Bunny Levine
Born: 1928-12-22 in East Orange, New Jersey, USA
Known For: Acting
Biography
Bunny Levine has had a passion for entertaining from her earliest memory. At the age of two, she subjected all her relatives to her rendition of the song "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" at every possible opportunity. Playing with her sister and friends in pre-school days, her favorite game was a simulation of the performances of the current Hollywood stars, replete with screams and fainting, in the mode of the times. Her greatest regret was that she, unlike her contemporary Shirley Temple, had not been discovered in dance class. By third grade she wrote, directed and starred in the epic, "Debbie's Diary." A year or so later, with increased maturity, she limited her contributions to no more than two of the three elements. All through elementary school and high school, she played either the lead or a character role in school and local productions. Transferring colleges on her marriage after sophomore year made her rethink the wisdom of a short, young, character woman gaining fame and fortune in the field, so she switched majors from Theater Arts, but continued to act, and to work on the college radio station. Already pregnant upon graduation, she put her acting aspirations on the back burner for 25 years, working primarily as a school librarian, to help her underpaid college professor husband raise their three children. Storytelling and book talks helped fill her performing aspirations. Foolishly, she would not participate in community theater, thinking of herself as too much of a professional. Upon early retirement, she began taking acting classes, going on auditions, and gradually immersing herself totally in the fabulous, mad world of acting. Soon she was a member of all the unions and began booking commercials, roles on soaps and episodics, as well as films. Upon her beloved husband, Bernie's, death, she moved from the New York area to the LA market, and continued studying, booking, and striving. Among her credits are Law & Order (1990), The Jimmy Show (2001), Everybody Loves Raymond (1996), _Gilmore Girls_, the soon-to-be-released Charles Busch film, and Las Vegas (2003). She considers herself the most energetic and agile septuagenarian in the field and the oldest living student (her philosophy being that you can never stop learning and exercising the acting muscle).
Filmography
2025
- Sacramento as Mrs. Krenshaw
2024
- Thelma as Mona
- The Invisible Raptor as Dorothy
2023
- You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah as Bella
- Mrs. Davis as Sister Ollie
- Love Virtually as Viv's Grandma
- Jury Duty as Prospective Juror
2021
- Mr. Mayor as Enid
2019
- Sunnyside as Old Lady
2018
- I Feel Bad as Trudy
- This Close as Mrs. Vanderhooven
- See Plum Run
- Holiday Hostage as Grandma
2017
- No Activity as Yaya Westbrook
2016
- La La Land as Movie Theatre Cashier (uncredited)
- Fuller House as Old Lady
- The Shickles as Nana Shickles
2015
- Con Man as Elderly Patient
2014
- Bad Judge as Mildred
- Mulaney as Old Woman
- Off the Record as Nana
- Friends with Better Lives as Estelle Markowitz
2013
- Getting On as Mrs. Beverly Poppley
2012
- The Mindy Project as Bryant's Grandmother
- A Thousand Words as Woman on Pier
2011
- Shameless as Mrs. McCurdy
- New Girl as Shirley
- 2 Broke Girls as Helen
- Happy Endings as Enid
- Workaholics as Fran
- Let Go as Mrs. Grossman
2010
- Raising Hope as Old Lady
- In My Sleep as Rachel
- Father vs. Son as Mrs. Kusnitz
2009
- The Middle as Sylvia Goldberg
- Community as Pierce's Mom (voice)
- Play the Game as Claire Cranston
2008
- You Don't Mess with the Zohan as Older Lady in Salon
2007
- Private Practice as Old Lady
- Love Comes Lately as Max's Neighbor
2006
- Ugly Betty as Mabel
2002
- The Jimmy Show as Fireplace Woman
2001
- Gasline as Mrs. Munson
2000
- Gilmore Girls as Mrs. Thompson
1996
- Everybody Loves Raymond as Hilda
1990
- Law & Order as Irene Drummond
- Cadillac Man as Woman Customer
1988
- Slime City as Ruby