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Even in her 90s, Levine continued appearing in productions and seeking new work. Her participation in Thelma and later projects meant that audiences could still encounter new performances from her nearly four decades after she first seriously entered acting. According to her manager, she remained engaged with auditions close to the final months of her life.
For her family, however, those professional achievements represent only one part of the person they lost. Levine leaves behind children and grandchildren as well as friends, colleagues and members of the acting community. The tributes following her death have reflected both sides of her life: the entertainer audiences recognized and the educator, mentor, wife, mother, grandmother and friend known personally by those around her.
Her extensive list of credits ensures that her performances will continue to be discovered. Viewers revisiting episodes of Gilmore Girls, Everybody Loves Raymond, Criminal Minds, Ugly Betty, Raising Hope, Shameless and other programs may encounter Levine without initially knowing the unusual path that brought her onto those sets. Learning that she did not begin professional acting until near 60 adds another dimension to those appearances.
Films such as La La Land and Thelma similarly preserve moments from the later stages of her career. They demonstrate that Levine remained part of major productions long after the age at which she first entered entertainment. Her résumé eventually became evidence of something her younger self could only have imagined: the acting dream she postponed for decades ultimately lasted for decades itself.
Bunny Levine died at 97 after living a professional life divided into two very different but meaningful careers. She spent roughly a quarter-century serving the education community before entering entertainment, then continued acting for decades. Along the way, she and her husband also created an organization designed to help other performers pursue their professional ambitions.