Trivia

Ran her business Charmian Carr Designs - among her clients was Michael Jackson, who gave her an interior-decorating job because he was a big fan of The Sound of Music (1965).

Beat out Patty Duke, Mia Farrow and Sharon Tate for her role in The Sound of Music (1965).

Was working as a physician's assistant when she was cast in The Sound of Music (1965).

Director Robert Wise changed her last name to Carr because he thought 'Charmian Farnon' was too much of a mouthful. He handed her a list of one-syllable last names and told her to pick one. She liked three but ultimately chose Carr.

Distantly related to Heather Menzies-Urich who played her younger sister in The Sound of Music (1965). They are related through their fathers English Menzies lines.

At age 21, Charmian Carr is known for sweetly portraying the eldest daughter Liesl von Trapp in the 20th Century Fox - director Robert Wise's 1965 film version of the Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein Broadway musical "The Sound of Music." She famously performed the song "Sixteen Going on Seventeen." 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." She played a mysterious young woman who lived in a department store. The actress later wrote a pair of books about her "The Sound of Music" experiences: "Forever Liesl" and "Letters to Liesl." She fully embraced audiences' reverence for the musical, frequently appearing at fan events commemorating the film, including sing-a-long performances at the Hollywood Bowl. "I tell people that they should consider attending a sing-a-long "The Sound of Music" like going to a therapist," she told The Associated Press before a 2005 appearance. "It's just a kind of therapy. They can move around. They can dance and talk back to the screen. They can skip their appointment with the shrink that week".

Middle sister of Darleen Carr and Shannon Farnon.

Daughters: Jennifer (32) and Emily (28), as of April 2002.

Charmian Carr was born in Chicago in 1942. Her mother was a vaudeville actress, and her father was a musician and orchestra leader. Her family moved to the San Fernando Valley when she was a 13 year old child. Charmian Carr died at age 73 in September 2016. "It's always sad when a member of the 'family' passes away - and in the case of 'The Sound of Music,' it's especially sad when it is the first of the group to go," said Ted Chapin, president of the Rogers & Hammerstein organization, in a statement. "Charmian Carr played the oldest von Trapp child, and in some ways she maintained that role in real life - guiding, cheering, supporting and generally being there for the rest of her 'sisters' and 'brothers.' " Carr is survived by her four siblings, her two children and four grandchildren. She is also survived by the six other actors how became part of cinematic history when there were cast as the von Trapp children. "We're second family," said Kym Karath, who played the youngest von Trapp, the role of Gretl, in an Associated Press 2015 interview to commemorate the film's 50th Anniversary. "As adults, we were deeply bonded, so our lives have really interwoven with each other." Rogers & Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music" opened on Broadway on November 16, 1959, closing on June 15, 1963, after 1,443 performances.

Daughter of actress Rita Oehmen and composer Brian Farnon.

She and Brent have two daughters.

Lived in Encino,California where she ran her interior design business. (March 2002)

Sister-in-law of Jameson Parker.

Niece of Dennis Farnon and Robert Farnon.

Her ashes were given to her children.