Oscar nominee Michael Lerner, ‘Barton Fink,’ ‘Elf’ actor, dead at 81

Michael Lerner, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in “Barton Fink” and played diverse character roles in film and on television, died Saturday. He was 81.

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Lerner’s death was announced in an Instagram post by his nephew, Sam Lerner, according to The Hollywood Reporter. No cause of death was given.

“We lost a legend last night. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Sam Levine wrote. “His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special.”

In addition to 1991′s “Barton Fink,” which earned him an Oscar nomination for best men’s supporting actor, Michael Lerner had memorable roles in “Harlem Nights,” “Elf,” “Eight Men Out,” “National Lampoon’s Class Reunion,” “Blank Check,” “The Beautician and the Beast,” “The Mod Squad,” “Godzilla,” “Poster Boy” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” according to IMDb.com.

His last feature credit came in 2015 with “Ashby,” Variety reported.

On television, Michael Lerner appeared on “Clueless” and “Glee,” according to Deadline. He also played White House press secretary Pierre Salinger in the 1974 telefilm “The Missiles of October” and was played Jack Ruby in the 1978 drama, “Ruby and Oswald,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Lerner appeared on television on “The Doris Day Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “M*A*S*H,” according to CNN.

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