Charmian Carr, Actress Who Played Liesl in The Sound of Music, Dies At 73

Los Angeles: Charmian Carr, beloved by fans for her role as the rebellious daughter, Liesl Von Trapp, in the Academy Award-winning film The Sound of Music has died at the age of 73, her family said on Sunday.

The actress died on Saturday of complications from a rare form of dementia in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, the family said in a statement.

She was in her early 20s when she played Liesl, the eldest of the seven children of stern widower Captain Von Trapp, played by Christopher Plummer, in the 1965 musical starring Julie Andrews.

Her romantic dance scene with screen boyfriend Rolfe in a gazebo during a thunderstorm while singing Sixteen Going On Seventeen was considered one of the movie's most charming scenes.

After The Sound of Music, she appeared in the TV musical Evening Primrose with Anthony Perkins but then stepped back from acting to start an interior design business and raise a family.

But her enthusiasm for The Sound of Music remained undiminished and in 2000, she started hosting sing-alongs of the movie across the United States, which drew thousands of fans dressed as their favourite characters.

She also wrote two books - Forever Liesl in 2000, in which she detailed the making of the movie, and Letters to Liesl in 2001, which was inspired by the fan mail she received from around the world.

Charmian Carr was born in Chicago on December 27, 1942, and moved to California when she was 13. She is survived by two children and four grandchildren.


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