Jennifer Runyon, the American actress best known to audiences for her supporting role in the 1984 comedy Ghostbusters and as the female lead in the CBS sitcom Charles in Charge, has died aged 65 following a short illness. She passed away on 6 March.
Who was Jennifer Runyon?
Her death was confirmed by close friend and fellow actress Erin Murphy, who shared the news on Facebook and Instagram. “So sad to share that my friend Jennifer Runyon Corman has passed away after a brief battle with cancer (sic),” Murphy wrote. “Some people you just know you’ll be friends with before you even meet. She was a special lady. I’ll miss you Jenn. My thoughts are with your family and beautiful children (sic).”
Born on 1 April 1960 in Chicago, Illinois, Runyon came from a creative household. Her father, Jim Runyon, was a radio announcer and disc jockey; her mother, Jane Roberts, was an actress. It was perhaps inevitable that she would find her way to the screen.
She made her feature film debut in the 1980 slasher film To All a Good Night before landing the roles that would define her career. In 1984, she appeared in two films in relatively quick succession — the comedy Up the Creek and Ghostbusters, the Bill Murray blockbuster that became one of the most beloved comedies of its era. In Ghostbusters, Runyon played a university student being tested for ESP by Murray’s character in an early scene — a small but memorable part in a film that has endured for decades.
That same year, she took on a more substantial role as Gwendolyn Pierce in the first season of Charles in Charge, a sitcom starring Scott Baio that ran from 1984 to 1990. Though Runyon did not remain with the show beyond its opening season, the role helped establish her as a recognisable face on American television.
Her career through the late 1980s was consistently active. In 1988, she played Cindy Brady in the television film A Very Brady Christmas, a reunion special that drew considerable nostalgic interest at the time. That same year, she took the lead in the drama The In Crowd and appeared in the pilot episode of Quantum Leap, the science-fiction series that would go on to become a cult classic. She also starred in the comedy 18 Again! and made guest appearances on popular series including Murder, She Wrote, A Man Called Sarge, and Beverly Hills, 90210.
In 1991, Runyon married Todd Corman, a collegiate basketball coach who also worked in film and television production during the off-season. The couple had two children together — a son, Wyatt, and a daughter, Bayley.
By 2014, Runyon had largely stepped back from the entertainment industry, telling interviewers she was semi-retired from acting and had taken up teaching instead — a quieter life, far removed from Hollywood.
A tribute posted to Facebook in the wake of her death captured the warmth with which she was held by those who knew her. “She will always be remembered for her love of life and her devotion to her family and friends,” it read. “I know from above she’s looking down on all of us with her beautiful smile. Rest in peace, our Jenn.”