Paul Cramer is a fictional character from the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
daytime
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
One Life to Live
''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
''. Paul was originated on October 3, 2003, by Brock Cuchna, who played the role until March 10, 2004.
[Paul Cramer profile - SoapCentral.com](_blank)
/ref> The character was then recast with David Tom
David Tom is an American actor, most famous for portraying Billy Abbott on the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' from 1999 to 2002, and again in 2014.
Career
In 1993, Tom was nominated for two Young Artist Awards for his roles in ' ...
on March 11, 2004. In August 2004, the role was temporarily played by Shane McRae
Shane McRae (born July 23, 1977) is an American actor. In 2017, McRae joined the cast of the Amazon Studios series ''Sneaky Pete'' in the role of Taylor. He also played Dickie Barrett in the Spectrum Original series ''Paradise Lost''.
Early lif ...
.
Paul crossed over to ABC's ''All My Children
''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...
'' multiple times from December 2003 to October 2004 during a "baby switch" storyline involving both series. The character of Paul was killed off as part of a murder mystery storyline in October 2004, but lingered in newly created flashbacks and other characters' dreams and hallucinations until May 2005.
Tom is the real-life brother of Heather Tom
Heather Marie Tom (born November 4, 1975) is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her acting work on various soap operas. Her best known roles are Victoria Newman on ''The Young and the Restless,'' Kelly Cramer on ' ...
, who played Paul's half-sister Kelly Cramer
Kelly Cramer is a fictional character on the long-running ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live''. The role was originated by actress Gina Tognoni, who debuted on February 17, 1995, and played the character in her last appearance on August 24, 2011.
...
.
Storyline
Beginnings
Paul Cramer first appears in Llanview
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, Penn ...
in late 2003 at the re-opening Crossroads, the bar formerly owned by Ben Davidson
Benjamin Earl Davidson (June 14, 1940 – July 2, 2012) was an American football player, a defensive end best known for his play with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League (AFL). Earlier in his career, he was with the Green Bay ...
. In search of Sarah Roberts, the daughter of Tina Lord
Tina Lord Roberts is a fictional character from the American daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live'', originally and last played by Andrea Evans. The character is the daughter of original series patriarch Victor Lord, and sister to long-running ch ...
and Cord Roberts
Cord Roberts is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live''. The role was originated in May 1986 by John Loprieno, who left the series in 1992 and then returned from January 28, 1993 through 1997. The character made brief app ...
, Paul says he had known Sarah's brother C.J. while serving as a pilot in the Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
and that he had made "the biggest mistake of his life." The nature of this mistake is never revealed as Paul never shares any scenes with Sarah and instead becomes embroiled in a storyline with Dorian Lord
Dorian Lord is a fictional character and matriarch of the Cramer family on the American daytime drama '' One Life to Live'', played most notably and for the longest duration by actress Robin Strasser. Strasser was cast by series creator Agnes Ni ...
and the Cramer family
The Cramer family is a family of fictional characters on the American soap opera '' One Life to Live''. The family centers on the relationships of long-running character Dr. Dorian Cramer, who debuts on the series in April 1973.
The long-runnin ...
.
A local society maven, Dorian is shocked as Paul arrives on her doorstep and claims to be the son of Dorian's mentally disturbed younger sister Melinda
Melinda is a feminine given name.
Etymology
The modern name ''Melinda'' is a combination of "Mel" with the suffix "-inda". "Mel" can be derived from names such as Melanie meaning "dark, black" in Greek, or from Melissa (μέλισσα) meaning ...
(who had recently confessed to Dorian that she had given birth to another child during her years in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
) and therefore Kelly
Kelly may refer to:
Art and entertainment
* Kelly (Kelly Price album)
* Kelly (Andrea Faustini album)
* ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap
* "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland
* ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...
's brother. Paul was raised by an upstanding foster family and has only just recently learned of his true heritage. Dorian soon worries that this heretofore unknown Cramer could be the heir to her aging Aunt Betsy's fortune. Aunt Betsy, an eccentric old spinster, has very specific ideas on what a "real Cramer" should be and feels that almost all the women in the family have abdicated their power and self-esteem to men. Dorian and her other niece Blair are desperate to get their hands on Aunt Betsy's inheritance, and the matriarchal family is shocked when man-hating Betsy's favor turns to the dark horse: Paul, the newcomer, who also happens to be a man.
A seemingly agreeable young man with his life in order, Paul is soon targeted for ruin by Dorian and her partner in crime David Vickers
David Vickers is a fictional character from the American soap opera ''One Life to Live'' portrayed by Tuc Watkins.
Casting
The character David Vickers was first introduced in 1994 by Watkins, who played the character until 1996 and then reprised ...
. Determined to get Aunt Betsy's inheritance, Dorian and David seek any information they can use against Paul to force him out of Betsy's good graces. They find just that in the discovery of Paul's connection to schemer Babe Carey
Arabella "Babe" Carey 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, 2 ...
from Pine Valley, and Paul and Babe's outrageous marriage from the recent past. With Paul out of Betsy's favor, Dorian and David are free and clear to use Carlotta Vega
This is a list of characters from the ABC Daytime soap opera, ''One Life to Live'', that began their run between the beginning of 1990 and the end of 1999.
Nigel Bartholomew-Smythe
Nigel Bartholomew-Smythe is a fictional character on the Ame ...
's ward Adriana Colón to gain control of the Cramer wealth once and for all. Paul, meanwhile, begins exhibiting shadier behavior, like working with Dr. William Long, then-Chief of Staff of Llanview Hospital, to sell organs on the black market, and blackmail
Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...
ing Jennifer Rappaport
A list of notable characters from the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'' that made their first appearance between the beginning of 2000 and the end of 2009.
Kimberly Andrews
Kimberly Andrews (born Aubrey Wentworth) is a fictional charact ...
for sex using a tape of Rex Balsom
Rex Balsom is a fictional character from the American daytime drama '' One Life to Live'', portrayed by John-Paul Lavoisier from May 9, 2002, to the show's finale on January 12, 2012.
Casting and characterization
With the character initially nam ...
and Jen's mother Lindsay in bed.
Crossover to ''All My Children''
Paul's December 30, 2003 visit to his estranged secret wife Babe Carey
Arabella "Babe" Carey 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, 2 ...
on ''All My Children'' ultimately leads to an extensive "baby switch" crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Albums and songs
* ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album)
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album)
* ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album)
* ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
storyline in 2004. Paul finds himself delivering the babies of both Babe and her friend Bianca Montgomery
Bianca Montgomery is a fictional character from the American daytime drama ''All My Children''. Until Eden Riegel assumed the role, portraying the character from July 2000 to January 2010, the character was portrayed solely by child actresses: La ...
during a rainstorm in nearby Pine Valley on March 24, 2004. Paul stages a crash with his MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...
helicopter and takes Babe's son for Kelly, who is desperate for a child to save her marriage after miscarrying her own. Paul initially tells Babe that her 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. Babe discovers that "her daughter" is really Bianca's, but remains silent for months and allows Paul to manipulate her and Bianca. Meanwhile, a devastated Kelly discovers that Paul had stolen Ace from his mother; Paul, desperate for cash, blackmails 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. Bianca's family resents Babe for the baby switch, seemingly forgetting Paul's role in the incident.
Demise
After alienating nearly everyone in town, Paul has a mysterious meeting in a cemetery in October 2004; his corpse is later revealed in an open grave, shot to death. In 2005, the killer is revealed to be Daniel Colson. Paul had been blackmailing Daniel, who is secretly gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
and carrying on a torrid affair with local college student Mark Solomon. When Paul learned the truth about Daniel's extramarital activities, Daniel eliminated him and attempted to pin the crime on Jennifer Rappaport. During the course of the storyline, Paul appeared to Daniel as a hallucination, warning him that he would be exposed.
References
External links
Paul Cramer profile - SoapCentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cramer, Paul
One Life to Live characters
Fictional criminals in soap operas
All My Children characters
Crossover characters in television
Television characters introduced in 2003
Male characters in television