Kym Karath

Last updated
Kym Karath
Years active1963–1981
Spouse
Philippe L'Equilbec
(m. 1985;div. 2005)
Children1

Kym Karath is an American former actress, best known for her role as Gretl, the youngest of the Von Trapp children in The Sound of Music .

Contents

Career

In 1963, Karath was seen in The Thrill of It All with Doris Day and James Garner. In 1964, she was seen in Good Neighbor Sam with Jack Lemmon. In The Sound of Music , she played the youngest child, Gretl Von Trapp.

Personal life

Karath graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in humanities and then moved to Paris, France, where she studied art history and modeled. At the age of 26, she married Philippe L'Equibec; their son was born in 1991. Karath left acting for a while and lived in Greenwich, Connecticut. She resumed acting in 2005. [1] [2]

Karath has said she still is not fond of water after nearly drowning in the boat scene in The Sound of Music, as she could not swim. [2]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1963 Spencer's Mountain Pattie-Cake SpencerUncredited
1963 The Thrill of It All Maggie Boyer
1964 Good Neighbor Sam Denise Bissell
1965 The Sound of Music Gretl Von Trapp
1969How We Feel About SoundSchoolgirl (voice)Educational film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1965 Peyton Place Susan1 episode
1965 My Three Sons Pammy1 episode
1966On The Runthe girls on the trainUn-sold pilot episode
1966 Dr. Kildare Margaret Hanson2 episodes
1966 Lassie Kathy Vaughn1 episode
1966 Lost in Space Princess1 episode
1966 Family Affair Barbara3 episodes
1970 Family Affair Wynn CatterEpisode: "Goodbye, Mrs. Beasley"
1970 All My Children Kristenunknown episodes
1972 The Brady Bunch Kerry Hathaway1 episode
1973 The Waltons Mabel1 episode
1980 Archie Bunker's Place Pretty Girl1 episode
1981 Midnight Offerings MoniqueTV movie, (final film role)

Related Research Articles

<i>The Sound of Music</i> Musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, premiered in 1959

The Sound of Music is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. Set in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss in 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she decides whether to become a nun. She falls in love with the children, and eventually their widowed father, Captain von Trapp. He is ordered to accept a commission in the German navy, but he opposes the Nazis. He and Maria decide on a plan to flee Austria with the children. Many songs from the musical have become standards, including "Do-Re-Mi", "My Favorite Things", "Edelweiss", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", and the title song "The Sound of Music".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georg von Trapp</span> Trapp family patriarch

Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy who later became the patriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. Trapp was the most successful Austro-Hungarian submarine commander of World War I, sinking 11 Allied merchant ships totaling 47,653 GRT and two Allied warships displacing a total of 12,641 tons. His first wife Agathe Whitehead died of scarlet fever in 1922, leaving behind seven children. Trapp hired Maria Augusta Kutschera to tutor one of his daughters and married Maria in 1927. When he lost most of his wealth in the Great Depression, the family turned to singing as a way of earning a livelihood. Trapp declined a commission in the German Navy after the Anschluss and settled in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria von Trapp</span> Matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers (1905–1987)

Maria Augusta von Trapp DHS, often styled as “Baroness”, was the stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. She wrote The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, which was published in 1949 and was the inspiration for the 1956 West German film The Trapp Family, which in turn inspired the 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music and its 1965 film version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edelweiss (song)</span> Song from The Sound of Music

"Edelweiss" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. It is named after the edelweiss, a white flower found high in the Alps. The song was created for the 1959 Broadway production of The Sound of Music, as a song for the character Captain Georg von Trapp. In the musical, Captain von Trapp and his family sing this song during the concert near the end of Act II. It is a statement of Austrian patriotism in the face of the pressure put upon him to join the navy of Nazi Germany following the Anschluss. It is also Captain von Trapp's subliminal goodbye to his beloved homeland, using the flower as a symbol of his loyalty to Austria. In the 1965 film adaptation, the song is also sung by the Captain earlier in the film when he rediscovers music with his children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trapp Family</span> Musical family

The Trapp Family was a singing group formed from the family of former Austrian naval commander Georg von Trapp. The family achieved fame in their original singing career in their native Austria during the interwar period. They also performed in the United States before emigrating there permanently to escape the deteriorating situation in Austria leading up to World War II. In the United States, they became well known as the "Trapp Family Singers" until they ceased to perform as a unit in 1957. The family's story later served as the basis for a memoir, two German films, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical The Sound of Music. The last surviving of the original seven, Maria Franziska, died in 2014 at the age of 99. The youngest and last surviving member of the Trapp Family Singers is Johannes von Trapp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mare Winningham</span> American actress and singer-songwriter (born 1959)

Mary Megan Winningham, known professionally as Mare Winningham, is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and two Tony Awards.

<i>The Sound of Music</i> (film) 1965 film by Robert Wise

The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise from a screenplay written by Ernest Lehman, and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, with Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Charmian Carr, and Eleanor Parker. The film is an adaptation of the 1959 stage musical, composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Lindsay and Crouse. Based on the 1949 memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp, the film is set in Salzburg, Austria, and is a fictional retelling of her experiences as governess to seven children, her eventual marriage with their father Captain Georg von Trapp, and their escape during the Anschluss in 1938.

<i>The Story of the Trapp Family Singers</i> 1949 memoir by Maria von Trapp

The Story of the Trapp Family Singers is a 1949 memoir written by Maria Augusta von Trapp, whose life was later fictionalized in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway musical The Sound of Music in 1959.

<i>Trapp Family Story</i> Television series

Trapp Family Story is a 1991 Japanese animated series by Nippon Animation, based on the story of the real-life Austrian singing family the Trapp Family. It is a part of the World Masterpiece Theatre franchise, which adapted classic works of literature into animated TV shows. 40 episodes aired on Fuji TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agathe von Trapp</span> Austrian noblewoman and singer

Agathe Johanna Erwina Gobertina von Trapp was the eldest daughter of Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. She was also a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the 1959 musical play and 1965 film The Sound of Music. She was portrayed as the character "Liesl".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Franziska von Trapp</span> Member of Trapp Family Singers

Maria Agatha Franziska Gobertina von Trapp was the second-oldest daughter of Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. She was a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives inspired the musical and film The Sound of Music. She was portrayed by Heather Menzies as the character "Louisa". She died at age 99, and was the last surviving sibling portrayed in the film.

<i>The Trapp Family</i> 1956 film

The Trapp Family is a 1956 West German comedy drama film about the real-life Austrian musical family of that name directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Ruth Leuwerik, Hans Holt, and Maria Holst. Based on Maria von Trapp's 1949 memoir, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, the film is about a novice nun sent to care for the unruly children of a wealthy baron, who falls in love with and marries the young woman. Through her caring influence, the family becomes a famous singing group. When the baron is pressured to join Hitler's navy, the family escapes to the United States, where they establish themselves as singers.

Johannes von Trapp is an American Austrian singer and former member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the musical and movie The Sound of Music. He is the tenth and youngest child. As of September 2023, Johannes is the last surviving sibling of the von Trapp family.

Rachel Claire Marley is an Australian singer and actress. Her first major role was as Marta von Trapp in the 1999 Australian revival of The Sound of Music. She won the leading role of Annie, in the local production of Annie, which premiered in December 2000. In June 2002, Marley won the Young Entertainer of the Year category at the 13th Annual Ricky May Heart Awards for her performances in both The Sound of Music and Annie. In February 2012 she starred as Martha in Spring Awakening in Singapore with the PangDemonium! production company.

Adrianna Jean Bertola is an English actress and singer who rose to attention playing Gretl von Trapp in The Sound of Music and Sharice Brooks in Casualty. She also played Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical from May to November 2013.

<i>The Sound of Music Live!</i> 2013 American television special

The Sound of Music Live! is an American television special that was originally broadcast by NBC on December 5, 2013. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the special was an adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music. The television special starred country singer and American Idol winner Carrie Underwood as Maria von Trapp, and was performed and televised live from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York.

Ariane Rinehart is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her performance in The Sound of Music Live! as the eldest von Trapp daughter, Liesl, which was described by critics as the standout performance in the production.

The Sound of Music Live is a television special that was originally broadcast by ITV on 20 December 2015. The special was an adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music, starring Kara Tointon as Maria von Trapp, performed and televised live from 3 Mills Studios in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerstin Anderson</span> American stage actress and singer

Kerstin Bridget Anderson is an American stage actor and singer. She starred as Maria Von Trapp in the 2015 U.S. national tour of The Sound of Music, for which she received warm praise. She made her Broadway debut as the alternate for Eliza Doolittle in the 2018 revival of My Fair Lady.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agathe Whitehead</span> British-Austrian heiress

Agathe Gobertina von Trapp was a British-Austrian heiress and aristocrat. She was the first wife of Georg Ritter von Trapp and the mother of seven children of the Trapp Family singers.

References

  1. "'The Sound of Music' Never Ends". New York Times. July 17, 2005. Retrieved Feb 12, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "The Von Trapp Family Reunites!". ABC News. November 11, 2005. Retrieved Feb 12, 2013.