Jennifer Runyon

Jennifer Runyon was an American actress whose bright, girl-next-door screen presence made her one of the recognizable young faces of 1980s film and television. She is best remembered as the student whom Bill Murray's Dr. Peter Venkman tests for psychic ability in the opening scene of Ghostbusters (1984), as Gwendolyn Pierce, the girlfriend of Scott Baio's title character in the first season of the CBS sitcom Charles in Charge, and as Cindy Brady in the 1988 CBS television film A Very Brady Christmas. She died on March 6, 2026, at the age of 65, after a battle with cancer.

Runyon was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 1, 1960. Her father, Jim Runyon, was a well-known radio announcer and disc jockey, and her mother, Jane Roberts, was an actress. Her parents worked together at Chicago's WCFL, where both voiced characters on Chickenman, the comic radio serial that spoofed superheroes and began on Jim Runyon's program in 1966. Because her father's career kept the family on the move, Runyon spent her childhood in Chicago, Cleveland and Boston. Jim Runyon died of leukemia in April 1973 at the age of 42. Runyon later recalled that she moved to California at about age 12 after his death, and that she had been an extremely shy child. A neighbor who worked as a casting director suggested acting classes to help her open up.

She was working at a pharmacy and unsure of her direction when a casting director saw her perform a scene in class and offered her an audition for a soap opera. That first opportunity did not work out, but she soon made her feature film debut in the holiday slasher To All a Goodnight (1980) and was then cast as Sally Frame on the NBC daytime drama Another World. The role took her to New York, where she taped the series from March 1981 until February 1983.

Back in Los Angeles, Runyon built a busy television career with guest roles on The Fall Guy, Boone and The Master. In 1984 she appeared in three projects that defined her career. She starred as Heather Merriweather in the college comedy Up the Creek, opposite Animal House veterans Tim Matheson and Stephen Furst. She played the female student in the famous ESP test sequence of Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters, a brief scene that became one of the film's most memorable moments. And she was cast as Gwendolyn Pierce, the object of Charles's affection, in the first season of Charles in Charge on CBS. She returned for a guest appearance when the show was revived in syndication.

Runyon described the Ghostbusters premiere as a revelation. Meeting Bill Murray had made her nervous, she said, but he put her at ease and the set was fun and playful. When she saw the finished film, she realized she was in a very big movie.

Through the rest of the decade she remained a steady presence on screen. She appeared in The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), the miniseries Space (1985), Flight of the Spruce Goose and the television film Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story (1986), and episodes of Magnum, P.I., Who's the Boss? and The Highwayman. In 1988 she took over the role of Cindy Brady from Susan Olsen for A Very Brady Christmas, a holiday reunion film for the Brady family, and the same year starred in The In Crowd and appeared in the comedy 18 Again! In 1989 she guest-starred in "Genesis," the pilot of Quantum Leap, and in Murder, She Wrote alongside Angela Lansbury. She also appeared in the World War II parody A Man Called Sarge (1990), produced by her future father-in-law Gene Corman, Booker, and Beverly Hills, 90210, and played Ann "Thrush" in the science-fiction horror film Carnosaur (1993).

On March 9, 1991, Runyon married Todd Corman, a collegiate basketball coach and a nephew of filmmaker Roger Corman, who also worked in film and television production between seasons. The couple had a son, Wyatt, and a daughter, Bayley. Runyon stepped away from Hollywood to raise her family as her husband's coaching career took them to Idaho and Oregon. The family later returned to Southern California as their parents grew older.

Rather than leave performing behind entirely, Runyon brought it into classrooms. She taught acting and improvisation in her children's schools, not to turn students into actors but to help them overcome the fear of standing up in front of their peers. She later said she spent six years working with at-risk youth in high schools. By 2014 she described herself as semiretired from acting and working as a teacher, and she co-hosted a cooking podcast.

She never lost her connection with fans. In her later years she appeared at fan conventions such as the Chiller Theatre Expo in New Jersey and a comic convention in Offenburg, Germany, joined Ghostbusters reunion panels, took roles in independent horror films including Silent Night, Bloody Night 2: Revival (2015) and Spectral Squad: The Haunting of Sophie Lawson, and appeared in the documentary Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019). Her daughter Bayley Corman followed her into acting, with credits on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Jane the Virgin and 9-1-1.

Runyon died on Friday, March 6, 2026, with her husband and children at her side, after what her representative described as a six-month battle with cancer. The type of cancer was not made public. Her family announced the news on social media, writing that "it was a long and arduous journey that ended with her surrounded by her family" and that "she will always be remembered for her love of life and her devotion to her family and friends." Her friend Erin Murphy of Bewitched called her "a special lady." Charles in Charge co-stars Scott Baio and Willie Aames paid tribute, with Baio calling her "a sweet, kind, and generous actress" and Aames describing her as his "dear dear friend, muse, and encourager." Her daughter wrote, "All of the best parts of me came from you."

Jennifer Runyon is remembered as a warm and versatile actress who brightened some of the most beloved entertainment of the 1980s, and as a devoted mother, wife and teacher who encouraged young people never to be afraid to try something new.