Dee Cercone/Everett Collection
Michael Lerner, an actor who starred in films such as Elf, Godzilla and X-Men: Days of Future Past and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1991 psychological comedy “Barton Fink” died on Saturday night. He was 81 years old.
Lerner’s death was confirmed by his nephew, “The Goldbergs” actor Sam Lerner, who paid tribute to his uncle through a post on Instagram Sunday afternoon. No further details on Lerner’s death are available at this time.
“We lost a legend last night. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my Uncle Michael was and how influential he was on me,” Lerner wrote. “His stories have always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident and talented guy and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special. Anyone who knows him knows how crazy he was – in the best sense of the word.”
“I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to spend so much time with him and we’re all lucky to be able to watch his work the rest of the time,” continued Lerner. “RIP Michael, enjoy your unlimited Cuban cigars, comfy chairs and an endless movie marathon.”
After working steadily as an actor throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Lerner rose to higher prominence after earning an Oscar nomination for his role in the Coen brothers’ historical thriller Barton Fink in 1992. In the film, Lerner portrayed film mogul Jack Lipnick, the pushy boss of John Turturro’s eponymous screenwriter, and a guiding figure for the film’s sometimes cutthroat, sometimes roaring tone. An imposing force behind a desk, Lerner’s performance is often seen as a game changer among Coen purists. The actor later reunited with the directors with a brief role in their 2009 existential comedy A Serious Man.
With an Academy Awards under his belt, Lerner became a familiar face to moviegoers in the ’90s, with notable credits like Newsies, Blank Check, No Escape and Celebrity. He starred in Roland Emmerich’s 1998 “Godzilla” as an overpowered, derogatory New York City leader who passes for Mayor Ebert, an open mockery of leading film critic Roger Ebert. Lerner was styled to resemble the co-host of “At the Movies” in the disaster blockbuster (Ebert gave the film a 1.5 star rating, but commended Lerner for a “playfully acted” performance).
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