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IMDbPro

Michael Lerner(1941-2023)

  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Michael Lerner at an event for Mirror Mirror (2012)
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Michael Lerner was an American actor from New York City, the older brother of actor Ken Lerner. He was once nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the domineering studio head Jack Lipnick in "Barton Fink" (1991). Other well-known roles include crime boss Arnold Rothstein (1882-1928) in "Eight Men Out" (1988), Mayor Ebert in "Godzilla" (1998), and Senator Brickman in "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (2014).

In 1941, Lerner was born to a family of Romanian-Jewish descent. His father was George Lerner, a fisherman and antiques dealer. Lerner was primarily raised in Solon, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland), and in the port area of Red Hook, Brooklyn. Red Hook was the site of a shack city for the homeless during the 1930s, and had a reputed connection to organized crime for most of the 20th century.

Lerner started his acting career as a theatrical actor. During the 1960s, he performed with the American Conservatory Theater (ACT), a nonprofit theater company based in San Francisco, California. He made his film debut in the comedy-drama "Alex in Wonderland" (1970). The film concerns a film director who has had only one box-office hit in his career, and is uncertain about his options in life.

Over the following years, Lerner mostly played supporting roles in various films. He enjoyed some success in horror films, portraying the Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Police Department in "Maniac Cop 2" (1990), and a private detective in "Omen IV: The Awakening" (1991). The most acclaimed role in his career was portraying Jack Lipnick in "Barton Fink" (1991). His character was the head of a film studio who constantly switched between flattering and threatening his employees, but maintained complete control over them. Lerner was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, but the award went to veteran actor Jack Palance. Lerner did, however, win the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Lerner found steady work in films throughout the 1990s. He portrayed bank president Edward H. Biderman in the comedy "Blank Check" (1994), where the bank is used for money laundering. He portrayed a short-tempered police lieutenant in the comedy thriller "Radioland Murders" (1994), with his character ultimately unable to prevent the serial killer of the film from pursuing his agenda. He portrayed Professor Marcus in "Tale of the Mummy" (1998), a respected scholar who is manipulated into killing someone.

Lerner was still active in the 2000s. He portrayed a doctor in "Mockingbird Don't Sing" (2001), a fictionalized depiction of the life of the feral child Genie (1957-). He portrayed domineering CEO Fulton Greenway in the Christmas comedy "Elf" (2003). He portrayed father figure Harvey Wiener in the comedy-drama "Life During Wartime" (2009).

Lerner had relatively few new roles in the 2010s, but some were still memorable. He portrayed ruthless politician Wesley Mouch in the science fiction film "Atlas Shrugged: Part I" (2011), based on Ayn Rand's iconic novel.

Lerner portrayed the Baron in the fantasy comedy "Mirror Mirror" (2012), an elite courtier who has won the favor of the wicked queen played by Julia Roberts. He portrayed Senator Brickman in the superhero film "X-Men: Days of Future Past", a politician who votes to sever funding for the Sentinel program. Lerner portrayed real-life producer/MGM studio executive Louis B. Mayer in "First Oscar" (2022).
BornJune 22, 1941
DiedApril 8, 2023(81)
BornJune 22, 1941
DiedApril 8, 2023(81)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 2 wins & 4 nominations total

Photos57

Michael Lerner in Harlem Nights (1989)
Judy Davis, Debra Messing, Reuben Jackson, and Michael Lerner in Celebrity (1998)
Michael Lerner and Renée Lippin in Celebrity (1998)
Michael Lerner in The Rockford Files (1974)
Jack Nicholson and Michael Lerner in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
Albert Henderson, Thomas Hill, and Michael Lerner in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
Michael Lerner in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
Michael Lerner in A Dennis the Menace Christmas (2007)
Michael Lerner in The Beautician and the Beast (1997)
Barry Diamond, Art Evans, Stephen Furst, and Michael Lerner in Class Reunion (1982)
Michael Lerner in Class Reunion (1982)
Gerrit Graham and Michael Lerner in Class Reunion (1982)

Known for

John Turturro in Barton Fink (1991)
Barton Fink
7.6
  • Jack Lipnick
  • 1991
Will Ferrell in Elf (2003)
Elf
7.1
  • Fulton
  • 2003
Godzilla (1998)
Godzilla
5.4
  • Mayor Ebert
  • 1998
Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Elliot Page, Michael Fassbender, Daniel Cudmore, Bingbing Fan, and Jennifer Lawrence in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
X-Men: Days of Future Past
7.9
  • Senator Brickman
  • 2014

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Courthouse
    • Judge Myron Winkleman
    • Released
    • TV Series
    • 1995
  • Fragments from Olympus: The Vision of Nikola Tesla
    • Grover Cleveland
    • In Development
  • Edoardo the Last Goodbye
    • Priest Don Luigi (rumored)
    • Pre-production
  • Sallywood
    • Ned Levitt
    • Post-production
  • Tikhon Zhiznevskiy in First Oscar (2022)
    First Oscar
    • Louis B. Mayer
    • 2022
  • David Harbour in Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein (2019)
    Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein
    • Bobby Fox
    • TV Movie
    • 2019
  • Drive Me to Vegas and Mars (2018)
    Drive Me to Vegas and Mars
    • Milt
    • 2018
  • Richard Ryan, Wendy McColm, Steve Greene, Shane Dawson, Amanda Cerny, and Christian Delgrosso in Internet Famous (2016)
    Internet Famous
    • Joel Swanson
    • 2016
  • Maron (2013)
    Maron
    • Ralph
    • TV Series
    • 2016
  • Eva Tamargo, Michael Lerner, Jesse Steccato, Andy Martinez Jr., Nate Scholz, and Ryan Leli in American Bred (2016)
    American Bred
    • Francis Adamo
    • 2016
  • The Shickles (2016)
    The Shickles
    • Elroy Shickles
    • 2016
  • Victoria Staley and Jamila Thompson in Switching Lanes (2015)
    Switching Lanes
    • David Smith
    • 2015
  • Childrens Hospital (2008)
    Childrens Hospital
    • Pop
    • TV Series
    • 2015
  • Mickey Rourke, Emma Roberts, Sarah Silverman, and Nat Wolff in Ashby (2015)
    Ashby
    • Entwistle
    • 2015
  • Comedy Bang! Bang! (2012)
    Comedy Bang! Bang!
    • Darren Schlepping
    • TV Series
    • 2015
  • Recorded Lives
    • Dad (2014)
    • TV Series
    • 2014
  • Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Elliot Page, Michael Fassbender, Daniel Cudmore, Bingbing Fan, and Jennifer Lawrence in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
    X-Men: Days of Future Past
    • Senator Brickman
    • 2014
  • Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, Naya Rivera, Mark Salling, Matthew Morrison, Cory Monteith, Dianna Agron, Kevin McHale, Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley, and Heather Elizabeth Morris in Glee (2009)
    Glee
    • Sidney Greene
    • TV Series
    • 2013–2014
  • 1000 to 1: The Cory Weissman Story (2014)
    1000 to 1: The Cory Weissman Story
    • Dr.
    • Video
    • 2014
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos28

Bigas Luna: La mirada entomòloga
Full Movie 25:51
Bigas Luna: La mirada entomòloga
Life During Wartime
Clip 1:11
Life During Wartime
PETE SMALLS IS DEAD
Clip 0:51
PETE SMALLS IS DEAD
Trailer
Trailer 2:30
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:00
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:28
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:02
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:44
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:47
Official Trailer
Life During Wartime
Trailer 2:06
Life During Wartime
Yonkers Joe: Trailer
Trailer 2:14
Yonkers Joe: Trailer
Maniac Cop 2
Trailer 1:44
Maniac Cop 2

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
  • Born
    • June 22, 1941
    • Brooklyn, New York, USA
  • Died
    • April 8, 2023
    • Burbank, California, USA(complications from brain seizures)
  • Parents
      George Lerner
  • Relatives
      Ken Lerner(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Plays Manny in "Up for Grabs" play by David Williamson (Wyndham's Theatre, London, England, UK).
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Article

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Had a Master's Degree in English drama from UCLA.

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