Kelly Cramer
Encyclopedia
Kelly Cramer is a fictional character
on the long-running daytime soap opera
One Life to Live
, most notably portrayed by Gina Tognoni
, who first appeared in the role February 17, 1995 and left on August 24, 2011.
During Tognoni's absence from the series, the character returned in July 2003 with Tracy Lindsey Melchior
in the role through December 2003. The role was again recast with Heather Tom
in the role from December 11, 2003 until December 14, 2006. Kelly crossed over to the ABC's All My Children
on March 29, 2004 and April 6, 2004 and later February 18, 2005 during a "baby switch" storyline involving both series.
ian boarding school. She soon befriends Jessica Buchanan
, the daughter of Dorian's nemesis Victoria Lord
, and later falls in love with Jessica's brother (and Dorian's former lover) Joey
.
Devastated over her breakup with Joey, Kelly gets into a car accident in the rain. The passenger in the other car is Kelly's cousin Blair Cramer
, who loses her unborn baby (later named Brendan Thornhart). Wracked with guilt, Kelly hides her involvement; the secret is soon revealed, and she and Blair are estranged for a long time.
Kelly dates wealthy Ian Armitage and inherits his fortune when he dies in a plane crash in 1998. She then becomes romantically involved with Joey and Jessica's cousin Drew Buchanan, who is also later killed in October 1998. In early 1999, Kelly has an affair with Max Holden
; she later leaves him at the altar when she realizes she is still in love with Joey. Kelly's boarding school friend Grace Monroe comes to town in 1999 and becomes engaged to Joey's brother Kevin Buchanan
, but is tragically drowned the same year. Kelly and Kevin console each other as she and Joey become engaged in December 1999. That New Year's Eve, Kelly and Kevin have a few drinks and kiss. They stop themselves from making love and decide not to hurt Joey by telling him about it. Joey learns of his mother's breast cancer, and he and Kelly elope on April 14, 2000. Kelly struggles with her feelings for Kevin as she tries to make her marriage work. She ultimately confesses all to Joey, and they divorce in January 2001. Joey moves to London
, and Kelly begins a relationship with Kevin. When Kevin moves to Texas
to be closer to his young son Duke in March 2001, Kelly follows him in August.
Kelly returns for Blair's wedding to Todd Manning
in December 2001, and again briefly in January 2002.
) returns to Llanview
on the heels of Kevin, now her husband. Their marriage strained, it is soon revealed that Kevin's new political career had pushed a lonely Kelly into an affair with a man named Nick Carson in Texas. Desperate to save the marriage, Kelly tries to get pregnant even though it may put her life in danger. Kevin asks for a divorce but changes his mind when Kelly becomes pregnant. While out of town in 2004, Kelly (now Heather Tom
) loses the baby and finds herself on the verge of a breakdown.
Meanwhile, Kelly's half-brother Paul Cramer
finds himself delivering the babies of both his ex-wife Babe Carey
and her friend Bianca Montgomery
during a rainstorm in nearby Pine Valley
on March 24, 2004. Paul stages a crash with his MEDEVAC
helicopter and takes Babe's son for Kelly, who is desperate for a child to save her marriage and has not yet told Kevin about the miscarriage. Paul initially tells Babe that the child had died in the accident; threatened at the scene by the powerful family of the child's father, Paul quickly changes his plan, giving Bianca's daughter
to Babe and telling Bianca that her baby had died instead. Unaware of the child's origins, Kelly brings Babe's infant back to Llanview, passing him off as her child with Kevin. Kevin and Kelly name the baby Asa "Ace" Buchanan II after Kevin's grandfather. Their marriage crumbles anyway in 2005, and Kevin secures custody. Meanwhile, a devastated Kelly discovers that Paul had stolen Ace from his mother; Paul, desperate for cash, blackmail
s Kelly by threatening to reveal the secret to Kevin and Llanview. Armed with the truth, Kelly realizes they must return the child to his parents; though broken-hearted, they do.
Kevin and Kelly begin dating again but soon break up; she briefly dates Dr. Spencer Truman
and then reconciles with Kevin. After Spencer performs a new surgical procedure on Kelly that could potentially reverse her infertility, Kevin proposes. Spencer, however, enacting his vendetta against the Buchanans
, exposes Kevin to a virus that renders him sterile. Kevin falls into a depression that strains his relationship with Kelly. Kevin's son Duke, now an adult, consoles Kelly and soon falls in love with her; they sleep together once before a tornado hits Llanview. Kelly and Duke are both seriously injured; with only one surgeon available, Kevin is forced to choose whether his ex-wife or son will go into surgery first. He chooses Kelly, and is devastated as Duke dies in his arms.
In the wake of Duke's death, Kelly discovers that she is pregnant with his child; Kevin swears he will never forgive her, and Kelly decides to leave Llanview. Kevin has a change of heart, and convinces her to stay; he is at her side when she gives birth prematurely to a son, and they name the baby Zane. Reconciled and resigned to start over as a family, Kevin and Kelly relocate to London with Zane.
, who has threatened the Cramer women, is behind Melinda's death. Kevin proposes to Kelly on the day of her mothers funeral, but she declines. Todd tries to convince Kelly to stay in Llanview and work for him at The Sun, in part to annoy Blair; Kelly at first refuses, but is intrigued by the challenge and is soon goaded by Todd into signing a contract. Kelly subsequently receives calls from a mysterious person informing her that her mother was indeed murdered. She first enlists Todd and Detective John McBain
to assist her in the investigation, and later asks private investigator Rex Balsom
to help find Bennett Thompson, a man she believes murdered Melinda.
Bennett is revealed to be Blair's boyfriend Elijah Clarke
, and he is later killed. A lonely Kelly kisses Rex, but realizes that she is still in love with Joey. Kelly befriends a woman named Aubrey Wentworth
as Joey returns to Llanview, but Kelly is soon shocked to discover that Joey and Aubrey are romantically involved. Joey's father Clint Buchanan
soon discovers that Aubrey is a con artist, but Aubrey's lover and conspirator Cutter
manages to destroy the evidence while Aubrey blackmails Clint into staying silent. Despite Kelly's protests, Joey marries Aubrey suddenly. A devastated Kelly falls into bed with John McBain, who is newly separated from Joey's sister Natalie
. Kelly's relationship with John gains her an enemy in Marty Saybrooke
, who has become mentally imbalanced and infatuated with John. On May 11, 2011, while waiting for John, Kelly is stabbed twice in the abdomen by a deranged Marty, who leaves her for dead on the bathroom floor. She is soon found by John and rushed to the hospital where the doctors reveal that she may have suffered either a liver or kidney laceration, but Kelly later recovers from her injuries, and eventually checks herself out of the hospital. Joey later finds out that Kelly was right all along about Aubrey and tells her he wants a second chance because he loves her and will divorce Aubrey. On July 21, 2011, Joey and Aubrey are officially divorced from each other, allowing both Joey and Kelly to reignite their romantic relationship with each other again. In August 2011, Kelly announces she is leaving Llanview to go back to London to be closer to her son Zane. Joey offers to go with her back to London, and she accepts his proposal. Kelly then says good-bye to her ex-boyfriend John, and encourages him to get back together with his former fiance Natalie. Kelly then learns that her aunt Dorian is also leaving town to go run for senator in Washington D.C. after the previous senator is caught in a sex scandal. Kelly joins her family to throw a good-bye party for Dorian before she leaves town. Kelly then leaves with Joey to go back to London to be with her son Zane.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the long-running daytime 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,...
One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
, most notably portrayed by Gina Tognoni
Gina Tognoni
Gina Tognoni is an American actress.-Career:Tognoni has won Miss Rhode Island Teen USA in 1991 and Miss Rhode Island Teen All-American in 1993. In 1995, she was cast as Kelly Cramer on ABC's soap opera One Life to Live, a role she originated and portrayed to 2001...
, who first appeared in the role February 17, 1995 and left on August 24, 2011.
Casting
The role was originated by Tognoni, who portrayed the role from February 17, 1995 through August 14, 2001, briefly returning in December 2001 and January 2002. Tognoni reprised the role in February 12, 2010, portraying her until August 24, 2011.During Tognoni's absence from the series, the character returned in July 2003 with Tracy Lindsey Melchior
Tracy Lindsey Melchior
Tracy Lindsey Melchior is an American actress, notable for her role as Kristen Forrester Dominguez on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, which she played on a contract basis from 2001 to 2003 with reprisal guest appearances in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. She originated the...
in the role through December 2003. The role was again recast with Heather Tom
Heather Tom
Heather Marie Tom is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Victoria Newman on The Young and the Restless, Kelly Cramer on One Life to Live and currently Katie Logan Spencer on The Bold and the Beautiful....
in the role from December 11, 2003 until December 14, 2006. Kelly crossed over to the ABC's All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
on March 29, 2004 and April 6, 2004 and later February 18, 2005 during a "baby switch" storyline involving both series.
The early years
Kelly appears on the doorstep of her aunt, Dorian Lord, in February 1995. The daughter of Dorian's younger sister Melinda, Kelly had been expelled from her ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian boarding school. She soon befriends Jessica Buchanan
Jessica Buchanan
Jessica Eugenia Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
, the daughter of Dorian's nemesis Victoria Lord
Victoria Lord
Victoria "Viki" Lord is the principal fictional character and matriarch of the Lord family on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live...
, and later falls in love with Jessica's brother (and Dorian's former lover) Joey
Joey Buchanan
Joseph "Joey" Riley Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC daytime serial One Life to Live. The character is the son of original characters Victoria Lord and Joe Riley, Sr.-Casting:...
.
Devastated over her breakup with Joey, Kelly gets into a car accident in the rain. The passenger in the other car is Kelly's cousin Blair Cramer
Blair Cramer
Blair Cramer is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live...
, who loses her unborn baby (later named Brendan Thornhart). Wracked with guilt, Kelly hides her involvement; the secret is soon revealed, and she and Blair are estranged for a long time.
Kelly dates wealthy Ian Armitage and inherits his fortune when he dies in a plane crash in 1998. She then becomes romantically involved with Joey and Jessica's cousin Drew Buchanan, who is also later killed in October 1998. In early 1999, Kelly has an affair with Max Holden
Max Holden (One Life to Live)
Max Holden is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. He was most popularly portrayed by James DePaiva.-Storylines:Max Holden came to Llanview in 1987 and as soon as he got there, he became involved in a love triangle with two women, Tina Lord Roberts and Gabrielle Medina....
; she later leaves him at the altar when she realizes she is still in love with Joey. Kelly's boarding school friend Grace Monroe comes to town in 1999 and becomes engaged to Joey's brother Kevin Buchanan
Kevin Buchanan
Kevin Lord Riley Buchanan is a fictional character on the soap opera One Life to Live. The character is the first child born to original characters Victoria Lord and Joe Riley.-Casting:...
, but is tragically drowned the same year. Kelly and Kevin console each other as she and Joey become engaged in December 1999. That New Year's Eve, Kelly and Kevin have a few drinks and kiss. They stop themselves from making love and decide not to hurt Joey by telling him about it. Joey learns of his mother's breast cancer, and he and Kelly elope on April 14, 2000. Kelly struggles with her feelings for Kevin as she tries to make her marriage work. She ultimately confesses all to Joey, and they divorce in January 2001. Joey moves to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and Kelly begins a relationship with Kevin. When Kevin moves to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to be closer to his young son Duke in March 2001, Kelly follows him in August.
Kelly returns for Blair's wedding to Todd Manning
Todd Manning
Thomas Todd Manning is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. Created by writer Michael Malone, the role was originated in 1992 by actor Roger Howarth. In 2003, Howarth departed from the series and the role was recast with actor Trevor St. John as Todd, initially written...
in December 2001, and again briefly in January 2002.
First return
In July 2003, Kelly (now portrayed by Tracy MelchiorTracy Lindsey Melchior
Tracy Lindsey Melchior is an American actress, notable for her role as Kristen Forrester Dominguez on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, which she played on a contract basis from 2001 to 2003 with reprisal guest appearances in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. She originated the...
) returns to Llanview
Llanview, Pennsylvania
Llanview, Pennsylvania is the fictional setting for the long-running American soap opera One Life to Live. The city exists in the same fictional universe as cities from other existing or defunct ABC daytime dramas, including Pine Valley from All My Children, Port Charles from General Hospital, and...
on the heels of Kevin, now her husband. Their marriage strained, it is soon revealed that Kevin's new political career had pushed a lonely Kelly into an affair with a man named Nick Carson in Texas. Desperate to save the marriage, Kelly tries to get pregnant even though it may put her life in danger. Kevin asks for a divorce but changes his mind when Kelly becomes pregnant. While out of town in 2004, Kelly (now Heather Tom
Heather Tom
Heather Marie Tom is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Victoria Newman on The Young and the Restless, Kelly Cramer on One Life to Live and currently Katie Logan Spencer on The Bold and the Beautiful....
) loses the baby and finds herself on the verge of a breakdown.
Meanwhile, Kelly's half-brother Paul Cramer
Paul Cramer
Paul Cramer is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Paul was originated on October 3, 2003 by Brock Cuchna, who played the role until March 10, 2004. The character was then recast with David Tom on March 11, 2004...
finds himself delivering the babies of both his ex-wife Babe Carey
Babe Carey
Arabella "Babe" Carey Chandler is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. She was originally portrayed by actress Alexa Havins, from October 13, 2003 to October 8, 2007, and then by actress Amanda Baker from October 8, 2007 to October 31, 2008...
and her friend Bianca Montgomery
Bianca Montgomery
Bianca Christine Montgomery is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. In June 2010, Christina Bennett Lind replaced Eden Riegel, who portrayed the role from July 2000 to January 2010. Until Riegel assumed the role, the character was portrayed solely by child...
during a rainstorm in nearby Pine Valley
Pine Valley, Pennsylvania
Pine Valley, Pennsylvania is the fictional setting for the long-running American soap opera All My Children. It is a small suburb of Philadelphia...
on March 24, 2004. Paul stages a crash with his MEDEVAC
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
helicopter and takes Babe's son for Kelly, who is desperate for a child to save her marriage and has not yet told Kevin about the miscarriage. Paul initially tells Babe that the child had died in the accident; threatened at the scene by the powerful family of the child's father, Paul quickly changes his plan, giving Bianca's daughter
Miranda Montgomery
Miranda Mona Montgomery is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. She is currently portrayed by Mackenzie Aladjem...
to Babe and telling Bianca that her baby had died instead. Unaware of the child's origins, Kelly brings Babe's infant back to Llanview, passing him off as her child with Kevin. Kevin and Kelly name the baby Asa "Ace" Buchanan II after Kevin's grandfather. Their marriage crumbles anyway in 2005, and Kevin secures custody. Meanwhile, a devastated Kelly discovers that Paul had stolen Ace from his mother; Paul, desperate for cash, blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
s Kelly by threatening to reveal the secret to Kevin and Llanview. Armed with the truth, Kelly realizes they must return the child to his parents; though broken-hearted, they do.
Kevin and Kelly begin dating again but soon break up; she briefly dates Dr. Spencer Truman
Spencer Truman
Dr. Spencer Truman was a fictional character on the soap opera One Life to Live. He was played by Paul Satterfield from May 25, 2005 to January 30, 2007. Satterfield has reprised the role, in the form of Ghost by characters Miles Laurence and John McBain, several times in 2007...
and then reconciles with Kevin. After Spencer performs a new surgical procedure on Kelly that could potentially reverse her infertility, Kevin proposes. Spencer, however, enacting his vendetta against the Buchanans
Buchanan family
The Buchanan family are a fictional family on the American soap opera One Life to Live, first introduced in the fall of 1979.-History:Clint Buchanan arrives in Llanview, Pennsylvania in 1979, soon followed by his brother Bo and later their father Asa in 1980...
, exposes Kevin to a virus that renders him sterile. Kevin falls into a depression that strains his relationship with Kelly. Kevin's son Duke, now an adult, consoles Kelly and soon falls in love with her; they sleep together once before a tornado hits Llanview. Kelly and Duke are both seriously injured; with only one surgeon available, Kevin is forced to choose whether his ex-wife or son will go into surgery first. He chooses Kelly, and is devastated as Duke dies in his arms.
In the wake of Duke's death, Kelly discovers that she is pregnant with his child; Kevin swears he will never forgive her, and Kelly decides to leave Llanview. Kevin has a change of heart, and convinces her to stay; he is at her side when she gives birth prematurely to a son, and they name the baby Zane. Reconciled and resigned to start over as a family, Kevin and Kelly relocate to London with Zane.
Second return
In February 2010, Kelly returns to Llanview and receives devastating news that her mother Melinda has died of a heart attack. Dorian believes that Mitch LaurenceMitch Laurence
Mitchell "Mitch" Laurence is a fictional character, portrayed by Roscoe Born, on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live, from 1985 to 1987 and again from 2002 to 2003...
, who has threatened the Cramer women, is behind Melinda's death. Kevin proposes to Kelly on the day of her mothers funeral, but she declines. Todd tries to convince Kelly to stay in Llanview and work for him at The Sun, in part to annoy Blair; Kelly at first refuses, but is intrigued by the challenge and is soon goaded by Todd into signing a contract. Kelly subsequently receives calls from a mysterious person informing her that her mother was indeed murdered. She first enlists Todd and Detective John McBain
John McBain (One Life to Live)
John McBain is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live, portrayed by Michael Easton since October 1, 2003.-Natalie and Evangeline:...
to assist her in the investigation, and later asks private investigator Rex Balsom
Rex Balsom
Rex Balsom is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live, portrayed by John-Paul Lavoisier since May 9, 2002.With the character initially named "Jamie" prior to production, then-Executive Producer Gary Tomlin "toyed with the idea" of putting Rex in a gay storyline;...
to help find Bennett Thompson, a man she believes murdered Melinda.
Bennett is revealed to be Blair's boyfriend Elijah Clarke
Elijah Clarke (One Life to Live)
Elijah Clarke is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. He was portrayed by Matt Walton...
, and he is later killed. A lonely Kelly kisses Rex, but realizes that she is still in love with Joey. Kelly befriends a woman named Aubrey Wentworth
Aubrey Wentworth
Aubrey Wentworth is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. She has been portrayed by Terri Conn since her debut on November 29, 2010...
as Joey returns to Llanview, but Kelly is soon shocked to discover that Joey and Aubrey are romantically involved. Joey's father Clint Buchanan
Clint Buchanan
Clinton "Clint" Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting:The role was originated in September 10, 1979 by actor Clint Ritchie, portraying the role nearly continuously through December 30, 1999. Ritchie reappeared in the 2003 and 2004. Actor Jerry...
soon discovers that Aubrey is a con artist, but Aubrey's lover and conspirator Cutter
Cutter Wentworth
Cutter Wentworth is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. He has been portrayed by Josh Kelly since his debut on December 29, 2010.-Casting:...
manages to destroy the evidence while Aubrey blackmails Clint into staying silent. Despite Kelly's protests, Joey marries Aubrey suddenly. A devastated Kelly falls into bed with John McBain, who is newly separated from Joey's sister Natalie
Natalie Buchanan
Natalie Buchanan Banks is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live and daughter of former supercouple Victoria Lord and Clint Buchanan...
. Kelly's relationship with John gains her an enemy in Marty Saybrooke
Marty Saybrooke
Dr. Margaret "Marty" Saybrooke is a fictional character on the American daytime drama One Life to Live. The role was originated by Susan Haskell, who portrayed Marty from January 24, 1992 through September 16, 1997 and made brief appearances on February 16, 2004 and February 2005...
, who has become mentally imbalanced and infatuated with John. On May 11, 2011, while waiting for John, Kelly is stabbed twice in the abdomen by a deranged Marty, who leaves her for dead on the bathroom floor. She is soon found by John and rushed to the hospital where the doctors reveal that she may have suffered either a liver or kidney laceration, but Kelly later recovers from her injuries, and eventually checks herself out of the hospital. Joey later finds out that Kelly was right all along about Aubrey and tells her he wants a second chance because he loves her and will divorce Aubrey. On July 21, 2011, Joey and Aubrey are officially divorced from each other, allowing both Joey and Kelly to reignite their romantic relationship with each other again. In August 2011, Kelly announces she is leaving Llanview to go back to London to be closer to her son Zane. Joey offers to go with her back to London, and she accepts his proposal. Kelly then says good-bye to her ex-boyfriend John, and encourages him to get back together with his former fiance Natalie. Kelly then learns that her aunt Dorian is also leaving town to go run for senator in Washington D.C. after the previous senator is caught in a sex scandal. Kelly joins her family to throw a good-bye party for Dorian before she leaves town. Kelly then leaves with Joey to go back to London to be with her son Zane.