Michael Lerner was born on June 22, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York. He is an Academy Award-nominated American character actor.

Lerner began making several guest appearances in shows such as The Brady Bunch, The Odd Couple and M*A*S*H. He appeared on one episode of The Rockford Files in 1976.

In 1970 Michael made his film debut in the Donald Sutherland picture Alex in Wonderland. He also starred in The Candidate, St. Ives, The Postman Always Rings Twice and comedy Harlem Nights (1991).

His last credits include comedy Elf, Poster Boy and TV series Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Entourage.

Filmography

• Holy Rollers (2009)
• Yonkers Joe (2008)
• A Dennis the Menace Christmas (2007) (V)
• Flattest (2007)
• "Entourage" (1 episode, 2007)
• The Last Time (2006)
• Love and Other Disasters (2006)
• Art School Confidential (2006)
• "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (2 episodes, 2003-2006)
• When Do We Eat? (2005)
• Pigeon (2004)
• Poster Boy (2004)
• The Calcium Kid (2004)
• "Kingdom Hospital" (2004) TV series
• Larceny (2004)
• Nobody Knows Anything! (2003)
• Elf (2003)
• 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003) (V) (voice)
• 29 Palms (2002)
• "Third Watch" (1 episode, 2001)
• Mockingbird Don't Sing (2001)
• Murder at the Cannes Film Festival (2000) (TV)
• Attention Shoppers (2000)
• The Mod Squad (1999)
• My Favorite Martian (1999)
• "Godzilla: The Series" (1 episode, 1998)
• Celebrity (1998)
• Safe Men (1998)
• Tale of the Mummy (1998)
• Godzilla (1998)
• Desperation Boulevard (1998)
• For Richer or Poorer (1997)
• "Clueless" (17 episodes, 1996-1997)
• The Beautician and the Beast (1997)
• "Courthouse" (11 episodes, 1995)
• No Way Back (1995)
• A Pyromaniac's Love Story (1995)
• Girl in the Cadillac (1995)
• "Picture Windows" (1994) TV series
• The Road to Wellville (1994)
• Radioland Murders (1994)
• No Escape (1994)
• Blank Check (1994)
• "Tales from the Crypt" (1 episode, 1993)
• Amos & Andrew (1993)
• The Comrades of Summer (1992) (TV)
• Newsies (1992)
• Barton Fink (1991)
• Omen IV: The Awakening (1991) (TV)
• The Closer (1990)
• Maniac Cop 2 (1990)
• Framed (1990) (TV)
• Harlem Nights (1989)
• Eight Men Out (1988)
• Vibes (1988)
• "The Equalizer" (1 episode, 1988)
• Any Man's Death (1988)
• The King of Love (1987) (TV)
• Hands of a Stranger (1987) (TV)
• Angustia (1987)
• "Amazing Stories" (1 episode, 1987)
• "Melba" (1987) TV mini-series
• That Secret Sunday (1986) (TV)
• "Hill Street Blues" (4 episodes, 1983-1985)
• This Child Is Mine (1985) (TV)
• "The A-Team" (1 episode, 1985)
• "MacGyver" (1 episode, 1985)
• Movers & Shakers (1985)
• The Execution (1985) (TV)
• Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess (1983) (TV)
• Strange Invaders (1983)
• Blood Feud (1983) (TV)
• Class Reunion (1982)
• "Hart to Hart" (1 episode, 1982)
• Threshold (1981)
• The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
• Borderline (1980)
• Coast to Coast (1980)
• Gridlock (1980) (TV)
• This Year's Blonde (1980) (TV)
• The Baltimore Bullet (1980)
• "Barnaby Jones" (1 episode, 1980)
• Hart to Hart (1979) (TV)
• Goldengirl (1979)
• "Wonder Woman" (1 episode, 1978)
• "Vega$" (1 episode, 1978)
• "Kojak" (1 episode, 1978)
• Ruby and Oswald (1978) (TV)
• A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (1978) (TV)
• Killer on Board (1977) (TV)
• Outlaw Blues (1977)
• The Other Side of Midnight (1977)
• "The Rockford Files" (4 episodes, 1974-1976)
• "Police Woman" (1 episode, 1976)
• Scott Free (1976) (TV)
• St. Ives (1976)
• F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood (1976) (TV)
• "Harry O" (1 episode, 1976)
• "Jigsaw John" (1 episode, 1976)
• Dark Victory (1976) (TV)
• "Rhoda" (1 episode, 1975)
• "Starsky and Hutch" (2 episodes, 1975)
• Grandpa Max (1975) (TV)
• "Lucas Tanner" (1 episode, 1975)
• A Cry for Help (1975) (TV)
• Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975) (TV)
• The Dream Makers (1975) (TV)
• The Missiles of October (1974) (TV)
• Reflections of Murder (1974) (TV)
• Hangup (1974)
• Newman's Law (1974)
• The Rockford Files (1974) (TV)
• "The Odd Couple" (1 episode, 1974)
• "Chase" (1 episode, 1974)
• Busting (1974)
• "M*A*S*H" (1 episode, 1974)
• "The New Perry Mason" (1 episode, 1973)
• "Love Story" (1 episode, 1973)
• "Emergency!" (1 episode, 1973)
• "The Bob Newhart Show" (1 episode, 1973)
• Firehouse (1973) (TV)
• "The Delphi Bureau" (1 episode, 1972)
• "The Streets of San Francisco" (1 episode, 1972)
• "Night Gallery" (1 episode, 1972)
• Magic Carpet (1972) (TV)
• "Ironside" (2 episodes, 1971-1972)
• "The Bold Ones: The New Doctors" (1 episode, 1972)
• "Banacek" (1 episode, 1972)
• The Candidate (1972)
• What's a Nice Girl Like You...? (1971) (TV)
• The Ski Bum (1971)
• Marriage: Year One (1971) (TV)
• Thief (1971) (TV)
• Alex in Wonderland (1970)
• "The Brady Bunch" (1 episode, 1969)
• Three's a Crowd (1969) (TV)
• "The Good Guys" (2 episodes, 1969)

Awards

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actor "Barton Fink" 1991