After being a cast member onAnother WorldandCharles in Chargeand appearing inGhostbustersandUp the Creek, Jennifer Runyon Corman stepped back from acting in the '90s and '00s. But as the actress —who died on March 6 at age 56— revealed in a2016 interview, it was for a worthwhile personal reason.
According to the interview, after the birth of her first son, Wyatt, in 1993, Runyon Corman knew she "wanted to take some time just to be a mom."
"I grew up in a family where my parents worked, and we had housekeepers and nannies," Runyon Corman explained. "I grew up with other people who were there every day. I didn't want that for my kids, because I know all I wanted was my mom. I wanted to be a mom. I wanted to experience every moment. I didn't want somebody calling me on the set going, 'Oh my God, Wyatt walked!' I wanted to be the one, if possible, that experienced that first."
Runyon Corman, who died afterbeing diagnosed with cancer, continued that she and husband Todd Corman opted to leave Hollywood to raise Wyatt and his sister, Bayley, eventually settling in Idaho and then Oregon.
"We were gone for about 10 years and had our kids, and we moved to California 10 years later because our parents were getting older, and we felt it was time to come home and spend time with our parents," Runyon Corman shared.
She continued to utilize her acting skills, however.
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"I would work in [Wyatt and Bayley's] schools and teach acting, not to introduce kids to being actors, but doing all of the fun improv exercises with the kids because it helps them get over that fear of being in front of an audience and peers, if they have to give a speech or do a report," Runyon Corman said. "My hope was, this is a way to enlighten kids, showing them it's okay to stand up in front of people; anybody can do this."
Corman continued her passion for helping youth by becoming involved with theTilly's Life Center, a nonprofit devoted to inspiring "today's youth to reach their full potential as productive, kind, happy, and responsible individuals." In the interview, Runyon Corman shared how she helped launch the center with its namesake and founder, Tilly Levine.
"[Tilly] wanted to give back to kids and help kids who were troubled. She started this program with me, and a couple of other people," she said. "It's a program to give kids tools to get through tough times: how to communicate, how to forgive, how to dream your biggest dreams — tools to help you in life. All of us would benefit from it, and a lot of us don't learn these things until we are older."
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After a two-decade break from being on screen, Runyon Corman returned to acting in 2015 and took on a few roles until her final appearance in 2025'sSpectral Squad: The Haunting of Sophie Lawson.
Family and friends paid tribute to the actress after her death, with daughter Bayley Cormanwriting in an Instagram postthat "all of the best parts of me" came from her mother. "i would give anything for one more day together," Bayley wrote.Willie Aames, who played Buddy Lembeck acrossCharles in Charge's five-season run, paid tribute to his castmate in aFacebook poston Sunday. "Jenn was more than a friend. She was my dear dear friend, muse, and encourager. We shared family Christmas's together, vacations, weekends, lunches and dinners together… We did shows together, but most of all — we LAUGHED."
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