Lauri Peters (b. July 2, 1943) is an American actress, dancer, singer, drama teacher and author. Peters created the role of Liesl Von Trapp in the original 1959 Broadway production of The Sound of Music. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting or Featured Actress in a Musical, which she shared with her sibling castmates. She was married to actor Jon Voight (1962-67), whom she met when he joined the cast as Nazi messenger boy Rolfe, with whom Liesl has a song ("Sixteen Going on Seventeen") and a mutual attraction. She can be heard on the show's cast album, which has sold more than three million copies in the U.S. Her film roles found her romantically involved with teen idol singers Fabian and Cliff Richard, and acting alongside Jimmy Stewart and Sidney Poitier. She appeared on popular television shows of the 1960s and '70s, including Gunsmoke, but worked primarily in the theater, on Broadway and off, and in touring companies. With noted acting teacher Sanford Meisner, Peters founded the Meisner Extension at NYU in 1993, where she was Artistic Director and Master Teacher. Teaching the technique away from Manhattan, she has written a book on Meisner.
Musical theater credits
- 1959 First Impressions
- 1959 Sound of Music as Liesl Von Trapp.
Film credits
- 1962 Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
- 1963 Summer Holiday
- 1968 For Love of Ivy
