Jennifer Runyon
Runyon at the Chiller Theatre Expo in 2017
Born	Jennifer Victoria Runyon (1960-04-01) April 1, 1960 (age 64) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1980–1993, 2015-present
Spouse	Todd Corman ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	2
Parent	Jim Runyon (father)

Jennifer Victoria Runyon (born April 1, 1960) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the slasher film To All a Goodnight (1980), and went on to have supporting roles in the comedies Up the Creek (1984) and Ghostbusters (1984). She also had a lead role as Gwendolyn Pierce in the 1984 sitcom Charles in Charge during its first season. In 1988, she portrayed Cindy Brady in the television film A Very Brady Christmas.

Early life

Runyon was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of radio announcer and disc jockey Jim Runyon, and actress Jane Roberts.^[1] She has one half-brother, Scott, from her father's first marriage.^[2] Runyon grew up in various cities in the United States, as her father's disc-jockey career required the family to move frequently.^[3] The family eventually settled in Los Angeles when Runyon was 14 years old.

Career

Runyon made her feature-film debut in the slasher film To All a Goodnight (1980), about a group of school girls stalked by a killer in a Santa Claus costume.^[3] She was subsequently cast in a supporting role as Sally Frame on the soap opera Another World,^[4] which she taped in New York from March 1981 until February 1983.^[3] She had a small part as a student being given an ESP test by Bill Murray's character in Ghostbusters (1984), and starred in Up the Creek that same year, the latter of which she filmed over several weeks in Bend, Oregon.^[5] She later appeared on television as Gwendolyn Pierce in the sitcom Charles in Charge (1984–1985), and replaced Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady in the television film A Very Brady Christmas (1988).

In 1988, Runyon played the lead in The In Crowd and was in the pilot of Quantum Leap.^[6] She also starred in the comedy 18 Again!. She also appeared in Murder, She Wrote in the 1989 episode, "Seal of the Confessional" playing the character Kelly Barret alongside leading role Angela Lansbury. In 1990 she played a supporting role in the World War II parody A Man Called Sarge, produced by Gene Corman (her father-in-law). She was a guest on Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1991.

Personal life

On March 9, 1991, Runyon married Todd Corman (nephew of American film director, producer, and actor Roger Corman), a collegiate basketball coach with stints at Loyola Marymount, Albertson College, and Oregon State University; he also worked in film and television production during breaks between sports seasons.^[7] The couple have a son, Wyatt, and a daughter, Bayley.^[7]

In a 2014 interview, Runyon stated she was semiretired from acting, and instead working as a teacher; she also stated that she co-hosted her own cooking podcast.^[5]

Filmography

Film

Television