Veteran Actress Bunny Levine Of Gilmore Girls And La La Land Dead At 97

Veteran character actress Bunny Levine has died. She passed away from natural causes at 97, media outlets reported. Levine built a prolific screen career later in life, appearing in Gilmore Girls, Everybody Loves Raymond and La La Land.

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

A Late Career Transition

Bernice Levine was born on December 22, 1928, in East Orange, New Jersey, United States. She obtained master's degrees from New York University and Columbia University, later working for decades as a school librarian. In her 60s, she chose early retirement in 1985 to chase her acting dreams.

Early TV Roles

Success followed years of background work. After working as an extra on New York sets, she secured a prominent role on The Dr. Ruth Show in 1988. Speaking to Mel Magazine in 2021, she said she played Louise, a widow seeking relationship advice.

"I played a widow who was having her first post-widow relationship and Dr. Ruth was giving her tips on how to be comfortable with that," Levine said. "My character — I remember her name was Louise — hadn’t done the deed yet, but she was getting advice on how to go about it. The funny thing was, this was in 1988 when my husband was still alive, and for a moment, some of those who knew me thought it was real and that my husband had died!"

She later appeared in the 1990 Robin Williams film Cadillac Man and a 1999 episode of Law & Order.

Memorable Comedy Roles

Levine secured more risque and comedic roles in the 2000s. She played Dave Chappelle's last sexual partner in a sketch on Chappelle's Show.

She joined Everybody Loves Raymond next, where she played a companion of Marie, the mother-in-law of Ray, and spent the episode directing suggestive remarks toward him.

Other other works include shows like Gilmore Girls, Criminal Minds, Ugly Betty, Shameless and Raising Hope. One of her final roles was in 2024 Thelma.