Bunny Levine, a former school librarian who built a second career in Hollywood with roles in \u201cGilmore Girls\u201d and \u201cLa La Land,\u201d has died. She was 97.<\/p>\n
The New Jersey-born actress died peacefully in her sleep Thursday at her home in Tarzana, Calif., NBCLA reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Police responded to her home after receiving a report of an unresponsive person and said her death appeared to be from natural causes.<\/p>\n Bunny Levine attends the premiere of \u201cThelma\u201d at the Egyptian Theatre Hollywood in Los Angeles, Calif., June 14, 2024. Getty Images<\/p>\n Levine worked as a school librarian and teacher in Teaneck, NJ, for about 25 years and didn\u2019t launch her Hollywood career until the late 1980s, when she was almost 60.<\/p>\n She appeared in some of television\u2019s biggest shows as a character actress, including \u201cGilmore Girls,\u201d where she played Mrs. Thompson, and \u201cEverybody Loves Raymond,\u201d where she played a friend of Ray\u2019s mom, Marie, who kept dropping things while admiring Ray\u2019s bottom.<\/p>\n Her credits also included \u201cLaw & Order,\u201d \u201cUgly Betty,\u201d \u201cPrivate Practice,\u201d \u201cCriminal Minds,\u201d \u201c2 Broke Girls,\u201d \u201cRaising Hope,\u201d \u201cSouthland,\u201d \u201cNew Girl,\u201d \u201cThe Mindy Project,\u201d \u201cFuller House\u201d and \u201cShameless,\u201d according to her IMDb page.<\/p>\n In 2014, she notably starred alongside the late James Van Der Beek<\/a> in an episode of \u201cFriends With Better Lives,\u201d which aired for one season on CBS. <\/p>\n On the big screen, she had a small role as a movie theater cashier in \u201cLa La Land,\u201d the 2016 musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.<\/p>\n Levine as Mrs. Thompson in \u201cGilmore Girls\u201d (2004). Warner Bros.<\/p>\n She also appeared in Adam Sandler\u2019s \u201cYou Don\u2019t Mess With the Zohan\u201d (2008), \u201cSandy Wexler\u201d (2017) and \u201cYou Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah\u201d (2023).<\/p>\n Levine kept working into her mid-90s, with her final roles including the last season of \u201cThe Upshaws\u201d and Mrs. Polanski in the 2026 movie \u201cThe Cure\u201d \u2014 her final film role.<\/p>\n Her first professional acting credit was the 1988 horror-comedy \u201cSlime City\u201d when she was 59.<\/p>\n Levine as Mrs. Polanski in \u201cThe Cure\u201d (2026) \u2014 the actress\u2019s last ever film role. Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n Levine with the late James Van Der Beek in \u201cFriends With Better Lives\u201d (2014). CBS via Getty Images<\/p>\n Levine was born Dec. 22, 1928, in East Orange, NJ, where she grew up and attended East Orange High School, and performed in school and local productions from an early age.<\/p>\n After graduating from Washington State University in 1951, Levine returned to New Jersey, where she became a school librarian and teacher, raising three children with her husband, Bernard.<\/p>\n Living in the Pacific Northwest was \u201ca culture shock at first\u201d after growing up on the East Coast, she told Washington State Magazine<\/a> in 2013.<\/p>\n After Bernard died in 2003, Levine moved from the New York area to Los Angeles, where she began booking commercials and acting jobs.<\/p>\n Levine, right, in an episode of \u201cUgly Betty\u201d (2007). Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images<\/p>\n She once spoke about what drew her to acting, a career she had dreamt of since childhood, after decades in education.<\/p>\n