Nicholas Hammond
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Hammond is an American actor
best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film The Sound of Music
, and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
on the CBS
television series The Amazing Spider-Man
. He also appeared on the TV show The Brady Bunch
as Doug Simpson, who breaks a date with Marcia after a football hits her nose causing it to swell.
.
Besides his subsequent work as Spider-Man
, Hammond's most visible screen role was as Friedrich von Trapp in the 1965 megahit The Sound of Music
. During the filming of The Sound of Music he grew six inches (152 mm) , from 5 in 3 in (1.6 m) to 5 in 9 in (1.75 m). In 1972 he starred as Peter Linder in Skyjacked alongside Walter Pidgeon
and Charlton Heston
. In 1973, he made a memorable guest appearance on The Brady Bunch
in the 4th season episode #090 "The Subject Was Noses", as the high school hunk Doug Simpson who loses interest in Marcia after her tragic football accident. After making the transition from juvenile to young leading man, he spent several seasons in daytime soaps such as General Hospital
. He has also appeared on many television shows of the 1970s including Hawaii Five-O
.
He remains close friends with all six of his Sound of Music siblings; in fact, during their reunion on the 40th anniversary DVD, he went so far as to say, "You're my best friends in the world". In late 1970s, Hammond re-joined fellow The Sound of Music alumna Heather Menzies
(who played Louisa von Trapp) for one episode of the TV adaptation of Logan's Run
.
Nicholas Hammond is a graduate of Princeton University
, where he wrote his senior thesis on the "Great Odes of John Keats" at the same time that he was appearing eight times a week as the lead in a play on Broadway
.
TV series from 1977 to mid 1979. The series aired sporadically on CBS with 13 episodes airing over two seasons. A pilot movie appeared in the fall of 1977, with the series returning as a mid season replacement for five episodes in the spring of 1978. While the show did well in the ratings, CBS was unwilling to commit to a regular timeslot. The second season aired six hour long episodes in the fall of 1978 and winter of 1979, with a final two-hour episode concluding in the summer of that year. Hammond was the first actor to portray Peter Parker and Spider-Man in live-action. (The Electric Company
aired "Spidey Super Stories
" starting in 1974, the first live-action portrayal of Spider-Man, but the serials did not feature Peter Parker.) Even though Hammond played Peter Parker in the television series, in all of the scenes in which Spider-Man is seen performing stunts or without dialogue, a stunt double was filmed by a second camera unit.
in an Australia
n TV miniseries
in the mid-1980s, Hammond liked the country so much, he decided to stay. Since then, he has appeared in several television miniseries that have been filmed in Australia, including Moby-Dick
, On the Beach
and Salem's Lot. Hammond had a starring role, as "Sir Ivor Creevy-Thorne", in Mirror, Mirror
, an Australia/New Zealand
extended miniseries (a complete story of 20 serialised episodes, with cliffhanger
s between each of the episodes). Hammond also guest-starred in various Australian television series, including satirical
television programs such as BackBerner
and CNNNN, and the science fiction program Farscape
, and also dramatic series such as The Flying Doctors
, MDA
and the Australian / United States co-production Mission: Impossible
(which was filmed in Australia).
In 2005 Hammond portrayed television producer Aaron Spelling
in Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure
, a fictionalized television movie based on the creation and behind the scenes production of the 1980s prime time soap opera
Dynasty
.
Hammond is also a writer for Australian television, having written both the critically acclaimed mini-series A Difficult Woman and the TV movie, Secret Men's Business, to this day the highest rated show ever aired on television by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
. In 2009 he made his directing debut with the highly successful "Lying Cheating Bastard", a play he co-wrote with magician James Galea. He lives in Sydney with his partner, Robyn Nevin
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music (film)
Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and with the musical...
, and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man (TV series)
The Amazing Spider-Man is the first live-action TV series based on the popular comic book The Amazing Spider-Man, not counting his appearances on the educational The Electric Company series, and was shown in the USA between 1977-1979...
. He also appeared on the TV show The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
as Doug Simpson, who breaks a date with Marcia after a football hits her nose causing it to swell.
Early life and career
The son of actress Eileen Bennett, Hammond was 10 when he made his first movie appearance in Lord of the FliesLord of the Flies (1963 film)
Lord of the Flies is a 1963 film adaptation of William Golding's novel of the same name. It was directed by Peter Brook and produced by Lewis M. Allen, known since for producing films based on modern-classic novels. The film was in production for much of 1961 though the film was not released until...
.
Besides his subsequent work as Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Hammond's most visible screen role was as Friedrich von Trapp in the 1965 megahit The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music (film)
Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and with the musical...
. During the filming of The Sound of Music he grew six inches (152 mm) , from 5 in 3 in (1.6 m) to 5 in 9 in (1.75 m). In 1972 he starred as Peter Linder in Skyjacked alongside Walter Pidgeon
Walter Pidgeon
Walter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
and Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
. In 1973, he made a memorable guest appearance on The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
in the 4th season episode #090 "The Subject Was Noses", as the high school hunk Doug Simpson who loses interest in Marcia after her tragic football accident. After making the transition from juvenile to young leading man, he spent several seasons in daytime soaps such as General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
. He has also appeared on many television shows of the 1970s including Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
.
He remains close friends with all six of his Sound of Music siblings; in fact, during their reunion on the 40th anniversary DVD, he went so far as to say, "You're my best friends in the world". In late 1970s, Hammond re-joined fellow The Sound of Music alumna Heather Menzies
Heather Menzies
Heather Urich , born December 3, 1949 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a Canadian-born actress who moved to California via Florida at the age of 11. She enrolled at the Falcon Studio’s University of the Arts, in Hollywood. Her first professional role at the age of 13 was on My Three Sons...
(who played Louisa von Trapp) for one episode of the TV adaptation of Logan's Run
Logan's Run
Logan's Run is a novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, it depicts a dystopic ageist future society in which both population and the consumption of resources are maintained in equilibrium by requiring the death of everyone reaching a particular age...
.
Nicholas Hammond is a graduate of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, where he wrote his senior thesis on the "Great Odes of John Keats" at the same time that he was appearing eight times a week as the lead in a play on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
.
Spider-Man
Hammond starred in the The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man (TV series)
The Amazing Spider-Man is the first live-action TV series based on the popular comic book The Amazing Spider-Man, not counting his appearances on the educational The Electric Company series, and was shown in the USA between 1977-1979...
TV series from 1977 to mid 1979. The series aired sporadically on CBS with 13 episodes airing over two seasons. A pilot movie appeared in the fall of 1977, with the series returning as a mid season replacement for five episodes in the spring of 1978. While the show did well in the ratings, CBS was unwilling to commit to a regular timeslot. The second season aired six hour long episodes in the fall of 1978 and winter of 1979, with a final two-hour episode concluding in the summer of that year. Hammond was the first actor to portray Peter Parker and Spider-Man in live-action. (The Electric Company
The Electric Company
The Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977...
aired "Spidey Super Stories
Spidey Super Stories
"Spidey Super Stories" was a live-action, recurring skit on the PBS children's television series The Electric Company. Episodes featured the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, provided to the Children's Television Workshop free of charge, and was played by puppeteer Danny Seagren...
" starting in 1974, the first live-action portrayal of Spider-Man, but the serials did not feature Peter Parker.) Even though Hammond played Peter Parker in the television series, in all of the scenes in which Spider-Man is seen performing stunts or without dialogue, a stunt double was filmed by a second camera unit.
Later career
After being cast as yachtsman Dennis ConnerDennis Conner
Dennis Conner is an American yachtsman, noted for winning the bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, two Star World Championships, and four wins in the America's Cup.-America's Cup:...
in an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n TV miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
in the mid-1980s, Hammond liked the country so much, he decided to stay. Since then, he has appeared in several television miniseries that have been filmed in Australia, including Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
, On the Beach
On the Beach (2000 film)
On the Beach is an apocalyptic television movie released in 2000, airing originally on Showtime. It is a remake of the 1959 film, and is based on the 1957 novel by Nevil Shute. It starred Armand Assante, Bryan Brown, and Rachel Ward...
and Salem's Lot. Hammond had a starring role, as "Sir Ivor Creevy-Thorne", in Mirror, Mirror
Mirror, Mirror (TV series)
Mirror, Mirror is a television programme co-produced by Australia and New Zealand. Presented as a single complete story given in a serial with 20 episodes, there are cliffhangers between some of the episodes....
, an Australia/New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
extended miniseries (a complete story of 20 serialised episodes, with cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
s between each of the episodes). Hammond also guest-starred in various Australian television series, including satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
television programs such as BackBerner
BackBerner
BackBerner was an Australian political satire sketch comedy television series, broadcast on and produced by ABC TV with Crackerjack Productions. The program was hosted by stand up comic Peter Berner and noted Australian character actor Louise Siversen...
and CNNNN, and the science fiction program Farscape
Farscape
Farscape is an Australian-American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced originally for the Nine Network. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment...
, and also dramatic series such as The Flying Doctors
The Flying Doctors
The Flying Doctors is an Australian drama series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the real Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia....
, MDA
MDA (TV series)
MDA is an Australian television series that aired between 2002 and 2005 on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . It concerned the day-to-day operation of legal firm MDA, which specialised in medical defence.-Synopsis:...
and the Australian / United States co-production Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible (1988 TV series)
Mission: Impossible is an American television series that chronicles the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The show is a revival of the 1966 TV series of the same name...
(which was filmed in Australia).
In 2005 Hammond portrayed television producer Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
in Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure
Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure
Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure is a 2005 American television movie based on the creation and behind the scenes production of the 1980s prime time soap opera Dynasty...
, a fictionalized television movie based on the creation and behind the scenes production of the 1980s prime time soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
.
Hammond is also a writer for Australian television, having written both the critically acclaimed mini-series A Difficult Woman and the TV movie, Secret Men's Business, to this day the highest rated show ever aired on television by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
. In 2009 he made his directing debut with the highly successful "Lying Cheating Bastard", a play he co-wrote with magician James Galea. He lives in Sydney with his partner, Robyn Nevin
Robyn Nevin
Robyn Anne Nevin AM , is an Australian stage and screen actress, and is considered by some as a doyenne of Australian theatre.- Early life :...
.