Cusi Cram

Cusi Cram (born September 22, 1967) is an American playwright, screenwriter, actress, model, director, educator, and advocate for women in the arts. Early life Cusi Cram was born in Manhattan, New York, on September 22, 1967, to Lady Jeanne Campbell, daughter of Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll and Janet Gladys Aitken, and granddaughter of Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook; Lady Jeanne was married at the time to John Cram III, a descendant of railroad developer Jay Gould. Her biological father, however, was Bolivian and worked at the United Nations. She identifies as Latina and has written extensively about her Latin roots in her plays. Cram's first foray into the world of theater came at age six when she played the role of Moth in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Campbell had previously been married to Norman Mailer, with whom she remained friends after their divorce. Mailer's later wife Norris Church, a former actress and model, suggested that Cram try out modelling. At age 13, she did, becoming the youngest model ever to sign with Wilhelmina Models, Church's former agency. At the time, Cram attended the Chapin School in Manhattan. Of her modeling days she has said, "And at the time—and I think times have changed a lot—[the look] was very blonde and blue eyed, so I was considered very, very ethnic looking ..." Career While working with Wilhelmina, Cram modeled for a variety of publications including Interview, Seventeen, Brides, and Young Miss. While still 13, she joined the cast of the soap opera One Life to Live on ABC. She originated the role of Cassie Callison, a job that required her to leave the Chapin School for the Professional Children's School which allowed her time to both study and participate in filming. She eventually transitioned from acting to playwriting during her twenties, graduated from Brown University in 1990, and landed a job writing for the animated PBS show Arthur.