Bunny Levine, the character actress who built a remarkable Hollywood career after retiring from her longtime work as a school librarian, has died at the age of 97. Known for appearances in popular television shows including Gilmore Girls, Shameless, Law & Order, Everybody Loves Raymond and New Girl, Levine proved that it is never too late to follow a dream.

Levine died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Tarzana, California, on August 20, 2026, according to her representative. Her death was reported as appearing to be from natural causes. Her representative, Michael Eisenstadt, told CBS News that Levine continued auditioning for roles and had worked as recently as June.

Her death marks the end of an unusual and inspiring acting journey. Unlike many Hollywood performers who start working in entertainment at a young age, Levine spent decades working in education before making acting her professional career later in life.

Her story is not only about the movies and television shows she appeared in. It is also about persistence, creativity, and the courage to start something new.

Who Was Bunny Levine?

Bunny Levine was born Bernice Levine in East Orange, New Jersey, in 1928. She developed an interest in acting and performing when she was young, but she did not immediately pursue Hollywood as a career.

Instead, Levine built a life around education and family.

She earned master’s degrees from New York University and Columbia University and spent more than two decades working as a school librarian and teacher in New Jersey. She also raised three children during those years.

Her professional life looked very different from the Hollywood career that would come later.

But the dream of acting never disappeared.

After taking early retirement, Levine decided to give professional acting a serious chance.

That decision eventually led to a career spanning decades.

Bunny Levine Started Acting Later in Life

Levine’s story is particularly remarkable because she began pursuing acting professionally when many people would consider starting a completely new career too late.

After retiring from her work as a librarian, she began taking acting classes and attending auditions.

She initially worked on commercials and smaller productions before gradually finding more opportunities in television and film. Her screen credits date back to the late 1980s, and she continued working well into her 90s.

Her career shows that there is no fixed age for pursuing a creative ambition.

In interviews, Levine described acting as something she had wanted to do for much of her life. She was finally able to return to that dream after the responsibilities of work and family became less demanding.

Her Role in ‘Gilmore Girls’

One of Bunny Levine’s best-known television appearances came in the beloved series Gilmore Girls.

Levine appeared as Mrs. Thompson in a Season 5 episode of the series.

Her character was an older woman who owned a property where Luke Danes had been storing his boat. She informed Luke that she needed him to move it because she was moving into a nursing home and had rented the property to someone else.

It was a relatively small role, but it became part of Levine’s memorable collection of television appearances.

For longtime Gilmore Girls viewers, her appearance is another example of the many character actors who helped make the fictional town of Stars Hollow feel populated and authentic.

Bunny Levine in ‘Shameless’

Levine also appeared in the hit Showtime series Shameless.

She played Mrs. McCurdy, another supporting character in the long-running comedy-drama.

Although Levine often appeared for only one episode or a limited number of scenes, she became a familiar face to television viewers.

Her ability to make small roles feel natural was an important part of her career.

She frequently played older women, grandmothers, neighbors, and other character roles. These performances may not always have been central to the story, but they helped create believable worlds around the main characters.

Other Popular Television Credits

Levine’s television career extended far beyond Gilmore Girls and Shameless.

Her credits included appearances in:

• Law & Order
• Everybody Loves Raymond
• Ugly Betty
• Criminal Minds
• New Girl
• Community
• 2 Broke Girls
• The Mindy Project
• Fuller House
• Private Practice
• Las Vegas
• Mayans M.C.
• Jury Duty

She also appeared in The Upshaws and other productions during the later years of her career.

Her television work demonstrates just how consistently she worked after entering the entertainment industry.

Her Movie Career

Levine also built an impressive filmography.

One of her early film appearances was in Cadillac Man, the 1990 comedy starring Robin Williams and Tim Robbins.

She later appeared in several other films, including:

• Don’t Mess With the Zohan
• A Thousand Words
• La La Land
• Sandy Wexler
• You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
• Thelma
• Sacramento

In Don’t Mess With the Zohan, she played an older woman in a salon.

She also appeared in Adam Sandler’s Sandy Wexler and had an uncredited role connected to the main character’s family.

Bunny Levine in ‘La La Land’

Another notable film credit was La La Land, Damien Chazelle’s Oscar-winning musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

Levine played a movie theater cashier in the film.

Although her role was small, appearing in a major Oscar-winning movie added another memorable title to her long career.

La La Land itself is strongly connected to Hollywood’s history, making Levine’s participation particularly fitting for an actress whose career was built around her love of performance.

She Continued Acting Into Her 90s

Perhaps the most impressive part of Bunny Levine’s career was that she did not stop working simply because she reached an advanced age.

According to her representative, she was still auditioning at 97 and had worked as recently as June 2026.

Her later credits included Thelma, Sacramento, The Upshaws and The Cure.

This continued commitment to acting made her unusual in Hollywood.

She demonstrated that an actor’s career does not necessarily have to follow the traditional path of starting young, reaching a peak and then retiring.

For Levine, acting remained something she enjoyed and actively pursued.

Her Relationship With Acting

Levine’s comments about acting revealed how important the profession was to her.

She had loved performing since childhood but had put the dream aside because a career in acting was not practical for her earlier in life.

After retirement, she finally had the opportunity to pursue it.

In a 2025 interview with Washington State University’s student newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, Levine reflected on finally returning to the career she had wanted for years. She described feeling fortunate to have found her way back to acting.

That perspective makes her career especially meaningful.

Her success was not simply about getting cast in popular shows. It was about achieving something she had wanted for much of her life.

The Role of Her Husband and Family

Levine was married to Bernard “Bernie” Levine for 53 years.

The couple also co-founded Actors Connection in New York City in 1991, an organization designed to help actors develop their careers and connect with opportunities.

Bernie died in 2003.

After his death, Levine moved from the New York area to Los Angeles, where she continued her acting career.

Levine later explained that acting helped her through the difficult period after her husband’s death.

Her professional work became more than a career. It also gave her a community and a reason to remain active and creative.

Helping Other Actors

Bunny Levine’s contribution to entertainment was not limited to what viewers saw on screen.

Through Actors Connection, she helped create a community for performers.

The organization paid tribute to her following her death, describing her passion for helping actors and the community she helped build.

This part of her legacy is particularly important because it shows that Levine cared about the careers of other performers as much as her own.

She understood the challenges of acting and used her experience to support people trying to enter the industry.

A Career Built on Small Roles With Big Impact

Bunny Levine was rarely the leading actor.

Instead, she specialized in character work.

This type of acting is essential to television and film because supporting performers help make fictional worlds believable.

A restaurant customer, neighbor, grandmother, librarian, cashier, or elderly resident may appear for only a few minutes, but these characters make stories feel like they are taking place in real communities.

Levine became particularly skilled at these roles.

Her large number of credits shows how much demand there was for her distinctive presence and professional attitude.

Why Bunny Levine’s Story Is Inspiring

There is an important lesson in Levine’s career.

She did not allow age to determine what she could or could not do.

After spending years as an educator and raising her family, she returned to an ambition she had carried since childhood.

Then she continued pursuing that dream for decades.

Her journey can inspire people who believe they have missed their opportunity to change careers or explore a creative interest.

Levine’s life demonstrates that a second chapter can sometimes become one of the most rewarding parts of a person’s life.

Her Final Years in Hollywood

Even in her 90s, Levine remained connected to the entertainment industry.

Her recent credits show that she was still willing to audition and work.

She appeared in Thelma, Sacramento, The Upshaws and The Cure, among other projects.

That level of professional activity is remarkable.

Rather than treating age as a reason to stop, Levine continued doing what she loved.

Her final screen work therefore fits perfectly with the larger story of her career: she kept going.

Bunny Levine’s Family and Survivors

Levine is survived by her three children, Marty, Francie and Joe, and two grandchildren, Robin and Jeffrey.

Her family remembered her not only for her acting career but also for her work in education and performance.

A memorial service is scheduled for August 27 at the Jewish Memorial Chapel in Clifton, New Jersey, according to reports.

A Legacy That Goes Beyond Hollywood

Bunny Levine’s death is a reminder that Hollywood history is not made only by leading stars.

Thousands of character actors contribute to the movies and television shows people love.

Levine was one of those performers.

Her appearances in Gilmore Girls, Shameless, La La Land, Law & Order and many other productions may have been brief, but they form a remarkable body of work.

More importantly, her personal story gives those credits greater meaning.

She waited until later in life to pursue acting professionally, and then she made the most of the opportunity.

Final Thoughts

Bunny Levine leaves behind an unusual and inspiring Hollywood legacy.

She spent much of her early professional life as a school librarian and teacher, raised a family, and later decided to pursue acting after retirement. That decision eventually led to more than 100 film and television credits and appearances in popular productions such as Gilmore Girls, Shameless, Law & Order, Everybody Loves Raymond, and La La Land.

Levine died peacefully in her sleep at her Tarzana, California, home on August 20, 2026, at the age of 97. She was still auditioning and working in the final months of her life.

Her career is a powerful reminder that dreams do not have an expiration date.

Bunny Levine may have entered Hollywood later than most actors, but she built a career that lasted for decades. Her story will continue to inspire anyone who has ever wondered whether it is too late to begin again.