Jennifer Runyon from the original Ghostbusters has died at 65

Actress Jennifer Runyon, known for her roles in the 1984 film Ghostbusters and the television series Charles in Charge, has died at age 65. According to a family statement shared on Facebook and reported by TMZ, she passed away on Friday night following a long illness.

Runyon's acting career spanned several decades across film and television. She is most widely recognized by comedy fans for a single, highly memorable scene near the beginning of Ghostbusters.

Rigging the ESP test

Before the Ghostbusters actually bust any ghosts, the movie introduces the audience to Dr. Peter Venkman. Runyon played the blonde college student participating in his rigged ESP experiment at Columbia University. Venkman holds up Zener cards and asks his two volunteers to guess the shapes on the back. He administers electric shocks to the male volunteer, played by Steven Tash, for every wrong answer. When Runyon's character guesses incorrectly, Venkman praises her psychic ability and spares her the voltage.

It is a short sequence that perfectly establishes Bill Murray's character as a cynical opportunist. Ghostbusters remains one of the most tightly written comedies of the 1980s. Runyon's deadpan delivery as the naive student helped anchor one of its best early jokes.

Beyond her brief time at Columbia University, Runyon had a prominent role in the first season of the sitcom Charles in Charge. She played Gwendolyn Pierce from 1984 to 1985 alongside Scott Baio. She also starred in the 1984 comedy film Up the Creek alongside Tim Matheson and Stephen Furst. Her television credits include guest spots on shows like The Fall Guy, Magnum P.I., and Beverly Hills 90210. She later appeared in the 1988 television movie A Very Brady Christmas as an adult Cindy Brady.

Runyon stepped away from acting in the early 1990s to focus on her family. Her family's Facebook post described her passing as the end of a long and arduous journey. She left a permanent imprint on a franchise that continues to generate new stories across film and interactive media.