Rolf (The Sound of Music)

"I am now occupied with more important matters, and your father better be too if he knows what's good for him!"

- Rolf leaving Liesl.

Rolf Gruber is a supporting antagonist of the 1959 musical The Sound of Music and its 1965 film adaptation. He was an Austrian delivery boy who fell in love with Captain Georg Von Trapp's eldest daughter Liesl until he betrayed her and her family to serve for Hans Zeller and the Nazi Party.

He was portrayed by Daniel Truhitte in the film.

Role
Rolf first appeared delivering a telegram for Captain Von Trapp before meeting up with Liesl and engaging into a musical number with her before leaving. He later returns to the Von Trapp mansion to deliver another message, this time to Von Trapp's closest friend Max Detweiller. But as soon as he is about to give the telegram to Detweiller, a suspicious Von Trapp snatches it before telling him to leave while giving the telegram to Detweiller. Rolf obliges to this by escaping in his bicycle. It later turns out that Von Trapp doesn't trust Rolf due to the latter's allegiance with the Nazis.

Following the Anschuluss (Austria's annexation into Nazi Germany in 1938), Rolf meets up with Liesl and her siblings as they are about to prepare themselves for the Salzburg Music Festival. At first, Liesl is glad to see him again, but Rolf states that he's busy. He then gives Liesl a telegram from Berlin, telling her to deliver it to her father after he comes home from his honeymoon with his new wife Maria. Rolf then tells Liesl that he must attend to most important matters, coldly warning her that her father must do the same if he knows what's good for him, an act that left Liesel confused.

As it turns out, the telegram details an offer for the Captain to accept a commission in the Kriegsmarine (the Nazi Navy) at the German Naval base at Bremerhaven and that Zeller intends to escort him there for the event. However, Von Trapp refuses to join up with the Nazis, so he and his family fled after finishing their performance in the festival. As Zeller, Lieutenant Karl and their men search around the local church, the Von Trapps manage to avoid getting spotten. Unfortunately, Rolf (wearing a Nazi uniform) has arrived to the scene and has caught them hiding behind the catacombs, much to Liesl's objections. Rolf tries to blow the whistle, but Von Trapp confronts him while letting Maria and the children escape. Holding the Captain at gunpoint, Rolf demands for him to surrender, but grew conflicted as the Captain comes closer towards him. This allowed the Captain to take the gun away from Rolf, but he gives Rolf a choice: either he join with the Von Trapps to flee to Switzerland or remain with the Nazis. However, rather than accepting the offer, Rolf angrily alerted Karl of the family's location, prompting the annoyed Captain to escape with his family on a car. Rolf then catches up with Zeller and his other men to give chase, but the nuns have already sabotaged their vehicles, allowing the Von Trapps to flee away to Switzerland as possible.

It is unknown what happened to Rolf following the Von Trapps' escape as he wasn't seen or heard from again.

Trivia

 * A key difference between the movie and the play:
 * In the play, Rolf actually chose to let the Von Trapp escape after seeing that Liesl is among them, implying a sense of remorse.
 * In the movie, Rolf decided to betray them to the Nazis, making him less guilty of his actions.