What The Kids From The Sound Of Music Look Like Today

Few films have had the enduring effect on the public like "The Sound of Music." With a score written by two of the best composers of musical theater to ever live, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, the story, the setting, and the songs entered the zeitgeist and never left.

Over five decades after the movie was released, one of the show's stars, the Oscar winner who rose to fame by playing two of the most beloved nannies of all time, Julie Andrews, was presented with an American Film Institute Life Achievement Award, and was honored with a reunion of the five of the seven actors who played the von Trapp children in "The Sound of Music." The actors sang "Do-Re-Mi" for the audience and moved to surround Andrews during the performance.

Though they all took wildly different career paths as adults, the experience filming the movie bonded the seven child actors. "We are all still very close friends, and that's the difference – you don't tire of talking about something when you have such fond memories, not only of the time doing it, but also of the life experiences you've shared since then," Nicholas Hammond told the Star Observer.

And what are those close friends up to now? From acting to painting to raising children of their own, here's what the kids from "The Sound of Music" look like today.

One of the only von Trapp children to have an acting career as an adult, Nicholas Hammond is perhaps best known for his role in "The Amazing Spider-Man," a 1970's series depicting the adventures of the Marvel superhero. The actor who played Friedrich in "The Sound of Music" rose to fame after the mammoth musical by playing Peter Parker.

When asked about making a cameo in the most recent installation of the Spider-Man series, "Spider-Man: No Way Home," Hammond said, "I think it would have been huge fun. It would have been a kick in the pants to have the old guy there. I was really hoping I would be approached but unfortunately, that didn't happen," he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Although he wasn't able to make an appearance in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" alongside some other former Peter Parkers, Hammond has been in some other blockbuster films like "Once upon a Time in Hollywood" alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. And before acting in "The Sound of Music," Hammond was in "Lord of the Flies." "It has been a fun career. Ever since 'Lord of the Flies,' it's all I've ever wanted to do, to walk onto a film set or stage. It's been great," he told 7 News. In addition to his fruitful career, Hammond has had a full personal life. The actor lives in Australia with his partner Robyn Nevin, a fellow actor.

Duane Chase has not had an acting role since 1966 when he was a guest on one episode of the television show "The Big Valley." Other than acting as Kurt in "The Sound of Music," Chase did not have what most would consider a successful acting career. Though if we'd starred in one of the greatest movies of all time, we'd consider that a successful acting career.

Though it didn't produce an acting career, "The Sound of Music" did lead Chase to what he would end up studying for the rest of his life: geology. "The Sound of Music" was filmed in Austria, and when he wasn't filming scenes, Chase would abandon the set to explore the rocks. "I did take off at times, totally unannounced to cast, crew, and just about anybody else — only to not be there when we had to start filming again," he told the podcast "Whine at 9."

Chase ended up studying geology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and earned his master's degree in geology at the University of Alabama, per Parade. Chase also noted that he's had many interests in his life, and has pursued them instead of acting, one of them being computers. In his most recent work, Chase combined two of his loves and worked as a computer software analysis and designer for a software company that makes geophysical and geological software.

Before Angela Cartwright played Brigitta in "The Sound of Music," she had a variety of credits proving her acting experience, including a recurring role in "The Danny Thomas Show." A true child actor, Cartwright continued working after the movie wrapped in several projects like "Lost in Space," both the original television series and movie from the 90s.

Despite her acting success, Cartwright has spent most of her adult life working as a professional photographer. Her website includes work available for purchase. "I've been shooting photography since I was 16 years old, and I've been hand-painting my [black and white] nature landscapes ... I just really love it. I grow with my photography and painting, so it's taken on different forms ... I love photography. I'm passionate about it," she told Review Graveyard about her career after acting.

In addition to her photography and painting, Cartwright opened a shop in Los Angeles back in the '90s, and she has spent much of her life married to her husband Steve Gillian and mothering their two children.

Debbie Turner is yet another von Trapp family singer who, after working on "The Sound of Music" as Marta, made a major career change. In 1979, Turner played Party Guest in the movie "North Dallas Forty," but that's where her acting credits ended. However, she was credited as a performer on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" as a recording of "So Long, Farewell," one of the several iconic songs from the legendary musical.

Most of Turner's life has been out of the public eye as she moved to Minnesota upon marrying her husband. After working at a craft show in the late '80s, Turner started her career as a floral designer, and she still runs her business today out of the Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota area, mostly designing floral arrangements for weddings.

Though Turner doesn't often get the chance to talk about "The Sound of Music" to the media, she did say to Minnesota Monthly via Twitter, "Carrie Underwood is a wonderful choice for the TV show coming up next year," prior to the airing of "The Sound of Music Live!" in 2013.

Another "Sound of Music" actor to leave the profession, Kym Karath played Gretl in the movie and acted for about 20 years afterward, even reuniting with Angela Cartwright in "Lost in Space" for an episode. Though her acting career ultimately ended, Karath found a different way to exercise her passion by starting a nonprofit organization called the Aurelia Foundation, which helps adults with disabilities transition into the community. Karath's organization was inspired by her son Eric, who is now an adult with a disability.

"We didn't feel there was enough for more severely challenged people," she told Palm Springs Life of her decision to start her nonprofit, adding that "the need is very great. We're trying to create a prototype. We get requests from all over the country. The goal is to support and foster others."

Karath is active on Twitter, and after a ceremony honoring Julie Andrews in 2022, she took to her page on the social media website to share footage from the night. "Pure delight to be together," she said of the reunion with her movie family.

Charmian Carr, who played arguably the best known von Trapp child, Liesl, did not have a very successful acting career post "Sound of Music," either. Though she did star in a Sondheim made-for-TV film, she had a hard time stepping out from the shadow cast by her role in the Rodgers and Hammerstein film. "It was hard to have your first role as the high spot of your career ... I felt smothered by Liesl. She began to feel like my evil twin, the perfect one that everyone loved," she said in an interview with the London Daily Telegraph, as reported by The Washington Post.

Instead of trying to defeat her evil twin, Carr chose another career path and worked as an interior designer, and she had one incredibly famous client: Michael Jackson. Her other great career highs included writing two books, a memoir called "Forever Liesl," and a tribute to the famed movie called "Letters to Liesl," both of which she penned after coming to terms with the association fans made between her and her character.

Carr died in 2016 at 73 years old from complications due to dementia, per The New York Times. Though she's no longer with us, Carr's legacy and the character she played will live on as long as fans of musicals and fantastic cinema are still around. Someone, somewhere will always be singing along to "Sixteen Going on Seventeen."

Like Nicholas Hammond, Menzies-Urich had a full acting career after "The Sound of Music," but she gained further notoriety after posing nude in Playboy, much to the dismay of her parents, as told by BBC News. Menzies-Urich married film producer Robert Urich in 1975, and was with him until his death. Though she was busy working as an actress, Menzies-Urich, who played Louisa, worked a lot with the Robert Urich foundation. "It is a California-based foundation. We raise funds for cancer research and patient care," she told Classic Film & TV Café.

Much of Menzies-Urich's work in the '60s and '70s were on popular television series, and some of her favorite roles included "Anything having to do with horses. So, I guess that would be any western, such as 'Bonanza,' '[The] High Chaparral,' and 'Alias Smith' and 'Jones.'"

Menzies-Urich died from brain cancer in 2017 — just over a year after her "Sound of Music" sister Charmian Carr. Her von Trapp siblings paid tribute to Menzies-Urich after her death, bidding her one last "so long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye," proving how strong the bond was between them.