Bunny Levine, a former school librarian who pursued acting later in life and went on to build more than 100 film and television credits, including a memorable appearance on “Gilmore Girls,” has died at 97.
Her longtime representative, Michael Eisenstadt, confirmed to USA TODAY on August 23 that Levine passed away in her sleep. Eisenstadt said Levine was still auditioning and had worked as recently as June, describing her as a great and fearless actress and a wonderful person who will be deeply missed.
Levine’s on-screen career spanned from 1988 to 2026 and included small roles across a wide range of hit television shows, among them “Law & Order,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Ugly Betty” and “2 Broke Girls.” On “Gilmore Girls,” she appeared in a Season 5 episode as Mrs. Thompson, an elderly woman who clashes with Luke, played by Scott Patterson, over a boat stored in her garage.
More recently, Levine appeared in “Jury Duty” and “Mrs. Davis.” Her film credits included a small role as a theater cashier in the Oscar-winning “La La Land,” along with parts in “Thelma” and “Sacramento.” She also worked repeatedly with Adam Sandler, appearing in “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” “Sandy Wexler” and “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.”
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In a 2025 interview with The Daily Evergreen, the student newspaper at her alma mater, Washington State University, Levine said she had wanted to act since childhood but set the dream aside after having children. She later moved to New Jersey, where she worked as a school librarian, before deciding to pursue acting professionally following her retirement.
“I feel very blessed to have been able to get back to what I had always wanted since early memory,” Levine told the paper. “I wish that everyone could find that happiness.”
In an earlier interview with Mel, Levine reflected further on her path back to acting, explaining that it simply wasn’t practical earlier in her life and remained out of reach for nearly 35 years before she gradually returned to it in her 50s. She also spoke about what the craft came to mean to her following her husband’s death in 2003.
“My late husband, he died in 2003, told me that he never saw me so happy as when I got back into acting,” she said. “Especially after he died, it was something to keep me from being really depressed and lonely. And, of course, I was depressed and lonely, but I think it alleviated that.”
