On this day (December 2) in 1983, Jana Kramer was born in Rochester Hills, Michigan. At 19, she moved to Los Angeles to chase her dream of being an actor. She landed roles on multiple hit TV shows. Most notable was her turn as Alex Dupre on the popular CW series One Tree Hill. After finishing work on the series, Kramer moved to Nashville, where she followed another lifelong dream, launching songs to the upper regions of the country charts.

According to IMDb, Kramer’s acting career began in 2002 with a role in the horror-comedy film Dead/Undead. She appeared in several independent films over the next few years. Then, she landed a role in the Adam Sandler-led Click in 2006. Over the next three years, she held small roles in multiple hit TV shows, including Grey’s Anatomy, Friday Night Lights, 90210, and Entourage.

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In 2009, she began her run on One Tree Hill as Alex Dupre. Initially, she was a recurring character. Then, she became a series regular. This role introduced her to millions of viewers, giving her the name recognition that would boost the next stage of her career.

Jana Kramer Goes Country

In 2011, Jana Kramer inked a record deal with Elektra. Her first song, “I Won’t Give Up,” appeared in an episode of One Tree Hill before dropping on iTunes. A little under a year later, in January 2012, she released her debut single, “Why Ya Wanna.” It went to No. 3 on the Hot Country Songs chart, giving Kramer an early hit.

Kramer released her self-titled debut album in the summer of 2012. It peaked at No. 5 on the Top Country Albums chart and reached No. 19 on the Billboard 200. Three years later, in October 2015, she released her sophomore album, Thirty One. It was more successful, peaking at No. 3 on the country chart and No. 10 on the all-genre survey.

Her sophomore album also produced her second hit single. “I Got the Boy” peaked at No. 5 and No. 6 on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, respectively.

While Kramer hasn’t released another album, she has shared a handful of singles in recent years. Her latest, “Voices,” dropped in 2021.

Kramer’s acting career is still going strong. Her latest film, a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries original, The Christmas Ring, premiered last month.

Featured Image by David Becker/Getty Images for iHeartRadio