Bunny Levine, Gilmore Girls and La La Land actress, dies at 97
Bunny Levine, the character actress known for Gilmore Girls and La La Land, has died at 97. The New Jersey-born performer passed away peacefully in her sleep Thursday at her home in Tarzana, California, after a remarkable Hollywood career that began in her late 50s following decades as a school librarian and teacher.
Police responded to Levine's home after a report of an unresponsive person and said her death appeared to be from natural causes, according to NBCLA, which first reported the news.
Key Takeaways
- Bunny Levine died peacefully at home in Tarzana, Calif., on Thursday at age 97; authorities said the death appeared natural.
- Before acting, she spent about 25 years as a school librarian and teacher in Teaneck, New Jersey, and did not begin her Hollywood career until the late 1980s.
- She played Mrs. Thompson on Gilmore Girls and had a small role as a movie theater cashier in La La Land (2016).
- Levine kept working into her mid-90s, with final credits including The Upshaws and the 2026 film The Cure.
- She moved to Los Angeles after her husband Bernard died in 2003, fulfilling a childhood dream she had paused for decades in education.
Who was Bunny Levine?
Bunny Levine was born Dec. 22, 1928, in East Orange, New Jersey, where she grew up and attended East Orange High School. She performed in school and local productions from an early age and graduated from Washington State University in 1951.
She returned to New Jersey, became a school librarian and teacher in Teaneck for about 25 years, and raised three children with her husband, Bernard. After Bernard died in 2003, Levine relocated from the New York area to Los Angeles and began booking commercials and acting jobs.
What roles did Bunny Levine play on Gilmore Girls and beyond?
On television, Bunny Levine, Gilmore Girls and La La Land audiences knew her best as a dependable character actress. She played Mrs. Thompson on Gilmore Girls and appeared on Everybody Loves Raymond, Law & Order, Ugly Betty, Criminal Minds, New Girl, Fuller House, Shameless, and many other series, according to her IMDb page.
On film, she had a notable small role as a movie theater cashier in La La Land alongside Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Her credits also included You Don't Mess With the Zohan, Sandy Wexler, and You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.
How did Bunny Levine build a late-blooming Hollywood career?
Levine's first professional acting credit was the 1988 horror-comedy Slime City, when she was 59. She told the Daily Evergreen in March 2025 that she had always wanted to act since early memory and felt blessed to return to that dream after decades in education.
She kept working into her mid-90s. Her final roles included the last season of The Upshaws and Mrs. Polanski in the 2026 movie The Cure, which marked her last film role. For more on Hollywood passings and tributes, see our Celebrity Breaking News coverage.
Why did Bunny Levine's story resonate with so many fans?
Levine's path stood out because she proved it is never too late to pursue a lifelong passion. After raising a family and serving students for a quarter-century, she rebuilt her life in Los Angeles and booked steady work across television and film for nearly four decades.
She once said she wished everyone could find the happiness she felt returning to acting. That message, paired with memorable turns on beloved shows like Gilmore Girls, made her one of Hollywood's most inspiring late-career success stories.