Mandell Kramer, Counterspy 1952 (cropped)

Mandel Kramer (March 12, 1916 – January 29, 1989) was an American actor. As a voice actor, he is best known as the last Johnny Dollar from '' Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar'' radio show.

Early years

Kramer grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where his father had a shoe store, and attended Cleveland Heights High School. He also studied law at

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Res ...

for "a couple of years." Kramer graduated from the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ar ...

and acted for a year in the Cleveland Play House.

Career

Kramer's first work in radio came at WTAM in his native Cleveland, Ohio. For 20 years he played police chief Bill Marceau on the soap opera ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that networ ...

'' a role he originated during the shows run on CBS from 1959–1975 & playing the part four years when the show moved to ABC from (1975–1979). His other roles in

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

included those shown in the table below. Kramer also appeared in 130 episodes of ''

CBS Radio Mystery Theater ''CBS Radio Mystery Theater'' (a.k.a. ''Radio Mystery Theater'' and ''Mystery Theater'', sometimes abbreviated as ''CBSRMT'') is a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS Radio Network affiliates from 1974 to 1982, ...

'' between 1974 and 1982. He was also heard on ''Light of the World'', ''Call the Police'', '' Gang Busters'', ''

21st Precinct ''21st Precinct'' (aka ''Twenty-First Precinct'' and ''Twenty First Precinct'') was a police drama broadcast on CBS radio from July 7, 1953, to July 26, 1956. It was initially a summer replacement for ''My Friend Irma''. The program was produc ...

'' and '' Inner Sanctum Mystery''. He once said of his work on ''Gang Busters'' that after he began playing criminals, "I probably played more gangsters than anybody in the business for the next 10 or 15 years." In later years he was often heard on ''

''.

Television

Mandell Kramer Don MacLaughlin Counterspy 1952

Kramer played Bill Marceau in ''

'' on CBS. In 1976, he had become at the time the longest-tenured member of the program's cast, having had the role of Marceau for 17 years. His work earned him a nomination for a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

for Supporting Actor in 1979. The only other cast member to surpass him was Ann Flood who played Nancy Karr from 1962–1975 on CBS and continued playing the part on ABC as well from 1975–1984 for 22 years 2 years longer.

Personal life

In 1939, Kramer was engaged to Ruth Valeche, a fellow graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. They married and had two daughters, Kathryn and Susan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kramer, Mandel 1916 births 1989 deaths American voice actors American male radio actors 20th-century American male actors