The Only Major Actors Still Alive From The Sound Of Music

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It's been nearly 60 years since Julie Andrews first sang about how the hills of Austria were alive with the sound of music, but "The Sound of Music" remains a beloved cinematic treasure. Vividly colorful, unabashedly musical, and anchored by Andrews' performance, the story of Maria the would-be nun, and her small army of new wards — the Von Trapp children — is still rewatched and referenced often across the world.

With more than half a century of retrospect, "The Sound of Music" has also become a bit of a historical document: much of the film's cast and crew has since passed away, with the exception of Andrews herself and five of the seven actors who embodied the Von Trapp kids. Heather Menzies (Louisa) and Charmian Carr (Liesl) have both passed away in recent years, as has Christopher Plummer, who embodied family patriarch Captain Georg Von Trapp in the classic. The rest of the Von Trapp kids have all led varied lives inside and outside the film industry, while Andrews' sterling reputation as a leading lady has only solidified with age.

The actor who played the eldest boy Friedrich in "The Sound of Music" had only been featured in one movie role before being cast in the film, but after it was released, his career seems to have taken off. Hammond has now been acting for 60 years, and most recently appeared in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood" as real-life actor-director Sam Wanamaker. Other major projects he's appeared in over the years include the 1970s "The Amazing Spider-Man" TV show (he played Peter Parker!), the sci-fi flick "Stealth," a "Crocodile Dundee" film, and popular shows like "Dallas" and "Murder, She Wrote."

Hammond was the first on-screen Peter Parker and continued playing the web-slinging hero in three TV movies throughout the late '70s, although the series was canceled after just two seasons. The actor moved to Australia in the '80s and has since done work as a director and screenwriter as well. He wrote the 1998 miniseries "A Difficult Woman" as well as 1999's "Secret Men's Business." He also directed and co-wrote the incredibly named play "Lying Cheating Bastard" with magician James Galea.

In "The Sound of Music," Cartwright played Brigitta Von Trapp, the sassy originator of such memorable lines as "I'm 10, and I think your dress is the ugliest one I ever saw" and "Never eat your soup quietly." After that film, Cartwright continued acting on and off but also fostered an impressive career across multiple mediums. As of publication time, she's written or contributed to at least 14 books and zines, including a "Lost in Space" photo memoir alongside Bill Mumy, the fantasy novel "On Purpose" (also co-authored by Mumy), books about art techniques and Hollywood fashion, and several issues of the art zine "Pasticcio Quartz."

An artist with an interest in art, fashion, photography, and more, Cartwright hasn't acted in an on-screen role since the Netflix "Lost in Space" reboot in 2018. Other on-screen credits include appearances on "The Love Boat" and "Logan's Run," a role in the Michael Caine and Sally Field-led film "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure," and another in the made-for-TV film "High School U.S.A." Cartwright's most high-profile post "Sound of Music" role, though, was on the classic sixties sci-fi series "Lost in Space," in which she played middle kid Penny (who famously had a monkey named Debbie the Bloop, because why not?). In addition to her guest appearance as a different character on Netflix's reboot, Cartwright also cameoed in the 1998 "Lost in Space" movie.

The youngest and most adorable Von Trapp child was played by Kym Karath. In a reunion interview, Julie Andrews told "Good Morning America" (per ABC) that Karath really couldn't swim in a scene that required her to fall out of a boat, but that probably stressful experience didn't deter the child actor from continuing in show biz — for a while. After "The Sound of Music," Karath appeared mostly on television, guest starring on her co-star Cartwright's series "Lost in Space" and taking on brief roles in sitcoms and soaps like "The Brady Bunch," "The Waltons," "All My Children," and "Family Affair."

Unfortunately, Karath fell prey to the notoriously exploitative Hollywood casting system. "When I hit puberty, and I was quite developed for my age, there were a lot of horrible people who came forward," she told Fox News in 2023, adding that her parents were "terrified" for her and told her to focus on school rather than acting. Her later attempt to re-enter the industry wasn't much better: "Going back into it, after I graduated from university, it was casting couch all over again," she told the outlet. "It was horrible. And I fled."

According to Business Insider, Karath graduated from USC and later moved to Paris, where she worked as a model and studied art history. Her most recent role was in the 1981 horror coming-of-age movie "Midnight Offerings." Karath, whose adult son Eric suffered a stroke as a baby, co-founded The Aurelia Foundation alongside the parents of other children with unique needs. Better known as the nonprofit program Creative Steps, the program supports adults with developmental disabilities by fostering community, teaching computers and other skills, and helping participants who are able to work gain part-time employment.