What To Know
- Bunny Levine, a character actress known for roles in Gilmore Girls, Shameless, and La La Land, died at age 97.
- Levine began her acting career later in life, appearing in numerous TV shows and films.
- Her notable credits include appearances in Everybody Loves Raymond, Law & Order, The Mindy Project, and recent films such as You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah and Thelma.
Bunny Levine, the character actress known for her roles in Gilmore Girls, La La Land, Shameless, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, and more, is dead at 97.
On Thursday, August 20, Levine died at her Tarzana home in her sleep, a rep for the actor confirmed to NBC Los Angeles on August 21. The Los Angeles Police Department reported to her home on Thursday morning following a report of an unresponsive person; her death appears to be from natural causes, according to police.
Levine had an interest in acting and performing from an early age, according to her IMDb bio. However, she worked as a school librarian for 25 years while raising her children. Levine started taking acting classes and going to auditions following her retirement, eventually booking commercials and then soap operas, TV shows, and films. She relocated to LA from New York after her husband’s death, and continued snagging roles.
Her TV credits included: As the World Turns, Law & Order, Chappelle’s Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, Gilmore Girls, Las Vegas, Private Practice, Ugly Betty, Community, Criminal Minds, 2 Broke Girls, The Mindy Project, New Girl, Fuller House, and Mayans M.C.
In Gilmore Girls, Levine played a character named Mrs. Thompson — who upset Luke (Scott Patterson) when she informed him that he had to move his boat from the garage of a property she owned because she was going to a nursing home and rented it out to someone else. Similarly, she played a character named Mrs. McCurdy in Shameless, Hilda in Everybody Loves Raymond, and a potential juror in Company Retreat.
Levine appeared in films like You Don’t Mess With the Zohan (2008), A Thousand Words (2012), La La Land (2016), You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023), Sacramento ( 2024), Thelma (2024), and more.