Charmian Carr from ‘The Sound of Music’ Dies at 73

Actress Charmian Carr, who played oldest daughter Liesl in Oscar winning 1965 theatrical “The Sound of Music,” has died after complications from a rare form of dementia. She was 73.

Born on Dec. 27, 1942 in Chicago, Carr was attending San Fernando Valley State College, studying speech therapy and philosophy, and working for a doctor, when her mother arranged for her to audition for a role in “The Sound of Music.” After “The Sound of Music,” Carr’s only other major Hollywood role was starring with Anthony Perkins in the Stephen Sondheim television musical “Evening Primrose” in 1966. She played a mysterious young woman who lived in a department store.

The actress later went on to write a pair of books about “The Sound of Music”: “Forever Liesl and Letters to Liesl.”

Carr exited acting to become an interior designer in Southern California, where her clients included Michael Jackson and “Sound of Music” screenwriter Ernest Lehman. She is survived by several brothers and sisters, two children, a niece, and four grandchildren.