Christopher Plummer as George von Trapp
Christopher Plummer played the role of Captain George von Trapp in The Sound of Music. The actor was born in Canada and was discovered during his performance in a high school play which led to his work with the Canadian Repertory Theater in Ottawa, Ontario. He gained recognition while performing on the Broadway stage, where he played many famous roles including Othello, King Lear, and Henry Drummond.
Plummer is known all over the world for his portrayal of the captain in The Sound of Music, and more recently for his Academy Award winning role from the 2010 film, Beginners. You may also recognize the actor’s voice from the classic children’s program Madeline, where he serves as the narrator.
Coming To America
The family first came to America on a six-month visitors’ visa and after those expired, they were forced to travel back to Europe where they did a short Scandinavian tour. They were soon allowed to reenter the country but ended up spending a week at Ellis Island in New York due to an unfortunate incident. When the customs officials asked how long they were planning to stay for their second visit, instead of answering six months, which was the acceptable answer, Maria said, “Oh, I am so glad to be here—I never want to leave again!”
The issue was eventually resolved, and the family was released, but you can’t really blame Maria, the family really did end up staying a lot longer than six months.
Receiving Their Citizenship
After a few years of touring and relying on friends for a place to stay, the von Trapps settled down in Vermont. During the 1940’s, the family operated a farm and music camp there when they were not on tour. In 1944, Maria and the von Trapp daughters filed declarations of intention for U.S. citizenship, which they received by 1948. Rupert and Werner, two of the von Trapp sons, served in the U.S. Army during the Second World War and therefore became naturalized U.S. citizens.
Baby sisters Rosemarie and Eleonore, who were born to Maria from her marriage to Georg, derived their citizenship from their mother and the youngest son Johannes was born in the United States. There are no records that Georg von Trapp ever applied to become an American citizen.
Julie Andrews as Maria
Julie Andrews is one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actresses and she has only improved with age. Andrews was born in England but made a name for herself on Broadway in classic shows like My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Cinderella. She made her film debut in the unforgettable Mary Poppins and won an Academy Award for the part. More recently, Julie Andrews has starred alongside Anne Hathaway in Disney films, The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and still lends her voice to animated features.
Julie Andrews was named a Dame by the Queen of England in 2000 and was listed as one of the 100 Greatest Britons. She is also the recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award for her remarkable career.
Nicholas Hammond as Friedrich von Trapp
Nicholas Hammond played the part of Friedrich in The Sound of Music film. He had the perfect personality for the role, but physically he came up a bit short. Producers put lifts in his shoes so that he would be taller than the other actors, especially than the actress who played Louisa.
In the end, puberty finally arrived and by the time the movie was finished shooting, Hammond had grown by several inches. Now it was the other actors who had to stand on boxes so that their height appeared consistent throughout the entire movie.