Julia Katherine Levine

On March 18th, 2025 Julia Katherine Levine passed away at her Venice home after a twelve-year battle with metastatic invasive lobular breast cancer. She passed away peacefully, with her husband, sister, and son at her side.

Julia Katherine Levine was born August 31st, 1959, in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois to Arthur Levine and Marion Lerner Levine. Her parents were artists and educators, and when Julia was a year old the family moved to Los Angeles where her father was a professor of art at UCLA. They made the drive from Chicago to Los Angeles packed into a late 50's VW Beetle. Julia made life-long friends in Los Angeles among children of other UCLA artists and among her classmates at Charnock Road Elementary School. They became an extended family and Julia made herself at home in each household and left an indelible impression with her endless curiosity and bright red hair.

The family moved to Brooklyn, New York when Julia was 10 years old, where she attended the Woodward School and Brooklyn Friends School. During her high school years at Brooklyn Friends, Julia thrived in acting and singing classes and appeared in many plays. She apprenticed in summer theater in New England, where she began to learn stage and lighting design, the beginnings of her future career. Julia travelled the NYC subways, worked as a waitress in Brooklyn Heights, and ice-skated in Prospect Park with her many friends.

She attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison where she received a degree in history in 1981. She gathered many more close friends there and they remained bosom buddies for life. After graduation she set out to make a life in Los Angeles, where she initially stayed with her grandmother Alice Lerner in Santa Monica and found her beloved dog Wilbur. She tried her hand at many odd jobs including bartender before finding her way into a lighting and design position where she assisted in building models and stages for corporate events.

At a National Association of Music Merchants Show in New Orleans she met Michael Haprov, who would become her husband until her death. Both were living in Los Angeles and began a long courtship before moving to the Venice Beach neighborhood they loved. They wed on October 8th, 1994, at the Venice Beach House just a few blocks from where they lived. In 1996, with the help of family, they bought a 1911 Craftsman Bungalow in need of loving care in that same Venice neighborhood.

Soon after, they welcomed their only son Henry Wynn Haprov, who was born one day after Julia's birthday, and raised in that same Venice home. Weekends at the beach or the ballfield were the rule as Henry made his way through school, eventually completing college at UCLA and graduated with honors. Julia was by his side through every moment and guided Henry with great love and care. He was undeniably her greatest joy.

Julia created a long and successful career, involving art, museum instillation, model making, and set design. In the late 1980s she joined Walt Disney Imagineering as a dimensional designer, working on theme park rides at Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World. In 1990 she embarked on what would become a prolific career as a union set designer for film and television, undoubtedly the occupation she was most proud of. Her talent and dedication to her craft led to a wonderful catalog of projects including "Independence Day", "Jerry McGuire", "L.A. Confidential", "Fight Club", "Donnie Darko", "The Aviator", "Grace and Frankie", and more. Her full list of career accomplishments can be viewed at her IMDB page under Julia K. Levine.

In February of 2012 Julia was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (mILC), an understudied type of breast cancer that effects 10-15% of breast cancer cases. With other women impacted by mILC, she co-founded an advocacy group called the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance, or LBCA. She helped launch their website and draft the first white paper about ILC. She became the curator of their research library, assisted mILC researchers to apply for and win grants, and spoke at the many cancer-related conferences worldwide. And of course she designed the group's logo. As a dedicated advocate, she worked tirelessly to promote research, educate healthcare professionals and patients alike, and support others living with mILC. She touched the lives of many people living with lobular breast cancer who are grateful for her kindness and advocacy. LBCA will soon launch the world's first grant solicitation for metastatic ILC research, which will be named and awarded in her honor.

Julia loved cooking, dancing, gardening, movies, music, travel, the Dodgers, Venice Beach, National Parks, and most of all her family, friends and pets. She is survived by her husband Michael Haprov, son Henry Haprov, sister Ellen Levine, father Arthur Levine, and stepmother Petey Brown. Her mother Marion Lerner Levine predeceased her in October 2023.