Bunny Levine, Librarian-Turned-Character-Actress, Dies at 97
Bunny Levine, who spent decades as a New Jersey school librarian before launching a television and film acting career in her sixties, has died at 97. Her manager confirmed the death to The Hollywood Reporter, saying she died peacefully in her sleep. NBC Los Angeles reported that she died on a Thursday at her home (The Hollywood Reporter; NBC Los Angeles).
Born on 22 December 1928 in East Orange, New Jersey, Levine graduated from college in 1951 and became a school librarian. She took early retirement after problems with a principal who devalued libraries, according to an interview she gave her alma mater's student newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, in 2025 (The Daily Evergreen). She had wanted to perform since childhood. "Maybe it's in the genes," she told the paper.
Standing 4 feet 10 inches tall, Levine worked on network television for roughly four decades, mostly in single-episode guest spots. Her characters were frequently listed in credits as "Old Lady," "Kindly Older Woman," or "Grandma" (Deadline). The roles were small. The list of shows was long.
Her television credits spanned As the World Turns, Law & Order, Chappelle's Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, Las Vegas, Private Practice, Ugly Betty, Community, Criminal Minds, 2 Broke Girls, The Mindy Project, Fuller House, Mayans M.C., Gilmore Girls, and Shameless. One of her first film appearances was in the 1990 film Cadillac Man, starring Robin Williams and Tim Robbins (Deadline).
On the big screen, she appeared in two Adam Sandler films: Don't Mess With the Zohan, where she was cast as "Older lady in the salon," and Sandy Wexler, in which she played the main character's grandmother in an uncredited role. She played a movie theatre cashier in La La Land, Mrs. Grossman in the film Let Go, and Mona opposite June Squibb in the 2024 film Thelma (Deadline).
At the time of her death, Levine had been cast to lead the body-possession comedy Omi, about a millennial possessed by the spirit of his dead Yiddish grandmother. She was set to star alongside Dree Hemingway and Connie Shi, according to a January 2025 report from Deadline (Deadline).
Levine's career is a reminder that not every working actor spends decades chasing a leading role. She found steady work as the kind of character audiences recognise without quite naming — the grandmother, the cashier, the kindly stranger — and she did not start until most people her age had already retired.
