Born April 1st, 1960, in Chicago, Illinois, Jennifer Runyon is best known as an actress and producer. She is currently semi-retired from acting. A Chicago native, she is the stepdaughter of DJ James R. Runyon. She was born to Jane and John Pesick.
James Runon was a popular radio personality in Chicago and other cities and was a significant figure at WCFL. He is known for his role in the popular radio program Chickenman. Her half-brothers are David and Scott Runyon, from James’ first marriage.
Due to James’ work, the family would need to move frequently, so Jennifer Runyon grew up in many states within the radio market of her father’s work. She would eventually settle in Los Angeles, California, at around 14 years old.
What is Jennifer Runyon best known for?
Jennifer Runyon is best known as an actress with a modest film career. Her first film was in 1980, To All A Goodnight, where a killer stalked a group of girls in a Santa costume.
Shortly after, she would be cast as Sally Frame in the soap opera Another World from 1981 to 1983 in New York. She would appear across 25 episodes. During this time, she made appearances in other small shows such as The Fall Guy in 1983 and a failed pilot for a series based on the Kenny Rogers film Six Pack with Don Johnson.
She would play opposite Bill Murray in 1984’s Ghostbusters. She was in the famous scene as the test subject for an ESP experiment. That same year she would star in the comedy Up The Creek with Tim Matheson and Stephen Furst, where she grew in popularity due to her good looks.
She would later join the sitcom Charles in Charge from 1984 to 1987, where she played the character of Gwendolyn Pierce. She would appear in 18 episodes as a series lead. She was the first girlfriend of Charles (Scott Baio) on the show, but her character eventually had to move to California at her parents’ insistence. She would star in the show alongside April Lerman, Julie Cobb, Michael Pearlman and Jonathan Ward.
She would also be cast as Cindy Brady in the 1988 project A Very Brady Christmas, replacing Susan Marie Olsen, who chose to attend her honeymoon instead of appearing in the movie.
In 1993 she would star in the cult horror film Carnosaur about a rogue genetically engineered dinosaur.
What is Jennifer Runyon doing now?
Jennifer Runyon is now retired from acting and lives in San Clemente, California with her husband and teenage daughter. She mentions in an interview that she decided to retire from acting to focus on raising her children. She stated that she always knew she would prioritize her children, indicating that her family was a significant factor in her decision to step away from her acting career.
She remains passionate about self-expression through theater arts and contributes to her community as an improv instructor and in-class creative projects director.
Runyon mentions she had worked on a podcast called Feast on This, where she interviews chefs and restaurant owners, and another show called Fluid, which she co-hosts with Willie Ames and Susan Olsen.
She also mentions her involvement in a charity called Tilly’s Life Center, which provides guidance and support for teenagers.
Personal Life
Jennifer Runyon married film and television director and collegiate basketball coach Todd Corman on March 9th, 1991. Corman works primarily as a Second Unit or Assistant Director. He got his start with a job as a Second Assistant Director in The Big Red One in 1980 but moved up to First Assistant Director in 1982’s Swamp Thing.
Most recently, Todd Corman has worked heavily in TV production, directing episodes of Dr. Ken and Mulaney in 2015 and Reggie Watts: Spatial in 2016.
In his coaching career, Corman has served as head coach of the Loyola Marymount women’s basketball team from 1985 to 1995. He also coached at Albertson College from 1996 to 2001. In 2001 he was assistant coach of the women’s basketball team at Oregon State University.
Todd Corman is also the nephew of Roger and Julie Corman.
Jennifer Runyon and Todd Corman have two children. Their son, Wyatt Corman, was born on July 28th, 1993, in Los Angeles, California. He works as a CPA in Orange, California.
Bayley Jane Corman was born in Boise, Idaho, on December 28th, 1995. She is an actress best known for episodes of The Young and the Restless in 2018 and a role in Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in 2019. She is currently on Bel-Air (2022) playing Hannah Lennox.
Both the children of Jennifer Runyon and Todd Corman are related to legendary Hollywood figure Roger Corman.
Though there is not a lot in the way of firm information regarding her ethnicity, it is likely that Jennifer Runyon is of Irish descent.
How did Jennifer Runyon get her scar?
One of Jennifer Runyon’s defining characteristics was a small scar on her lip. As to how she developed that scar, that is not so easy to determine. It is possible the scar was the result of an attack in a phone booth where she was struck with an umbrella. The attacker was an ex-Bellvue Hospital patient.
However, Jennifer Runyon has not said much publicly about the scar’s origins.
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Why is there no mention of Jennifer Runyou’s work in the movie “The In Crowd, with Donathan Leach. That is actually one of her best roles. Things like her “Ghost Buster” role are nothing. Although in her role as “Vickie” in “The In Crowd’ she carries the complete movie. He portrayal and mood swing expressions are really good work and the music is classic. She should be proud.
I agree fully.The In Crowd is 1 of my favorite movies of all time.Jen was great in that film.I actually own it on VHS.She was also in a film called Killing Streets, filmed in Isreal. Co-starred with Michael Pare’.