after her husband died from a rare form of cancer. 

The Robert Urich Foundation provides funding for cancer research and to help families relocate for specialized treatment.

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Debbie Turner played Marta and the 58-year-old now runs her own floral-design business in Minnesota

MARTA: Debbie Turner was as much an athlete as an actress as a child, and she opted for sports after playing Marta von Trapp. A lifetime of skiing earned the 58-year-old a knee replacement earlier this year. 

Turner owns a floral-design business in Minnesota. She recently was called on to provide flowers for a wedding in Salzburg, Austria, at a palace that inspired the sets of The Sound Of Music.

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The 1965 Oscar-winning film adaptation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical The Sound Of Music, staring Christopher Plummer as the children’s father, above, is celebrating turning 50 this year

Angela Cartwright, who played the role of Brigitta, is now 62 and works as a photographer, painter and writer in Los Angeles

Julie Andrews, the star of The Sound Of Music and Mary Poppins, is one of the best-known and best-loved actresses in the world. These movies were an integral part of childhood for millions, and so she holds a special place in our hearts.

Dame Julie’s career was so long and illustrious that it’s almost impossible to cover her highlights. So let’s take a look at a few memorable YouTube videos from recent years, starting with The Sound Of Music. Few movies are as universally beloved and rewatched as The Sound Of Music. It is a staple for families around the world at Christmas and must have been viewed millions of times by now. That’s why there was so much excitement when the cast returned to Salzburg, where the movie was filmed in 1965.

The video included interviews with the actors who played Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt and Marta. Heather Menzies, who played Louisa, talks about walking around the places where the movie was filmed alone. Memories flooded over her, a tree or a pond, and she flew back fifty years. It must have been like meeting an old friend.

The foursome also reminisces about the park that was supposed to be the rears gardens of the Von Trapp mansion. They all agreed the part they remembered best was the famous boat scene. The lake apparently was full of leeches! Even more scary is the fact that in one take, Julie Andrews fell out of the back of the boat rather than the front as she was meant to.

Julie was supposed to grab Kim Karath, who played Gretl, as she couldn’t swim. It took a minute or so before the other children realised she wasn’t there. Luckily, she was fine, but it must have been frightening for a five-year-old child. It’s doubtful such a lack of safety precautions would be allowed today.