Daniel Truhitte (born September 10, 1943) is an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, best known for his portrayal of Rolfe Gruber, the young Austrian telegram delivery boy in ''

The Sound of Music ''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''. Se ...

'' (

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

). Truhitte is a singer, actor, dancer, and performance teacher.

Biography and Career

Daniel Truhitte began dance training at the age of 6 and began taking voice lessons at the age of 10. When he was 15 years old, he received a scholarship to

The Sacramento Ballet The Sacramento Ballet was founded in 1954 by Barbara Crockett and Deane Crockett. During Ms. Crockett’s tenure as Company Director, The Sacramento Ballet gained national recognition as one of the finest regional ballet companies. Through commun ...

. After high school, Truhitte received a scholarship to the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

. He also attended

Ambassador College Ambassador College (1947–1997) was a four-year liberal arts college run by the Worldwide Church of God. The college was established in 1947 in Pasadena, California, by radio evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong, leader of what was then the Radio Ch ...

in Pasadena, California.

Sound of Music

He was the last person who was cast in ''

'' and obtained the role after going through multiple auditions, including audition with choreographers. After filming ''The Sound of Music'', he joined the Marine Corps. In 1969, Truhitte moved to

Weddington, North Carolina Weddington is a suburban town in Union County, North Carolina, United States. A small portion of the town extends into Mecklenburg County. The population was 9,459 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The current ...

, and then finally to

Concord, North Carolina Concord is the county seat and largest city in Cabarrus County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 105,186, with an estimated population in 2021 of 107,697. In terms of population, the cit ...

, and began teaching young performers. He appeared in an episode of ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Para ...

'' titled "A Day in the Life of Dan Truhitte" on September 10, 1993, after The Old Courthouse Theatre of

asked him to play

Captain Von Trapp Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp (4 April 1880 – 30 May 1947) 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 W ...

in their production of ''The Sound of Music''. Truhitte portrayed Captain von Trapp once again in the Hudson, North Carolina Dinner Theatre Production of ''The Sound of Music'' in October 2013. He also appeared in gala concert performance of ''The Sound of Music'' at New York’s

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

as Baron Elberfeld, a guest at a party.

Personal life

Truhitte has been married three times. He married his co-star

Charmian Carr Charmian Carr (born Charmian Anne Farnon; December 27, 1942 – September 17, 2016) was an American actress best known for her role as Liesl, the eldest von Trapp daughter in the 1965 film version of ''The Sound of Music''. Early life Carr was ...

's understudy, German actress Gabrielle Hennig, in 1966. They dated while filming ''The Sound of Music'' and married 2 years later. The marriage ended in divorce. He married Mary Miller in 1987, which also ended in divorce. He later married Tarealia Hanney in 1992. Truhitte has three sons, one of whom is opera singer

Thomas Rolf Truhitte Thomas Rolf Truhitte is an American heldentenor who has become noted in recent years for his roles in Wagnerian operas. The son of actor Daniel Truhitte, his middle name is a tribute to his father's most famous role as "Rolf" in the movie adapta ...

References

External links

* American male film actors 1943 births Living people Male actors from Sacramento, California 20th-century American male actors People from Weddington, North Carolina People from Concord, North Carolina {{US-film-actor-1940s-stub