Yup. I totally agree. Actors like Lerner work constantly and go their entire careers without a moment of recognition from their peers. A quick glance over his IMDB reveals he picked up nominations for Barton Fink (and a LAFCA win), a Gotham nomination for being included in the ensemble for Todd Solondz's Life During Wartime, and a couple of nominations for some film called American Bred which I've never heard of. The guy was basically in three things a year for half a century. It's nice he got to put on a tux and get a round of applause from his peers at least once.dws1982 wrote
His nomination for Barton Fink is one of my random favorites, not because the performance itself is a favorite (need to watch the movie again, and may do so today since I am off work), but because he is the exact type of actor who I want to see nominated in the supporting categories. I know John Goodman was the favorite of most people in Barton Fink, and he might be mine as well on the rewatch, but Lerner is the kind of actor who generally works year after year after decade after decade and only once or twice gets a role that would bring him major attention.
On a personal note, I met him once about ten years ago. A friend of mine shot a Funny or Die sketch that he was in. It was a weird little sketch. He didn't get the humor. To be fair, nobody did. Funny or Die basically buried the sketch and moved on. I was an extra on the set for the sole purpose of meeting him. I hung out with him as he ate lunch. I wish I remembered more of our meeting but he seemed distracted and a little tired. To be honest, I'm surprised he made it another ten years because dude did not look healthy. I asked him about Barton Fink and he said "Those guys are just geniuses... geniuses..." He was talking about getting the rights to some play. I vaguely recall him trying to get a project where he would play Meyer Lansky off the ground but I might be misremembering. I remember him saying a few times "I just need a great part." I left that day feeling a little bit of sympathy for him.
Other personal note, my grandfather's three favorite films of all time were The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, and Barton Fink. I've never understood his love for that film. I would always ask him "Are you sure you get it, Pop?" It just made him roar with laughter. Every minute with Michael Lerner just killed him.
Anyway, rest in peace, Michael Lerner.