Bunny Levine, the character actress who appeared in dozens of TV shows and films ranging from “Gilmore Girls” to “Everybody Loves Raymond” to “La La Land,” has died of natural causes at the age of 97, according to media reports.
Born Bernice Levine in Orange, N.J., Levine earned master’s degrees from New York University and Columbia University before spending several decades as a school librarian. But in her 60s, she decided to take an early retirement in 1985 and pursue her dream of acting.
Levine would then spend her golden years as a character actress in dozens of prominent films and TV shows. In a 2021 interview with Mel Magazine, Levine recounted how one of her first notable TV roles after several years as an extra on New York TV shoots was on an episode of “The Dr. Ruth Show,” which hired women to play various roles that would be the basis of the sex therapist’s 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,” she 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!”
From there, Levine got bit roles in films like the 1990 Robin Williams black comedy “Cadillac Man” and, like a generation of working actors in the Tri-State Area, appeared on an episode of “Law & Order” in 1999.
But in the 2000s, Levine began to get roles of a more risque kind after an appearance on “Chappelle’s Show,” where she appeared in a sketch as the last woman Dave Chappelle had sex with. Around the same time, she also appeared on an episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” playing a friend of Ray’s mother-in-law Marie who makes some flirty comments towards him.
From there, Levine got several more bit roles with naughty material, including a scene in the Adam Sandler film “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan” where Sandler gives her a lap dance, and on the 11th season of “Shameless” where William H. Macy’s greedy character Frank Gallagher pulls the life support off of his elderly neighbor, only for her to grab his crotch in a vise grip.
“I don’t know what it is (about getting these sorts of roles). It’s just total coincidence. You certainly don’t get all the roles you audition for, but I tended to get these roles and I don’t know why. That’s not me in real life. In real life, I’m not a funny person, but at least three-quarters — probably more — of the roles I’ve gotten have been comedic. It’s strange,” Levine told Mel. “I never really tried to analyze it, I just thought, ‘This is funny, here’s another one. And then here’s another one.‘ I guess I am funny on camera, but I have no idea why.”
Levine’s list of credits also includes appearances in episodes of shows like “Gilmore Girls,” “Criminal Minds,” “Ugly Betty” and “Raising Hope.” One of her final roles came in 2024 with “Thelma,” where she appeared as a friend of the titular character played by June Squibb, from whom she steals a gun.
Looking to help others who want to follow the same path she took into acting, Levine also established the New York-based organization Actors Connection alongside her husband, Bernard, who died in 2003. The organization, which continues under a new iteration today, helps actors in launching their careers through coaching, casting advice and professional networking.
“Actors Connection honors the life and contributions of Bunny Levine. Bunny founded the original Actors Connection in 1991 alongside her husband, Bernie. Her passion for helping actors has launched countless careers,” the organization wrote in a statement on Facebook. “Thank you Bunny for creating such a vibrant community to serve the fellow artists you have always loved– may you rest in sweet peace!”
Levine is survived by her children Marty, Francie and Joe and her grandchildren Robin and Jeffrey.
