NEWLY REPORTED — Aug. 23, 2026: Bunny Levine, the former school librarian who turned a long-postponed dream into a busy screen career, has died at 97.
Levine died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Tarzana, California, on Thursday, Aug. 20, her agent Mike Eisenstadt confirmed to Entertainment Weekly. NBC Los Angeles reported that police said her death appeared to be from natural causes.
Her Hollywood story started after a different full career
Born Bernice Levine in New Jersey on Dec. 22, 1928, Levine studied at New York University and Columbia University, earning master's degrees before working as a school librarian and teacher in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Acting had interested her since childhood, but she spent decades in education before taking early retirement and finally pursuing it. She began with classes and auditions, then booked commercials, soap operas and screen roles. Her first listed screen credit dates to 1988.
That timeline makes the phrase “second act” feel almost stingy. Levine built an entire additional career after the point when many people are being handed a sheet cake and instructions for using their pension portal.
She became one of television's instantly familiar faces
Levine appeared in single episodes of shows including Everybody Loves Raymond, Gilmore Girls, Ugly Betty, Community, The Middle and New Girl. Later work included recurring appearances in Shameless, Jury Duty, Sprung and Mrs. Davis.
Her film credits included Cadillac Man, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, Sandy Wexler, La La Land and the 2024 June Squibb comedy Thelma. People reported that her final credited projects were the 2026 film The Cure and the short Achiever.
In 1991, Levine and her husband, Bernard S. Levine, co-founded Actors Connection in New York City to help performers develop their careers through classes, seminars and networking. She later moved to Los Angeles after his death in 2003.
She was still auditioning at 97
Eisenstadt said Levine remained active enough to audition at 97 and remembered her as both fearless and kind. In a 2025 interview cited by Entertainment Weekly, Levine described her career without the usual overnight-success mythology: she kept studying, kept improving and kept going.
Levine is survived by her children Marty, Francie and Joe, and her grandchildren Robin and Jeffrey. People reported that a memorial is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Jewish Memorial Chapel in Clifton, New Jersey.
Her résumé was long, but the cleanest summary may be simpler: she waited decades to do what she had always wanted, then did it for decades more.
Sources: Entertainment Weekly, published Aug. 23, 2026 at 11:54 a.m. CT; People, Aug. 23, 2026; NBC Los Angeles.
Facts first. Side-eye included.
DJF separates what is confirmed from what is claimed—and tells you why this particular mess is worth your time.