Michael Lerner | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lerner inBarton Fink (1991) | |
| Born | Michael Charles Lerner (1941-06-22)June 22, 1941 |
| Died | April 8, 2023(2023-04-08) (aged 81) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Alma mater | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1954–2019 |
| Relatives | Ken Lerner (brother) Sam Lerner (nephew) |
Michael Charles Lerner (June 22, 1941 – April 8, 2023) was an American actor. He was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jack Lipnick inBarton Fink (1991). Lerner also playedArnold Rothstein inEight Men Out (1988), Bugsy Calhoune inHarlem Nights (1989), Phil Gillman inAmos & Andrew (1993), The Warden inNo Escape (1994), Mel Horowitz on the television seriesClueless, Jerry Miller inThe Beautician and the Beast (1997), Mayor Ebert inRoland Emmerich'sGodzilla (1998), Mr. Greenway inElf (2003), and Senator Brickman inX-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
Michael Charles Lerner was born on June 22, 1941,[1] inBrooklyn, New York City, of Romanian-Jewish descent, the second of three sons to Blanche and George Lerner; according to Lerner, his father "liked to think he was an antiques dealer, but in all actuality he was a junk dealer."[2][3] He was raised inRed Hook, Brooklyn, and inSolon, Ohio. His younger brotherKen, nephewSam, and niece Jenny are also actors.[3][4] His older brother, Arnold, died in 2004.[1]
Lerner made his first television appearance at the age of 13, as a "quiz kid" on a television program hosted by a localsportscaster. He played Willy Loman in a production ofDeath of a Salesman atBrooklyn College, whereJoel Zwick was a classmate. The experience convinced him that he wanted to be an actor, rather than an English professor. He also appeared as Sir Toby Belch in a production ofTwelfth Night directed byDavid Mamet inGreenwich Village;William H. Macy was also in that production.[5] After graduating from Brooklyn College, where he studied acting, he received a scholarship to theUniversity of California, Berkeley, where he earned a master's degree in English drama.[1] Although his then-wife still thought he should become an English professor, Lerner still wanted to be an actor;[5] he received aFulbright Scholarship to study theater inLondon for two years, at theLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. While there, he lived in a flat withYoko Ono andJohn Lennon. In 1968, he appeared in Ono's short experimental filmSmile, among other projects.[citation needed] "She made a movie comprised of bare asses walking on a treadmill", he once said. "I’m in it and so isPaul McCartney. Plus I’m doing narration about censorship and all that crap."[3]
In 1968, Lerner returned to theSan Francisco Bay Area and joined theAmerican Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.).[3] At the age of 24 he appeared as "Hieronymous the Miser" in aKPFA radio production ofMichel de Ghelderode's Breugelesque play,Red Magic.[citation needed]
Lerner moved toLos Angeles in 1969, where he appeared in a production ofLittle Murders, a play byJules Feiffer that was later adapted intoa film byAlan Arkin. He also began making guest appearances intelevision shows such asThe Brady Bunch,The Odd Couple,M*A*S*H,Banacek andThe Rockford Files. In 1969, Lerner appeared onThe Doris Day Show, season two episode nine entitled “Singles Only”. In 1974, he appeared in theteleplayThe Missiles of October, playingPierre Salinger.[3]
In 1970, Lerner made his film debut inAlex in Wonderland; directorPaul Mazursky had seen his production ofLittle Murders and enjoyed his performance.[3] He then went on to appear in supporting roles in variousHollywood movies such asThe Candidate,St. Ives and the 1981 remake ofThe Postman Always Rings Twice. In 1991, after co-starring inHarlem Nights, Lerner playedfilm producer Jack Lipnick inBarton Fink, for which he received anAcademy Award nomination forBest Supporting Actor. He based the character in part on legendary film mogulLouis B. Mayer; according to his brother Ken, he was working on a screenplay about Mayer when he died.[1][3]
From 1996 to 1997, Lerner played Mel Horowitz on the television seriesClueless. In 1997, he would play Joy Miller's father Jerry inThe Beautician and the Beast. Lerner's later projects include theChristmas comedyElf (2003) andPoster Boy (2004), as well as television programs such asLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit andEntourage.[citation needed]
In 2002, he appeared in theWest End production ofUp for Grabs withMadonna. He also appeared onBBCRadio Four in 2008 as a member of the cast ofDavid Quantick's Radio Four's seriesOne. He portrayed Senator Brickman in theMarvel Comics/Twentieth Century Fox film,X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). In 2013, Lerner appeared in aSeason 4 episode ofGlee as Sidney Greene, an investor in the revival ofBroadway musicalFunny Girl. His character is on the panel of judges, watching theRachel Berry characteraudition for the lead role. He reprised his role as Sidney inSeason 5 in several New York-based episodes of the series, asFunny Girl opens onBroadway.[6]
In addition to his acting career, Lerner was a collector of rare books, an aficionado ofCuban cigars, and—by his own account—a very goodpoker player.[3][5] He was missing the tip of one index finger, due to an injury suffered while cutting a tongue sandwich while working at a deli in New York City.[1]
Lerner died of complications from brain seizures at a hospital inBurbank, California, on April 8, 2023, at the age of 81.[1][3]
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Dr. Kildare | Dr. Brown | 1 episode |
| 1969 | The Good Guys | Arthur | 2 episodes |
| Three's a Crowd | Sid Bagby | TV movie | |
| The Brady Bunch | Johnny | 1 episode | |
| 1970 | The Young Lawyers | Anthony Maroni | |
| The Doris Day Show | Mr. Murray | 2 episodes | |
| 1971 | That Girl | Charlie | 1 episode |
| The D.A. | Mark Warren | ||
| What's a Nice Girl Like You...? | Fats Detroit | TV movie | |
| 1972 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Jack Watson | 1 episode |
| Ironside | Adrian Father | ||
| Night Gallery | Dr. Burgess | ||
| The Delphi Bureau | Cy Turrell | ||
| Banacek | Bartender | ||
| The Streets of San Francisco | Lou Watkins | ||
| 1973 | Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice | Dr. Nasserman | |
| Firehouse | Ernie Bush | TV movie | |
| The Bob Newhart Show | Mr. Carolla | 1 episode | |
| Emergency! | Martin Noble | ||
| Love Story | Lou Graham | ||
| The New Perry Mason | Derek Stocker | ||
| 1974 | M*A*S*H | Captain Bernie Futterman | |
| The Rockford Files | Dr. Ruben Steelman | ||
| Arnold Love | 2 episodes | ||
| Love, American Style | Karatz | 1 episode | |
| Chase | Cupid | ||
| The Odd Couple | Sgt. Chomsky | ||
| Reflections of Murder | Jerry Steele | TV movie | |
| The Missiles of October | Pierre Salinger | ||
| 1975 | Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic | Dr. Marvin Kittredge | |
| The Dream Makers | Mike | ||
| A Cry for Help | Philip Conover | ||
| Starsky & Hutch | Fat Rolly | 2 episodes | |
| Lucas Tanner | Artie | 1 episode | |
| Rhoda | Ralph Bentley | ||
| 1976 | Jigsaw John | Arthur Devore | |
| Harry O | Wilt Kane | ||
| Police Woman | Guidera | ||
| The Rockford Files | Murray Rosner | ||
| 1978 | Ruby and Oswald | Jack Ruby | TV movie |
| Kojak | Dr. Samuel Fine | 1 episode | |
| Vegas | Nate Stephenson - pilot episode: 'High Roller' | ||
| Wonder Woman | Ashton Ripley | ||
| 1979 | Hart to Hart | Poker Player | |
| 1980 | Barnaby Jones | Albert Kruger | |
| This Year's Blonde | Jack L. Warner | TV movie | |
| 1982 | Hart to Hart | Art Radner | 1 episode |
| 1983 | Hill Street Blues | Rollie Simone | 4 episodes |
| Blood Feud | Eddie Cheyfitz | TV movie | |
| Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess | Harry Cohn | ||
| 1985 | Hollywood Beat | Pilot | Pilot episode |
| MacGyver | Gantner | ||
| The A-Team | Jerry | 1 episode | |
| 1987 | Amazing Stories | Mr. Marvin | |
| Hands of a Stranger | Capt. Cirrillo | TV movie | |
| The King of Love | Nat Goldberg | ||
| 1988 | Great Performances | Oscar Hammerstein | 1 episode |
| The Equalizer | Amar | Episode: "No Place Like Home" | |
| 1991 | Omen IV: The Awakening | Earl Knight | TV movie |
| 1992 | The Comrades of Summer | George | |
| 1993 | Tales from the Crypt | Mr. Byrd | 1 episode |
| 1995 | Picture Windows | Maestro | |
| Courthouse | Judge Myron Winkleman | 11 episodes | |
| 1996–1997 | Clueless | Mel Horowitz | 18 episodes |
| 1998–1999 | Godzilla: The Series | Mayor Ebert | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 2000 | Murder at the Cannes Film Festival | Morrie Borelli | TV movie |
| 2001 | Third Watch | Seymour Morgenstern | 1 episode |
| 2003–2006 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Morty Berger | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Kingdom Hospital | Sheldon Fleischer | 3 episodes |
| 2007 | Entourage | Joe Roberts | 1 episode |
| 2008 | Dirty Sexy Money | Martin | |
| 2009 | Saving Grace | Rebbe Jory Quecksilber | |
| 2010 | The Bannen Way | The Mensch | Web series; 16 episodes |
| 2012 | The Good Wife | Judge Dwight Sobel | 1 episode |
| Suburgatory | Aaron Laynberg | ||
| 2013–2014 | Glee | Sidney Greene | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Darren Schlepping | 1 episode |
| Childrens Hospital | Pop | ||
| 2016 | Maron | Ralph |
Lea Michele and Michael Lerner on the set of "Glee" on March 16, 2014, in New York City.
