The
Fiction
The
Broadway Play
Sound
of Music Film
The
Cast
The
Plot
The
Director
A
Film is made
Sound of Music Musical
On Road with Sound of Music
You will find here more
information about the National UK Tour
Information
and online tickets
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music, now on DVD
order
at amazon.com
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Learn more about the history of Sound of Music and License The Sound of Music for future production
The Cast
Julie Andrews was the only one director Robert Wise considered seriously for the role of "Maria".
The actress, born in Walton-on-Thames, England on October
1st, 1935, was a former child star of British revues and a very successful
Broadway star. ("The Boy Friend", "My Fair Lady",
"Camelot"). Her theatrical training made her
ideally suited to the filmmaking style that had its heyday in the Hollywood musicals of the 1940s and 1950s.
Her cinematic persona was established with her first appearence on screen as the magical title character in Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" (one of her top grossing films of all times). Winning an Oscar for "Mary Poppins" was also a personal coup for Andrews. Just before getting the role, she had lost the movie role of Eliza Doolittle ("My Fair Lady") to Audrey Hepburn.
Andrew's portrayals of Mary Poppins and Maria von Trapp not only placed her at the forefront of bankable Hollywood stars of the 60s, but marked and, in effect, pigeoonholed her career. She created strict but loving figures whose no-nonsense manner hid magical powers. After a while, Julie Andrews became tired of her squeaky clean screen portrayals and like most actors, sought different kinds of roles. It is only in her more recent films with her husband, director Blake Edwards that the actress has succeeded in changing the sugar image that has followed her throughout her career.
In 1982, she earned another Academy Award nomination for "Victor / Victoria" which suggested that she had, at last, broken free of her "singing governess" image and had embarked on a promising new phase in her career. In 1996, Andrews appeared on Broadway in "Victor / Victoria", once again on stage when she first began her show biz career.
Films as Actress:
1964 Mary Poppins, The Americanization of Emily
1965 The Sound of Music
1966 Torn Curtain, Hawaii
1967 Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Singing Princess (animation)
1968 Star! (director Robert Wise)
1970 Darling Lili
1974 The Tamarind Sea
1979 10
1980 Little Miss Baker
1981 S.O.B.
1982 Victor / Victoria
1983 The Man Who Loved A Woman
1984 Hanya: Portrait of a Dance Legend
1985 Pandora's Box
1986 Duet for One, That's Life
1991 Our Sons
1992 A Fine Romance
Before
The Sound of Music, Christopher Plummer (Baron von Trapp)
was a famous Shakespearean actor, having played only once in a major film
- "The Fall of the Roman Empire". He suited the role of a noble
widower perfectly. After his success with The Sound of Music, he appeared
in numerous movies and still works in film, television and stage today.
A movie actress at the age of 18 (going on 19...), Eleanor Parker (The Baroness) became famous in the 50s with three Academy Award nominations for "Caged", "Detective Story" and "Interrupted Melody". She was the "name" Wise counted on, as she had been known for many years. After The Sound of Music, Eleanor Parker retired to Palm Springs.
Originally, Richard Haydn (Max Detweiler) was a
dancer, but became active in movies after working with a passing film
compay in Jamaica, where he was living at the time.
Wise chose hime for his talent and engaging personality. He died on April
25, 1985.
Peggy Wood (Mother Abbess) was a grand dame o the Amercian Theater, not often seen on the movie screen. The Sound of Music took her back to her roots, as she had started her career as a musical actress. Wood liked her part as the warmhearted Mother Abbess although her voice had to be dubbed. She died on March 18, 1978.
The Sound of Music marked the start of her career - although she had no intention of becoming an actress. Charmian Carr (Liesl) was a part time model when a friend sent her picture to Robert Wise. He discovered she could dance and sing and - there she was - a perfect Liesl. Today, she works in interior design with a list of famous clients like Michael Jackson.
Nobody
would thought Nicholas Hammond (Friedrich) would get
the role - he couldn't sing at the audition, due to a ski accident a few
days before which had left him without his front teeth. But he got the
role, partly because he was already a professional, heaving appeared on
television, on Broadway and in the movies. Today he lives in Australia
and is a celebrated screenwriter and actor.
Angela
Cartwright (Brigitta) was already known for her role in the sequel
"Make room for Daddy" when she was cast for The Sound of Music.
After the film she starred in the series "Lost in Space" and
made her living as a film actress. She has two children and still works
as an actress and a photographer and has an internet business.
Heather
Menzies (Louisa) got the role although she lacked experience.
After the film, she starred in television series and other movies. She
stopped to become a full time mother and is very engaged in fighting cancer.
Duane
Chase (Kurt) started his career at the age of 11 doing commercials
to earn money for his education. Today, he is a software engineer in the
state of Washington.
Debbie
Turner (Marta) too started with commercials. Today, she lives
in Minnesota as a happy mother of four children and runs a successful
floral design shop.
Kym
Karath (Gretl) had already done three movies before The Sound
of Music. Wise knew instantly he would never find another 5-year-old with
such camera presence. Karath starred in "All my Children" before
taking time off for her baby.