HEALTH SCARES

‘Sound of Music’ Star, 81, Reveals Two Near-Death Experiences

Dan Truhitte has overcome serious health issues in the past decade.

The actor who played Liesl’s boyfriend, Rolf Gruber, in the 1965 classic The Sound of Music revealed on Wednesday that he’s survived two heart attacks in the past six years. Daniel Truhitte told the Daily Mail that the first heart attack came on Christmas Day in 2019, and the second was at a funeral in June 2022. “It didn’t look like I was gonna make it,” Truhitte said of the second incident. “They didn’t expect me to be here, but I am and I’m fine now.” Gruber, 81, earned the role of Gruber, who memorably dances with Liesl to the song Sixteen Going on Seventeen in the film, after a series of grueling auditions with composer Richard Rodgers and choreographers. He ended up being the last person to be cast for the movie, which he chalked up to his ability to “sing and dance and play a Nazi believably.” The movie went on to win five Academy Awards and rake in more than $280 million at the box office.