5 Things You Never Knew About ‘Sound of Music’ Star Angela Cartwright
Angela Cartwright turns 73 on September 9, 2025, and for many fans, she will forever be Penny Robinson from Lost in Space and Brigitta von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Born in Altrincham, England, in 1952, Cartwright moved to Los Angeles as a baby and started acting almost immediately, appearing with Paul Newman in Somebody Up There Likes Me in an uncredited role when she was about three years old. From her years alongside Danny Thomas on The Danny Thomas Show to her unforgettable singing in one of the most beloved musicals of all time, Cartwright has led an exciting life.
In honor of her birthday, here are five things you may not have known about her.
1 She sang her own parts in The Sound of Music
20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection
Many child actors in musicals during the 1960s had their voices dubbed, but Cartwright’s voice in The Sound of Music is actually her own. As Brigitta von Trapp, she joined the ensemble of children who helped bring the real von Trapp family story to life. Cartwright’s natural singing voice blended beautifully into the film’s iconic songs, adding to the authenticity of her performance, and knowing that it was her true voice gives those moments of “Do-Re-Me” and “So Long, Farewell” an even more personal touch.
2 She introduced her co-star to the Beatles
Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
During the height of Beatlemania, she introduced her Sound of Music costar Heather Menzies-Urich to the Beatles. Even more surprising, Cartwright and Menzies-Urich later discovered they were distant cousins, and that bond made their roles even more iconic in the film.
3 She turned her creativity toward art and writing
20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection
Later on in her career, she launched a line of rubber stamps called “Unruly Girls Club,” which were created from her own sketches, and also taught classes to share her artistic techniques with others who wanted to learn. In 2007, she partnered with artist Sarah Fishburn to coauthor In This House: A Collection of Altered Art Imagery and Collage Techniques. Later that year, she released her second book, Mixed Emulsions, which focused on altered art for photographic imagery. Cartwright also released a series of artist papers, vellums, and transparencies featuring her designs.
4 She is an accomplished photographer
Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images
For more than thirty years, Cartwright has been a professional photographer, and her images have been displayed at 4260 Black & White Photography Guild, a gallery she curates in Studio City, California, that focuses exclusively on black-and-white photography. Photography has been much more than a hobby for her; it has become a second career that allowed her to express herself outside of acting.
5 She grew up in Hollywood with a famous sister
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Angela is the younger sister of actress Veronica Cartwright, who is known for her memorable roles in The Birds and Alien. The two sisters often supported each other in their careers, and they even shared a few connections through mutual colleagues. For instance, both Angela and Veronica acted alongside Kym Karath, who played Gretl in The Sound of Music. Veronica worked with her in Spencer’s Mountain, while Angela appeared with her in The Sound of Music and later in an episode of Lost in Space.
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