Ghostbusters & Charles in Charge Actor Jennifer Runyon Dies at 65

Jennifer Runyon, an actress best known for her roles in Ghostbusters and Charles in Charge, has passed away. Runyon’s passing was confirmed by her representatives to NBC News, revealing that she died on Friday, March 6, 2026, who revealed she passed after a “long and arduous journey that ended with her surrounded by her family.” Runyon was 65.

Runyon had a brief but memorable role in the original Ghostbusters film back in 1984, playing the female student in the sequence that introduced audiences to Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman. In the scene, Venkman is testing two students for ESP potential, holding up a card and asking them to guess the shape on it without seeing it. With every incorrect answer, Venkman administers a shock, but for Runyon’s character, Venkman never gives her a spark despite guessing every card wrong (and the male student actually having a pretty good track record). Though brief, Runyon made an impression in the hilarious scene. She would go on to appear in multiple Ghostbusters documentaries thanks to her part in the film.

After Ghostbusters, though, came Runyon’s most notable role, starring as Gwendolyn Pierce in the first season of the hit sitcom Charles in Charge, where she played the girlfriend of Scott Baio’s titular character. Making her debut in the series in the pilot episode, Runyon was a part of the main cast for the entire first season of the show, with a guest appearance in Season 2 that served as her send off. Runyon would go on to make other guest appearances in classic ’80s TV shows as well, appearing in Magnum, P.I., Who’s the Boss?, Quantum Leap, and Murder, She Wrote.

Genre fans may also recall Runyon for some of her roles in Roger Corman’s Carnosaur, a sci-fi horror film released in the wake of Jurassic Park‘s popularity, plus multiple holiday-themed slasher movies, including To All a Goodnight and Silent Night, Bloody Night 2: Revival.

Erin Murphy, a fellow actress best known for her role in the classic sitcom Bewitched, posted a tribute to Runyon on social media as well, writing: “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.”

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