Julie Andrews has been gracing audiences all around the world with her beautiful voice and skillful acting abilities since the mid-1940s. Her delicate manners and kind words have easily made her beloved by both fans and critics alike. The acclaimed star has achieved great success over her long career, with some of her most notable roles being in “Mary Poppins,” “The Princess Diaries” and “The Sound of Music.” In the latter, she portrayed Maria von Trapp from the Austrian singing family The Trapp Family.
Born on Oct. 1, 1935 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, Andrews quickly entered the world of entertainment from a young age. Before she had even reached her teenage years, the rising star had already made her professional solo debut at the London Hippodrome. She went on to receive great reviews and plenty of success on Broadway, where she was able to show off her many talents in both singing and acting, before finally transitioning into the film industry during the 1960s. Landing title role after title role, Andrews quickly rose to stardom.
“The Sound of Music” has remained one of the most important movies in Andrews’ repertoire, as it was not only creatively based on a true story about the von Trapp family, but it gave Andrews the ability to showcase her wondrous talent. Although the cast and crew did not film at the von Trapp family’s real home while on set, Andrews visited their villa later on, and experienced the evil nature and ambience it held from all the history that occurred at the place of residence.
Although there were plenty of creative liberties within the film, “The Sound of Music” is heavily based on the members of the von Trapp family and how they fled Austria to the United States during World War II. Based on the 1949 memoir by Maria von Trapp titled “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers,” “The Sound of Music” was born and has become a fan favorite movie among many people all over the world. It was first adapted as a Broadway show created by the musical duo Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1959, and was then adapted into the film everyone knows and loves.
“The Story of the Trapp Family Singers” recounted the life of the von Trapps. From tragedies to victories and everything in between, the memoir detailed the family’s many adventures as they sought a better and safer life. The memoir also detailed the way that many strangers showed great kindness toward the family, making it even easier for the von Trapps to adjust to their new life away from home.
The singing group the Trapp Family had a total of 10 members over the years they were active. The talented bunch performed in Austria and the United States, and were highly respected for their stunning musical abilities. The last surviving member of the original seven members, Maria Franziska, died at the age of 99 in 2014. The family’s legacy is still alive today, and even spawned a spin-off group comprised of the von Trapp great-grandchildren simply called the von Trapps.
Andrews co-wrote a memoir, “Home Work,” with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, and spoke with Buzzfeed News to promote their new work. The book discusses Andrew’s many years in Hollywood, including what it was like starring in so many critically acclaimed films. Even though she had already achieved so much, Andrews was still nervous about getting starring roles but thrived on being able to learn more.
“It was a fine, wonderful film to begin learning about film in general because there were so many tricks and special effects and animation and a lot of waiting around,” Andrews said about the movie “Mary Poppins,” for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress. “It taught me the essence of patience, too.”
During the interview, Andrews also talked about one of her most famous works, “The Sound of Music,” and what it was like to visit the real von Trapp family villa. Although they didn’t get to film in the actual house, Andrews was able to visit the villa afterward. “It wasn’t until much later that I happened to visit the real villa where they actually lived,” she said. The kind actress explained how she could “feel the evil that once permeated those walls” during her visit.
Buzzfeed News reported that during the Holocaust, Schutzstaffel leader Himmler used the real von Trapp house as his summer residence and had the building surrounded by barbed wire. “Because after they fled the country, which they had to do, as in the film, Himmler took over that villa, and the atrocities there were just terrible,” Andrews explained.
Did you know that “The Sound of Music” had such a dark origin? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends, too.
