Actress and former librarian Bunny Levine dies at 97

Bunny Levine, a character actress who launched a decades-long career in television and film after retiring from her job as a school librarian, has died. She was 97. Levine died peacefully in her sleep on August 20 at her home in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to reports. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to a report of an unresponsive person and said her death appeared to be from natural causes. Her manager confirmed her passing to The Hollywood Reporter.

Born on December 22, 1928, in East Orange, New Jersey, Levine developed a passion for performing at a young age but initially set those dreams aside. After graduating from college in 1951, she worked as a school librarian for 25 years while raising her three children with her husband, Bernard. She often said the career was not a practical fit for her looks and stature, standing 4 feet 10 inches tall. "I dont know if youve seen a picture of me, but I wasnt a good young leading lady," Levine once told Mel Magazine. "I was short and a little charactery. I wasnt ugly, but I wasnt beautiful either, so acting just wasnt practical."

Following an early retirement and the death of her husband in 2003,...