The Sound of Music 50th anniversary: Where are the von Trapp family actors now?

What happened to the actors and actresses who played the Von Trapp family?

Actress Julie Andrews (C) poses for a photo with the cast from (L-R) Charmain Carr, Debbie Turner and Kym Karath in back row, front row are Nicholas Hammond, Heather Menzies, Andrews, Angela Cartwright and Duane Chase in 2005 (Getty)

Five decades ago, The Sound of Music entered our cultural consciousness - and (some of) our hearts.

Love it or hate it, there is no doubting the film's legacy. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, who played Maria and Captain von Trapp, were already stars in their own right, but the seven children were relatively unknown in 1965.

Now the names Charmian Carr, Nicholas Hammond, Heather Menzies, Duane Chase, Angela Cartwright, Debbie Turner and Kym Karath are known all over the globe.

But it may surprise you to find out how their lives subsequently panned out. Indeed, despite starring in what has become the fifth highest-grossing film of all time, more than one of the individuals that played the Von Trapp children went on to leave the film industry entirely...

The Oscar-winning film, directed by Robert Wise, was inspired by the real-life Von Trapp family. You can read a piece written by the grand-daughter of Maria and the Captain here.