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Douglas S. Cramer stands as one of television's most successful producers and a renowned modern art collector who has served on multiple museum boards. Beginning his career in the late 1950s as a TV executive for Procter & Gamble after earning a Master's from Columbia University, he rose to prominence in the 1960s. He held roles such as Executive Vice President at 20th Century-Fox, head of Paramount TV—where he worked on shows like The Brady Bunch (1969), Mission: Impossible (1966), and The Odd Couple (1970)—and head of programming at ABC Television, overseeing future industry leaders Barry Diller and Michael Eisner.
In the late 1960s, Cramer became an independent producer, creating TV movies and series. He produced the first miniseries, QB VII (1974), which won multiple Emmys, along with over 100 made-for-TV movies and hit series such as The Love Boat (1977), Dynasty (1981), The Colbys (1985), Matt Houston (1982), Vega$ (1978), and Wonder Woman (1975). He dominated ABC’s lineup for several years and launched numerous TV pilots. From 1974 to 1989, he was an equal partner with Aaron Spelling, during which he built significant wealth while generally remaining behind the scenes.
After ending his partnership with Spelling, Cramer’s streak of successes declined. In 1989, his notable achievement was a multi-year deal to produce 23 Danielle Steel movies for NBC. Around this time, he met writer Hugh Bush, with whom he fell in love, and began focusing on projects written, directed, and produced by Bush. This collaboration included Cramer’s only feature film, Sleeping Together (1997), which he self-financed for Bush but never secured theatrical distribution. While Spelling continued thriving with hits like Melrose Place (1992) and Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), Cramer struggled to align with shifting public tastes, facing repeated setbacks. Unable to sell TV or film projects, he retreated to Manhattan, where he lives with Bush and remains an active arts patron.
Although openly gay later in life, Cramer was once married to gossip columnist Joyce Haber, with whom he had two children: Douglas S. Cramer III and Courtney Cramer. Haber, related to prominent agent Bill Haber, died of cancer, and Courtney tragically died by suicide before age 30. Cramer’s son Douglas S. Cramer III became estranged. Despite personal hardships, Cramer reached the pinnacle of television success, amassing an estimated $300 million fortune at his peak and owning a modern art collection valued at around $100 million—one of the largest worldwide. Having owned numerous prestigious estates globally, Cramer has since downsized to residences in Manhattan, Martha’s Vineyard, and Roxbury, where he now resides with Hugh Bush.
