Michael Lerner, ‘Barton Fink’ Oscar Nominee, Dies at 81

Michael Lerner appears at the opening night of Bette Midler in "I'll Eat You at Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers" at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles on Dec. 5, 2013. (AP)
Michael Lerner appears at the opening night of Bette Midler in "I'll Eat You at Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers" at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles on Dec. 5, 2013. (AP)
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Michael Lerner, ‘Barton Fink’ Oscar Nominee, Dies at 81

Michael Lerner appears at the opening night of Bette Midler in "I'll Eat You at Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers" at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles on Dec. 5, 2013. (AP)
Michael Lerner appears at the opening night of Bette Midler in "I'll Eat You at Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers" at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles on Dec. 5, 2013. (AP)

Michael Lerner, the Brooklyn-born character actor who played a myriad of imposing figures in his 60 years in the business, including monologuing movie mogul Jack Lipnick in “Barton Fink,” the crooked club owner Bugsy Calhoun in “Harlem Nights” and an angry publishing executive in “Elf” has died. He was 81.

His nephew, actor Sam Lerner, announced his death in an Instagram post Sunday. Sam Lerner wrote that his uncle died Saturday but did not provide further details. Neither his nor Michael Lerner’s representatives immediately responded to requests for further comment.

“He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy,” Sam Lerner wrote. “Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was — in the best way...we’re all lucky we can continue to watch his work for the rest of time. RIP Michael, enjoy your unlimited Cuban cigars, comfy chairs, and endless movie marathon.”

Born in 1941 to Romanian-Jewish parents and raised in Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood, Michael Lerner began acting locally as a teen and into his days at Brooklyn College, where he got the chance to play Willie Loman in “Death of a Salesman.”

His ambitions to pursue acting professionally crystalized when he received a Fulbright Scholarship and chose to study theater at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, where he lived in an apartment with Yoko Ono for a time, appearing in her short film “Smile” alongside Paul McCartney. His brother, Ken Lerner, also became an actor.

Lerner moved to Los Angeles in 1969, at the urging of an agent who saw his work at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. He started getting cast in television shows, including “M(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H,” “The Brady Bunch” and “The Rockford Files,” making his film debut in Paul Mazursky’s “Alex in Wonderland,” alongside Charlotte Rampling. But he considered his first significant role to be in the television movie “Ruby and Oswald” (he played Jack Ruby) with Brian Dennehy.

In 1981, he was cast in Bob Rafelson’s remake of “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” alongside Jack Nicholson, who he called one of the most generous actors he'd ever worked with, and Jessica Lange. A longtime cigar aficionado, Lerner felt out of his depths when he was asked to smoke a cigarette in a scene with Nicholson in a jail. Lerner said he held the cigarette with both hands.

He felt more comfortable playing cigar-smoking journalist and politician Pierre Salinger in “Missiles of October,” for which Jackie Kennedy once told him that he’d “out Pierre’d Pierre.”

Lerner also loved working with John Sayles on “Eight Men Out,” in which he played Arnold Rothstein, the crime boss who conspired to fix the 1919 World Series.

“Most of the time I don’t rehearse, but I do a lot of preparation. Especially for a biographical character or one of the studio heads,” he said in 2016. “I did a lot of research for Barton Fink and looked into Louis B. Mayer and all the moguls in Hollywood.”

Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Barton Fink,” released in 1991, is the film Lerner is most remembered for.

“I had auditioned for Joel and Ethan before, for Miller’s Crossing. So I walked into the room, as the character, and I don’t say hello to anybody. And I sit down behind my desk and do this big speech: ‘Bart! Bart! So great to see you,’” Lerner said in 2016. “I did the monologue the way I wanted to do it and I just walked out of the room and that was it. And Joel and Ethan were just sitting in a corner just laughing and laughing and that was it.”

Lerner, who drew inspiration from Preston Sturges movies, said the Coens didn’t give him much acting direction and “were a little nervous that I was talking so fast” but that they let him do what he wanted.

The role got him his first and only Oscar nomination, but in 1992, the Academy Award for supporting actor went to Jack Palance for “City Slickers.”

The Coens called him years later to do a cameo in “A Serious Man.”

Lerner also said he was frequently recognized for his turns in Eddie Murphy’s “Harlem Nights” and “Elf,” as Fulton Greenway. He also played Cher's father in the television spinoff of “Clueless.”

In the late 90s, he was excited to get a chance to work with Woody Allen on the film “Celebrity,” but it turned into a terrible experience, he said in a 2016 interview.

Lerner also appeared in several bigger blockbusters over the years, including “Godzilla” as Mayor Ebert, “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” as Senator Brickman, and “Mirror Mirror” as Baron.

“Those are good parts but not great acting roles,” Lerner said.

And he never felt cheated by being known as a “character actor” rather than a leading man. In 1999, in an interview with Cigar Aficionado, he said, simply, “Every role is a character role.”



Lady Gaga Leads 2025 MTV Video Music Awards Nominations, Followed by Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar

Lady Gaga. (AFP)
Lady Gaga. (AFP)
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Lady Gaga Leads 2025 MTV Video Music Awards Nominations, Followed by Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar

Lady Gaga. (AFP)
Lady Gaga. (AFP)

Abracadabra, feel the beat under your feet — Lady Gaga is back on top.

The “Mayhem” musician tops the 2025 the MTV Video Music Award nominations with 12, ending Taylor Swift's two-year run in the top spot.

Gaga is up for best collaboration, pop, direction, art direction, cinematography, editing, choreography, visual effects as well as song, video, album and artist of the year.

Rounding out the artist of the year category nominees announced Tuesday are Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Morgan Wallen and The Weeknd as well as Beyoncé and Swift. The latter two are especially noteworthy because the two pop powerhouses are tied for the title of most career total VMAs. Each have 30.

Beyoncé and Swift are only nominated in the artist of the year category at September's VMAs, so if one of them wins, they will become the most-awarded musician in VMA history.

Gaga is followed closely by Bruno Mars, with 11 nominations. Lamar has 10. Sabrina Carpenter and first-time nominee Blackpink’s ROSÉ are tied with eight; as are Ariana Grande and The Weeknd with seven. Billie Eilish has six. Charli xcx has five.

Bad Bunny, Doechii, Ed Sheeran, Jelly Roll, Miley Cyrus and Tate McRae boast four each.

The top prize of the night, video of the year, sees Gaga and Mars’ “Die With A Smile” go up against Grande’s “Brighter Days Ahead,” Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” ROSÉ and Mars’ “APT.”, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild,” and The Weeknd, and Playboi Carti’s “Timeless.”

The three-hour show will broadcast live on CBS on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Pacific, broadcast live from the UBS Arena just outside New York City. It will also simulcast on MTV and be available to stream on Paramount+. A one-hour live preshow will air across Paramount Media Networks.

CBS is home to a number of award shows, including the Tony Awards and the American Music Awards. It has aired the Grammys since 1973, though that show will head to ABC in 2027.

This year's Video Music Awards features 33 first-time nominees, which include Alex Warren, Blake Shelton, Brent Faiyaz, Gigi Perez, KATSEYE and Lainey Wilson. Mac Miller also became the first artist to get their first VMA nomination posthumously.

There are also two new categories this year, best country and best pop artist.

Fan voting began online Tuesday across 19 gender neutral categories and ends Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. Eastern.

Voting in the best new artist category will remain active during the show.