Heather Margaret Brotherston Menzies was born in Toronto on December 3, 1949, to Scottish parents who had emigrated to Canada after the war. Her father was a struggling Artist. By Menzies' 14th birthday, she had lived in Vancouver, Miami, London, and Southern California. She had one sister named Sheila.
Menzies' first appearance on-screen was in 1964, when she appeared in the TV series The Farmer's Daughter. She was cast in The Sound of Music as Louisa, the third-oldest of the von Trapp children, at the age of 14, with no prior acting experience. Menzies sang "So Long, Farewell" and the "Lonely Goatherd" in the film.
Menzies married John Cluett in 1969 and divorced in 1973. She married Robert Urich in 1975. Urich and Menzies first met in 1974 while filming a commercial in which they got "married." After his death in 2002, Menzies established the Robert Urich Foundation and spent most of her time in her last years devoted to the organization that raises money for cancer research and support for cancer patients.
Menzies was featured in Playboy magazine during 1973 in a pictorial titled "Tender Trapp", in reference to her The Sound of Music role. She was later cast in four television films: The Keegans, James Dean, Tail Gunner Joe, and Captain America.
Heather Menzies-Urich was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in November 2017. She died on December 24, 2017. Menzies-Urich was survived by three children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
