Crampton was born in Levittown, Long Island, New York. She was raised Catholic. Crampton grew up in Vermont, and spent summers while growing up traveling the country with the carnival, as her father was a carny. She started acting in school plays when she was in seventh grade and went on to study acting in high school. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts from Castleton State College in Vermont. After graduation, Barbara made a brief stop in New York, where she appeared as Cordelia in King Lear for the American Theater of Actors. She was a Theater Arts Major at Castleton State College from 1976 to 1981.
From New York, Crampton moved to Los Angeles where she made her television debut on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives, where she played Trista Evans Bradford and subsequently starred in the pilot episode of Rituals, the television film Love Thy Neighbor, and the television series Santa Barbara. She made her film debut in the 1984 film Body Double. The following year, Crampton portrayed Chrissie in Fraternity Vacation, Megan Halsey in Re-Animator, and Stacy in Hotel. In 1986, Crampton portrayed Suzie Lynn in Chopping Mall, Dr. Katherine McMichaels in From Beyond, and Anne White in Prince of Bel Air. In 1987, Crampton was cast in Kidnapped and portrayed Teri in Ohara. From 1987 to 2007, Crampton portrayed Leanna Love in The Young and the Restless. In 1989, Crampton had a cameo role in the horror film Puppet Master. In 1991, Crampton portrayed Sadie Brady in Trancers II.
On October 1, 1988, she married Director of photography David Boyd; they divorced in 1990. In December 1986, Crampton appeared in a nude pictorial in Playboy magazine titled "Simply Beastly. Behind every successful Monster, there's a woman." Crampton lives outside of San Francisco with her husband, Robert Bleckman, and their two children.
In 1993, Crampton guest starred on Civil Wars and portrayed Mindy Lewis on Guiding Light from 1993 to 1995 and left when her contract expired and when she got engaged to L.A.-based actor and Director Kristoffer Tabori in April 1995. By September of the same year, their engagement was called off. In 1995, Crampton starred in Castle Freak. From 1995 to 1998, Crampton portrayed Maggie Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful. In 1996, Crampton portrayed Carol in Space Truckers. In 1997, Crampton guest starred on The Nanny. The following year, she guest starred on Party of Five and starred in the film The Godson. In 1999, Crampton guest starred on the television series Pacific Blue.
In 2001, Crampton had a recurring role as Dr. Leslie Bogan in 5 episodes of the television series Spyder Games and starred in Thy Neighbor's Wife. In 2004, Crampton starred in The Sisterhood. She subsequently starred in Read You Like a Book (2006) and Never Enough (2008). Crampton was a special guest at Creation Entertainment's Weekend of Horror 2010. She had a supporting role in the 2013 horror slasher film You're Next and played the leading role Anne Sacchetti in We Are Still Here (2015), co-starring Lisa Marie and Larry Fessenden. Both films received positive reviews from critics.
Barbara next appears in Abner Pastoll's "taut Euro thriller" Road Games, in which she speaks both French and English. In 2015 she starred along with Robert Englund, Danny Trejo, Kane Hodder, Bill Moseley, Michael Berryman, Doug Bradley, Gunnar Hansen, Ken Foree and Dee Wallace in the Harrison Smith horror film Death House.
