Stepfanie Kramer

Kramer's professional acting career started in the late 1970s, while she was still in school. She guest-starred in several television shows, such as Starsky and Hutch, Dynasty, Bosom Buddies, and Knots Landing. Kramer graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts/West, where she has later taught as a guest instructor.[1] In 1983, Kramer starred in the NBC sitcom We Got It Made in 1983. Her big break came in 1984, when she landed a starring role in Hunter, the latest creation of television mogul Stephen J. Cannell.[4] After a rough start, the show became an international hit, being broadcast for seven consecutive seasons. Kramer starred in six of them, a total of 130 episodes.[4] In an interview with Jay Leno in 1989, Kramer admitted that she had not believed the show would be as long-lived as it was.[5]

Already in 1986, Kramer said that she was working on a rock album with composer Mike Post, who had composed music for Hunter. She also announced that an album might be published the following year.[3] That never happened, however, but in 1990, Kramer announced her departure from Hunter. Although the press claimed it was to concentrate on her music career[6] in a television news interview, Kramer commented her choice with the following: "I have been most fortunate in that I've acted, written, and directed while on Hunter. It is time for me to move on to the next phase of my life, both professionally and personally."

Shortly after leaving Hunter, she began recording an album in England with producer Nils Lofgren. The album was never released. In 1992 Kramer married and moved to Colorado. Two years later she gave birth to a daughter. She continued to write music and star in successful made-for-TV movies and indie films. She is a trained mezzo soprano,[1] and during the hype of her TV career, she had showcased her musical abilities on several episodes of Hunter, as well as on Bob Hope television specials.[6] Kramer's first album saw the light of the day on October 12, 1999. The debut album, One Dream, contains ten adult contemporary songs. Most are original songs which prove Kramer's talent as both a composer and lyricist.[7] The Great American Song Book, her second album, came out early in the year 2008.[8] On it, Kramer covers 14 classic songs recorded live in a one-woman show which she performs on the road in various national performance venues. In 2008, she represented the U.S. by performing at the International Music Festival in Queretero, Mexico.[9] As a singer, she has performed around the globe.

Kramer has continued to work as an actress. After her departure from Hunter, she has appeared in several TV shows and movies. Her most notable movie projects include: Twin Sisters (1992), Beyond Suspicion (1994), The Dogwalker (1999) and The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold (2006). She also reprised her role as, "Dee Dee McCall," in the two Hunter television movies (2002 and 2003).[4] Due to their strong ratings, NBC attempted to bring the television show back, but unfortunately the 2003 revival was canceled after only nine episodes.

Kramer has teamed with writer David Chisolm to write feature films, as well as with Southwestern novelist Jann Arrington Wolcott to write a collection of short stories.[1] Kramer has also completed a book reading of the award-winning musical in New York, A Twist of Fate. She also was a special guest in the Los Angeles stage production of Menopause The Musical.[10]

On May 24, 1992, Kramer married Mark Richards. The couple divorced in February 2001.[2] Together they have a daughter, Lily Claire Richards, born in 1994. Since the divorce, Kramer and her daughter have relocated to California. According to Kramer's official website, her daughter is the greatest production she has ever been involved in.[1]