Jennifer Runyon has passed away at age 65 (Image via Facebook/@jenniferrunyoncorman)
Jennifer Runyon of Ghostbusters and Up the Creek has died at age 65 after a brief battle with cancer, according to Erin Murphy, who starred alongside her on Bewitched.
Murphy wrote on Instagram:
“So sad to share that my friend Jennifer Runyon Corman has passed away after a brief battle with cancer. 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.”
Jennifer Runyon made her onscreen debut in 1980 in the slasher film To All a Goodnight, and later appeared in series like The Fall Guy, Boone, and The Master before earning a recurring role in the NBC soap Another World.
She logged acting credits for classics like Ghostbusters, A Very Brady Christmas and Charles in Charge. She was married to Todd Corman, and they had two children, Wyatt and Bailey.
Her family wrote on Facebook that the actress had passed on, surrounded by family, after a “long and arduous journey.”
Jennifer Runyon’s life and career explored
Born on April 1, 1960, to actress Jane Roberts and radio announcer and disc jockey Jim Runyon, Jennifer Runyon’s childhood was marked by frequent moves due to her father’s career.
She chose a career path similar to her mother’s and played iconic roles, such as the female student tested for paranormal abilities in the first scene of the Ghostbusters movie.
In the years after, Runyon appeared in Magnum, P.I., Quantum Leap, Murder, She Wrote and Beverly Hills, 90210.
She was Gwendolyn Pierce in the sitcom Charles in Charge and took over Susan Olsen’s role as Cindy Brady in 1988’s A Very Brady Christmas.
In 1991, she married Tod Corman, a basketball coach, assistant director and nephew of actor Roger Corman. Her daughter, Bayley Corman, also an actress, shared a carousel of photos with her mom on Instagram, writing:
“All of the best parts of me came from you. I would give anything for one more day together.”
Runyon spoke about her favorite acting roles in a 2016 interview with Noblemania, saying:
“I have a lot of favorites, Ghostbusters being definitely at the top. I would love to find a little movie I did with Karen Black, Jack Kehoe, and Dennis Christopher called Flight of the Spruce Goose [1986]. That would be amazing. I also love a character I played in a little movie called A Man Called Sarge—FiFi LaRue was so much fun.”
She worked with teenagers at Tilly’s Life Center, where she encouraged them to build positive, happy lives.
Jennifer Runyon stepped back from acting in the early 2010s to focus on teaching and co-hosting a cooking podcast.
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