Ghostbusters Actress Jennifer Runyon Dies at 65

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Jennifer Runyon, known for her roles in Ghostbusters and Charles in Charge, has died at the age of 65.

Jennifer Runyon Corman has died after a short fight with cancer, confirmed by her friend Erin Murphy in a social media post. Murphy described Runyon as a truly special person who felt like a friend from the moment you met her, and expressed her condolences to Runyon’s family and children.

A Facebook post shared after her death celebrated Jenn’s joyful spirit and her deep love for her family and friends. It expressed the belief that she was watching over them with a smile. She will be dearly missed.

Karena Runyon spent much of her childhood traveling, as both her parents worked in the entertainment industry – her father was a radio DJ and her mother an actress. She began her film career in 1980, appearing in the horror movie To All a Goodnight. The following year, she landed a regular role on the NBC soap opera Another World, playing the character Sally Frame.

Over the next few years, Runyon acted in several films, including popular titles like Ghostbusters (1984), The In Crowd (1988), and A Very Brady Christmas. She also continued to make guest appearances on television shows such as Magnum, P.I., The Highwayman, Quantum Leap, and Murder, She Wrote. On Murder, She Wrote, she played two different characters: Rebecca Beiler and Kelly Barrett.

Many viewers probably remember Julie Runyon best for her role as Gwendolyn Pierce on Charles in Charge. She played the main love interest for Scott Baio’s character, Charles, and their relationship was a central part of the show’s first season, beyond just the general premise.

Starting with the second season, Charles in Charge underwent major changes. The show moved away from focusing on the Pembroke family and introduced the Powell family instead. This shift also meant less screen time for Runyon, and Gwendolyn’s role was reduced to occasional appearances. By Season 3, Gwendolyn was no longer a regular cast member, only appearing in one special episode in 1987.

Although Runyon mostly stopped acting in the early 1990s, she returned to film in the mid-2010s, appearing in several independent horror movies. She started with Silent Night, Bloody Night 2: Revival in 2015, then starred in Terror Tales the next year. Her last film role was as Nurse Zarkov in 2017’s Blodsucka Jones vs. The Creeping Death, before her death.

She is survived by her husband, Todd Corman, and two children.

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2026-03-09 02:39