R.I.P Michael Lerner (1 Viewer)

[Alex...]

Michael Lerner Dies: ‘Glee,’ ‘Clueless’ & ‘Barton Fink’ Oscar-Nominated Actor Was 81

Michael Lerner, an actor who appeared in television shows like Clueless and Glee and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Barton Frink, has died. He was 81 years old. Lerner died Saturday eve…

deadline.com

 

[Angelo Colombus]

He gave a great performance in Barton Fink. Rest in Peace.

 

[Matt Hough]

I was saddened to read of his passing when I logged on tonight. He was wonderful in Barton Fink and always effective in anything I saw him do. Rest well.

 

[Wiseguy]

He appeared in the 90-minute Rockford Files pilot, a two-part episode in the first season and an hour episode in the third season playing different characters.

 

[Jeffrey D]

He was in a good early series episode of M*A*S*H- For Want Of A Boot. He was also the mean executive in Elf. RIP, Michael.

 

[Malcolm R]

RIP, Mayor Ebert (Godzilla (1998))

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Loved Mr. Lerner as an actor. I encountered him once in person. In the late 1980s I joined a pop rock band a friend of mine started and we went to New York to shoot a video for MTV. We all piled into a van and headed for the city and of course being young, crazy, and in a band...we were drinking and doing other things on the ride down. By the time we got to New York I was in a super intoxicated and exhausted state from all the activity in the van, we brought women with us as well, and so I passed out in the make-up chair as they were "creating my look" for the video.

I woke up in the chair sitting in front of a big mirror and did not even recognize myself. My face was covered in various colors of make-up. blues, greens, pinks and what not. My short hair was gone and they had put some sort of insane hairpiece on me so my hair was at least a foot tall in front with extensions in the back so I had this sort of wacky mullet thing happening. I thought it was some other person that was sitting there staring at me. I believe I yelled "Mother of shit!" thinking I was looking at this other guy...but no, it was me. They had left me in the make-up room to sleep it off and I was fairly shocked when I woke-up. Being fairly out of it I wandered out of the room, found an elevator, took it to the ground floor and wandered out into the New York night, trying to sort out what was going on. I walked in a daze down the street, in this crazy make-up and some kind of shiny leather-like outfit that probably would have made Jim Morrison blush.

It started to drizzle rain probably making me appear to be some kind of melting man. I found myself on a corner and looked into a big window which appeared to be a restaurant and much to my surprise, sitting at the table in this window was a man I recognized. Still a bit wasted I stood there and stared at him, my mouth likely hanging open, colored make-up running down my face, and my hair, or really the hair they added to my head, drooping sadly from the rain.

I knew that I knew this man but could not quite figure out who he was. Then he must have felt me staring at him and he turned from the woman that was sitting with him and looked out the window, the pane of glass all that separated us. He jerked back in his seat in horror and then his mouth dropped open as he stared back at me. The woman with him also staring nervously at me.

And this was my first and only encounter with Michael Lerner. I always thought that if I met him again, I would be able to bring that story up to him and see if he recalled the moment. I never did meet him again though.