Bunny Summers
Bunny Summers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Bernice Siegel February 23, 1924 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 9, 2010 (aged 86) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Eden Memorial Park, Mission Hills, California |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1940s–2004 |
| Spouse | Ben Sussman |
| Children | 3 |
Bunny Summers (born Bernice Siegel; February 23, 1924 – September 9, 2010) was an American character actress known for her work in stage and screen productions from the 1940s through the 1990s. Active in both professional and community theater, she was a frequent performer in Los Angeles-area productions and later appeared in regional theaters across the United States. Her screen credits include roles in The Last Starfighter (1984), Re-Animator (1985), From Beyond (1986), and Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders (1995).
Early life
[edit]Bunny Summers was born Bernice Siegel February 23, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York. She began performing at the age of 13 on the Borscht Belt circuit in New York, an early proving ground for many American entertainers.[1]
By the early 1960s, she had relocated to Sherman Oaks, California, where she raised three daughters and became active in local theater. She was known professionally as Bunny Summers, but was often credited in community roles as Mrs. Ben Sussman.[2]
Theater career
[edit]Summers gained prominence in Los Angeles’s theater scene throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In 1965, she starred as a teacher in Dear Me, the Sky Is Falling at the Players Ring-Gallery Theatre in Hollywood, a performance highlighted in the Los Angeles Times and other Valley newspapers.[3][4]
In July 1973, she played the lead role of Minnie Marx in the West Coast premiere of Minnie’s Boys, a musical based on the early life of the Marx Brothers. The production took place at the Academy Theatre in Chatsworth, California, and featured Summers prominently in promotional materials and reviews.[5][6]
Summers continued acting on stage throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including a performance in Come Blow Your Horn at the 565 Broadway Dinner Theater in Tacoma, Washington, in 1979.[7]
In 1991, she portrayed Golde in Fiddler on the Roof at the Jupiter Theatre in Jupiter, Florida, opposite Marty Ross as Tevye. Though one critic noted limitations in her singing voice, her stage presence was praised.[8][9]
In 1998, her appearance in Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders was promoted in UK television listings, with her name among the lead cast.[10]
Her television credits reportedly include guest roles on popular shows such as Family Ties, Seinfeld, Married... with Children, The Facts of Life, Saved by the Bell, and ALF.
Personal life
[edit]Bunny Summers was married and known socially as Mrs. Ben Sussman. She was an active member of the Cadenzas, the women’s auxiliary of the San Fernando Valley Symphony Association, and often participated in benefit performances for local arts organizations.[1]
Death
[edit]Summers died on September 9, 2010, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. She is interred at Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, California.
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Funny Girl | Mrs. Nadler | Uncredited |
| 1969 | The Love God? | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1971 | Doctors' Wives | Chatroom Nurse | Uncredited |
| 1972 | Fuzz | Mrs. Cooper | |
| 1973 | Little Cigars | Matron | Uncredited |
| 1977 | The World's Greatest Lover | Mother on Train | |
| 1978 | Jokes My Folks Never Told Me | – | |
| 1984 | The Last Starfighter | Mrs. Boone | |
| 1984 | Weekend Pass | Sadie | |
| 1985 | The Ladies Club | Miss Barnes | |
| 1986 | Outrageous Fortune | Costume Lady | |
| 1986 | From Beyond | Neighbor Lady | |
| 1986 | Sylvan in Paradise | The Lady | TV movie |
| 1986 | Second Serve | Mrs. Crockett | TV movie |
| 1988 | The Wrong Guys | Louie’s Mom | |
| 1988 | Big Top Pee-wee | Costume Woman | |
| 1989 | Skinheads | Bessie | |
| 1993 | Russian Holiday | Helen Meadows | |
| 1993 | Fatal Instinct | Train Passenger | |
| 1996 | Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders | Zurella | |
| 1997 | Sparkler | Eager Old Lady | |
| 1998 | Denial | Pearl | |
| 2000 | Big Wind on Campus | Grandma Morton | |
| 2001 | Night at the Golden Eagle | Waitress | |
| 2001 | Killer Bud | Nurse Blatch |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Petticoat Junction | Sadie Prentiss / Mrs. Hennessy | 2 episodes |
| 1967 | Laredo | Amy Bergstrom | 1 episode |
| 1969 | The Ghost & Mrs. Muir | PTA Member | 1 episode, uncredited |
| 1969–1971 | The Doris Day Show | Lucy James / Woman #2 / Harriet | 3 episodes |
| 1970 | Dan August | Woman in Bowling Alley | 1 episode |
| 1971 | That Girl | Wardrobe Lady | 1 episode |
| 1976 | The Feather and Father Gang | Mrs. Van Owen | 1 episode |
| 1976 | Grady | Mrs. Gordon | 1 episode |
| 1977 | Baretta | Sweet Anne | 1 episode |
| 1980 | Palmerstown, U.S.A. | – | 1 episode |
| 1980 | Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger | Rose | TV movie |
| 1980–1982 | The Facts of Life | Hill / Matron | 2 episodes |
| 1981 | Quincy, M.E. | Marie | 1 episode |
| 1981 | Stand by Your Man | Mrs. Watkins | TV movie |
| 1981 | One Day at a Time | Lady | 1 episode |
| 1981 | Choices | Lady in Pharmacy | TV movie |
| 1982 | Cagney & Lacey | Mrs. Nolan | 1 episode |
| 1982 | Crisis Counselor | – | 1 episode |
| 1982 | Skeezer | Sally | TV movie |
| 1983 | Manimal | Pudgy Lady | 1 episode |
| 1983 | Gimme a Break! | – | 1 episode |
| 1984 | Alice | Customer No. 2 | 1 episode |
| 1984 | Masquerade | Woman | 1 episode |
| 1984 | Night Court | Cafeteria Cashier | 1 episode |
| 1985 | Sara | Mrs. Ferguson | 1 episode |
| 1985 | Hardcastle and McCormick | Ruth | 1 episode |
| 1986 | ALF | Bunny | 1 episode |
| 1986 | Perfect Strangers | Lou’s Mother | 1 episode |
| 1986 | Crossings | Maid | TV miniseries |
| 1986 | Moonlighting | Bridal Candidate | 1 episode |
| 1983–1988 | Family Ties | Barbara / Customer #1 / Mrs. Binney | 4 episodes |
| 1987 | Who's the Boss? | Mrs. Cassio | 1 episode |
| 1987 | Easy Street | Millicent | 1 episode |
| 1987 | The New Mike Hammer | Ruth McLaughlin | 1 episode |
| 1988 | Starting from Scratch | Miss Flutter | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Favorite Son | Dolores | 3 episodes, miniseries |
| 1989 | Married... with Children | Mrs. Wicker | 1 episode |
| 1989 | Saved by the Bell | Mrs. Cummings | 1 episode |
| 1990 | Knots Landing | Director | 1 episode |
| 1990 | Faith | Bag Lady | 1 episode |
| 1990 | Empty Nest | Nina Feldman | 1 episode |
| 1990 | Newhart | Nanny | 1 episode |
| 1990 | Singer & Sons | Mrs. Drepner | 1 episode |
| 1991 | The Antagonists | Older Woman | 1 episode |
| 1990–1991 | True Colors | Marge | 4 episodes |
| 1992 | Civil Wars | Sadie Mestman | 1 episode |
| 1995 | The Parent 'Hood | Mrs. Dumont | 1 episode |
| 1995 | Maybe This Time | Farrah | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Seinfeld | Rider | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Alright Already | Bunny | 1 episode |
| 1998 | Ellen | Mom | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Norm | Large Woman | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Senior House | Senior #2 | 13 episodes, voice |
| 2000 | Time of Your Life | Woman | 1 episode |
| 2000 | That’s Life | Senior #2 | 1 episode |
| 2001 | Kristin | Sadie Leperman | 1 episode |
| 2001 | Virtually Casey | Mrs. Despio | TV movie |
| 2001 | FreakyLinks | Sara | 1 episode |
| 2003 | Audrey’s Rain | Widow #1 | TV movie |
| 2004 | Happy Family | Gladys | 1 episode |
Stage credits
[edit]- Dear Me, the Sky Is Falling (1965) – Players Ring-Gallery Theatre, Hollywood
- Minnie’s Boys (1973) – Minnie Marx, Academy Theatre, Chatsworth
- Come Blow Your Horn (1979) – 565 Broadway Dinner Theater, Tacoma
- Fiddler on the Roof (1991) – Golde, Jupiter Theatre, Florida
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Cadenza Theater Fete Set". Valley Times. October 25, 1965. p. 5.
- ^ "Actress' Life Proves Busy for Bunny". Van Nuys News and Valley Green Sheet. September 16, 1965. p. 116.
- ^ "Teaching Role". Los Angeles Times. November 4, 1965. p. 150.
- ^ "School Teacher Role Played by Bunny Summers". Van Nuys News. October 24, 1965. p. 28.
- ^ "Embracing Her Four Sons". Valley News. July 10, 1973. p. 25.
- ^ "West Coast Premiere of Minnie's Boys". Van Nuys News. July 20, 1973. p. 5.
- ^ "'Come Blow Your Horn' Entertaining". The News Tribune. January 19, 1979. p. 47.
- ^ "'Fiddler on the Roof' Timeless, Endearing". Palm Beach Daily News. January 13, 1991. p. 18.
- ^ "Jupiter Theatre's Production of Fiddler Just About Perfect". Fort Pierce Tribune. January 12, 1991. p. 5.
- ^ "TV Listings". Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph. December 9, 1998. p. 22.
