Nicholas Hammond (born 15 May 1950) is an American-Australian actor and writer who is best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film The Sound of Music and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1970s television series The Amazing Spider-Man. He also appeared in the film Spider-Man (1977) and its two sequels, Spider-Man Strikes Back and Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge.
Early life, family and education Hammond was born on May 15, 1950, in Washington, D.C., the son of Colonel Thomas West Hammond, Jr. and Eileen Hammond (née Bennett). Thomas was an American of English descent and an officer in the US Army while Eileen was English and an actress of stage and screen; she starred opposite George Formby in the feature film Much Too Shy (1942). They met and married in London during World War II as his father was posted in the UK. Hammond has an elder brother, David (b. 1946 in Paris). After the war, they moved to the United States permanently. Because the colonel had an army job, the Hammond family moved many times to various army stations across the US before he attended college. Hammond began acting at age six.
In 1971, Nicholas graduated from the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland, then from Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, where he performed in the Triangle Club's A Different Kick (1968–1969). Col. Hammond died of heart attack in 1970.
Career Hammond was 11 years old when he made his acting debut as Robin Rhodes in the Broadway play The Complaisant Lover in 1961, playing alongside Michael Redgrave and Googie Withers.
At the same time, Hammond began to shoot for the film Lord of the Flies (not released until 1963) which marked his film debut. After this, Hammond played what was to be his most notable big screen role: Friedrich von Trapp (the elder of the two boys) in the 1965 hit The Sound of Music.
Hammond's first acting role as an adult was in Conduct Unbecoming (1970). In 1972, Hammond appeared as Peter Linder in Skyjacked. The following year, he made a guest appearance playing a teenager on The Brady Bunch in season 4, episode 90, "The Subject Was Noses". Here he appears as the high school hunk Doug Simpson, who loses interest in Marcia Brady (Maureen McCormick) after her temporary disfigurement from football injury. Also in 1973, Hammond appeared in The Waltons episode "The Townie", playing Theodore Claypool Jr.
Having transitioned to young leading man roles, Hammond spent several seasons in daytime soap operas such as General Hospital. He also appeared on many television shows of the 1970s including Hawaii Five-O. In 1977 Hammond and fellow The Sound of Music alumnus Heather Menzies (who played Louisa von Trapp) performed in "The Judas Goat", an episode of the TV adaptation of Logan's Run. He also contributed to The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook.
Spider-Man
From 1977 to 1979, Hammond played the role for which he is perhaps best known, as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the television series The Amazing Spider-Man, being the first actor to play a live-action Peter Parker and the second live-action Spider-Man after Danny Seagren in the Spidey Super Stories segments on The Electric Company. Hammond described his approach to the character: "I liked the idea of taking a fantasy hero and making him believable as a person. I made it clear going into it that I wasn't interested in doing something that was just a camp joke."
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 due to its relatively weak showing in the lucrative adult demographic. The second season aired six episodes, each an hour long, in the fall of 1978 and winter of 1979, with a final two-hour episode in the summer of that year. Although Hammond played Peter Parker in the television series, in all of the scenes in which Spider-Man is seen performing stunts or without dialogue, stunt double Fred Waugh was filmed by a second camera unit.
Later career
After the Spider-Man series ended, Hammond guest-starred on a number of TV shows of the early 1980s—including The Love Boat, Magnum, P.I. and Murder, She Wrote—and played recurring roles on Falcon Crest and Dallas. After being cast as yachtsman Dennis Conner in the 1986 Australian TV miniseries The Challenge, about the 1983 America's Cup challenge, Hammond liked the country so much that he decided to stay. He later became an Australian citizen and then appeared in several television miniseries filmed in Australia. Among these was an important role as Burgess, an American World War II officer based in Far North Queensland in the major miniseries Fields of Fire, series I and II, set in the cane fields of tropical Australia. His character represented the gentler side of the culture clash between Australians and Americans.
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 cliffhangers between each of the episodes). Hammond also guest-starred in various Australian television series, including satirical television programs such as BackBerner and CNNNN, the science fiction program Farscape and dramatic series such as The Flying Doctors, MDA and the Australian/USA 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 Dynasty. Hammond is a writer for Australian television, having written both the miniseries A Difficult Woman and the television film Secret Men's Business. In 2009, he made his directing debut with Lying Cheating Bastard, a play he co-wrote with magician James Galea. In 2019, Hammond portrayed director Sam Wanamaker in the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Personal life Hammond married Laura Soli in 1980, and they divorced in 1984. He moved to Australia in the mid-1980s and now lives in Sydney, with the Australian actress Robyn Nevin.
Hammond has remained close friends with his Sound of Music siblings, several of whom joined a multitude of other actors and co-stars for the 'Save the Rose Theatre' campaign's street event, amid talent from many international productions.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1963 Lord of the Flies Robert 1965 The Sound of Music Friedrich von Trapp 1971 Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me Agneau 1972 Skyjacked Peter Lindner Cherry Blossoms Luke 1973 The Brady Bunch Doug Simpson 1973 Superdad Roger Rhinehurst 1977 Family, season 2 episode 7, "The Cradle Will Fall" John Crosswell 1977 Spider-Man Peter Parker / Spider-Man 1978 Spider-Man Strikes Back 1981 Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge 1982 Richard II Henry "Hotspur" Percy 1983 The Tempest Ferdinand 1988 Emerald City Ian Wall 1990 Beyond My Reach Steven Schaffer Black Cobra 2 Lieutenant Kevin McCall 1993 Frauds Detective Simms Irresistible Force Lieutenant Nash 1997 Paradise Road Marty Merritt 2001 Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles Curator 2002Spider-ManFestival GoerUncredited 2003 The Rage in Placid Lake Bill Taylor 2005 The Saviour Pastor Short film Stealth Executive Officer 2009 Mao's Last Dancer Reporter 2014 Turkey Shoot General Charles Thatcher II aka Elimination Game 2018 The BBQ Carver Ladies in Black Mr. Ryder 2019 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Sam Wanamaker2024Art of Eight LimbsNick Buckley 2025 The Travellers Charles Kennelworth
Television Year Title Role Notes 1962 The Defenders Bobby Braden Episode: "The Last Six Months"1967Soldier in LoveYoung John ChurchillTelevision film1971Mr and Mrs Bo Jo JonesEvan ClarkTelevision film1971–1974Owen Marshall, Counselor at LawGeorge Kramer / Frank Harland / Jimmy Slade3 episodes 1973 The Brady Bunch Doug Simpson Episode: "The Subject Was Noses" The Waltons Theodore Albert Claypool Jr. Episode: "The Townie"Catch-22Edward NatelyTelevision filmOutrageRon WernerTelevision film1974Double SolitairePeterTelevision filmSorority KillTimTelevision film Dirty Sally John Episode: "I Don't, I Don't" Lucas Tanner Andy Episode: "Thirty Going on Twenty" 1973–1974 Gunsmoke Britt / Doak Noonan 3 episodes 1976 Rich Man, Poor Man Walters Episode: "Part I" Petrocelli Whitey Episode: "Blood Money"Law of the LandBrad JensenTelevision film Family John Crosswell Episode: "The Cradle Will Fall" 1974–1977 Hawaii Five-O Roger / Calvin Lyle 2 episodes 1977 The Fantastic Journey Tye Episode: "The Innocent Prey" The Oregon Trail Bradley Episode: "The Army Deserter" Eight Is Enough Harold Episode: "Yes, Nicholas, There is a Santa Claus" Logan’s Run Hal 14 Episode: "The Judas Goat" 1977–1979 The Amazing Spider-Man Peter Parker / Spider-Man 13 episodes 1978 The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries Lieutenant Douglas Burke Episode: "The Lady on Thursday at Ten" 1979 Supertrain David Episode: "Where Have You Been Billy Boy?'" 1980 The Martian Chronicles Commander Arthur Black 3 episodes The Love Boat Paul Stockwood Episode: "Seoul Mates" 1981 Manions of America Padric O'Manion / Sean O'Manion 2 episodes 1982 The Adventures of Pollyanna Reverend Tull Television film Falcon Crest Michael Deering 2 episodes Magnum, P.I. Clarke Troubshaw Episode: "Foiled Again" Dallas Bill Johnson 3 episodes1985 General Hospital Algernon Durban 6 episodes Crazy Like a Fox Bill Merrick Episode: "Till Death Do Us Part" Murder, She Wrote Todd Worthy Episode: "Murder in the Afternoon" 1986 The Challenge Dennis Conner 6 episodes Cyclone Tracy Harry Nelson 3 episodes 1987 Fields of Fire Burgess Episode: "1.2" 1988 Fields of Fire IIEpisode: "1.1"1989 Mission: Impossible Woodward Episode: "The Greek"Trouble in ParadiseArthurTelevision film The Flying Doctors Richard Hull Episode: "No Tears" 1990–1992 Embassy Ed Benson 2 episodes 1992 Frankie’s House Major Frey 4 episodes 1994 The Damnation of Harvey McHugh Corky Episode: "Hey St. Jude"1995The FedsMilton MorehouseEpisode: "Terror" Mirror Mirror Sir Ivor Creevey-Thorne 20 episodes 1996 Mercury Jack Koper Episode: "Without Fear or Favour"1996–2000 Flipper Doctor / Agent Smiley / Wade Fleming 3 episodes 1997 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Saxon 2 episodes199813 Gantry RoadRussellTelevision film 2000 Tales of the South Seas Luke Episode: "The Rabblercrouser" On the Beach US President Television filmThe TrackMark TwainEpisode: "A Rough Start"; voice The Lost World Phil Dillon Episode: "Tourist Season" 2000–2002 BackBerner Various 6 episodes2001Child Star: The Shirley Temple StoryAdolphe MenjouTelevision film 2003 Farscape Doctor Adrian Walker 2 episodes Always Greener Nigel Milne 2 episodes CNNNN: Chaser Non-Stop News Network Commander Oscar F. Hepple 2 episodes 2004 Salem’s Lot Doctor Episode: "1.1"; uncredited2005Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty PleasureAaron SpellingTelevision film MDA Dr. Nick Standish 4 episodes 2009–2011 The Jesters Agent Smith 2 episodes 2012 Climbed Every Mountain: The Story Behind the Sound of Music Host Television special 2015 Gallipoli Henry Nevinson 4 episodes 2019 Total Control Mitch Rumboldt Episode: "1.2" 2022 The Crew’s Ship Charles Gwerztraminer 6 episodes2023CaughtAmbassador Morricone4 episodes2025Good Cop/Bad CopReverend Laramie LyleEpisode: "Skeletons"
Theatre Year Title Role Location 1961 The Complaisant Lover Robin Rhodes Ethel Barrymore Theatre 1970 Conduct Unbecoming 2nd Lt. John Truly Ethel Barrymore Theatre 1987 Woman in Mind Andy Sydney Theatre Company
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