Prolific character actor Michael Lerner was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of the Louis B. Mayer surrogate. barton finkHe died on Saturday, according to his family. He was 81 years old.
Lerner’s death was announced on Instagram by his nephew. goldbergs actor Sam Lerner. “We lost a legend last night,” Lerner wrote. “It’s hard to put into words how brilliant Uncle Michael was and how influential he was on me.”
“His stories have always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, the most confident, the most talented guy, and the fact that he’s my blood will always make me feel special. Everyone who knows him knows best how crazy he is.
“I am so lucky to be able to spend so much time with him, and we are all lucky to be able to continue watching his work for the rest of the time,” Lerner concluded. “RIP Michael, enjoy unlimited Cuban cigars, comfy chairs and endless movie marathons.”
No further details were shared about Michael Lerner’s cause of death.
The son of a scrap dealer in Red Hook, Brooklyn, Lerner grew up to be a cigar and rare book aficionado, amassing more than 150 film and television credits throughout his career.
Her plans to become a professor of English after she started acting at university fell through and she accepted a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art. She shared an apartment in London for a time with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, where she starred in one of Ono’s experimental short films.
He began working in television regularly in the 1970s and 1980s. Brady Group, PUREE*, Doris Day Show, strange couple, A TeamAnd Hill Street Blues.
But it wasn’t until the 1991s that Joel and Ethan Coen gave her the role. barton fink As the brash mega-producer Jack Lipnick, with whom Lerner will truly solidify his name and legacy. “They said the character was the Michael Lerner type, but they didn’t let me in until the last minute,” he said in an interview in 1999. cigar enthusiast.
“I went in and blew them up,” he continued. “I auditioned as a character speaking a mile a minute. Joel and Ethan Coen were on the floor laughing and crying hysterically, and I just walked out. I went in, gave the first big talk, and got out.”
Lerner shaped Lipnick around the gaudy MGM Studios president, Mayer. “I even found a pair of glasses in a vintage shop that matched the ones he wore,” Lerner said at the time. Los Angeles times. “As soon as I put them on, I felt like Mayer.”
Although Lipnick only appeared in three scenes, it earned Lerner an Oscar nomination at that year’s ceremony. Lost to Jack Palance. City Snobs.
He later reunited with the Coens for a small role in the 2009 drama. a serious man. Throughout the ’90s and 2000s, he continued to work steadily in film, collecting credits for films such as: News, Blank check, X-Men: Days of Future Pastand Roland Emmerich Godzilla. He also became a familiar face in early comedies, particularly the 2003 holiday movie. ChineseJames Caan playing the grumpy colleague.
Lerner is survived by his nephew Sam and brother Ken.