Michael Lerner’s Nephew Sam Lerner Announces Death of ‘Brilliant’ Uncle with Touching Tribute

Michael Lerner's nephew, "The Goldbergs" star Sam Lerner wrote over the weekend how lucky he was to have spent so much time with his "brilliant" uncle, who died on Saturday. The younger actor stated that his uncle's inspiring stories made him "fall in love with acting."

"He was the coolest, most confidence, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special," Sam Lerner said of Michael Lerner. He said that everyone who knew the star of the "Clueless" TV show "knows how insane he was - in the best way."

Sam's co-star on his ABC show, Wendi McLendon-Covey, wrote her condolences in the comments. "So sorry, Sam. A legend for sure," Grant Gustin said.

Fans remembered Michael's Oscar-nominated turn in "Barton Fink," one tweeting, "RIP Michael Lerner. I was thinking about Barton Fink the other day."

He told AV Club in 2016 that the classic part "moved" him.

"The scene where he abuses Lou is both hilarious and quite disturbing, which tells you a lot about the quality of his performance, " another wrote.

TV writer Craig Thomas said that Michael's portrayal of a studio boss in the Coen brothers film taught him everything he needed to know about Hollywood a decade before he moved to the area:

"Hilarious yet rooted in something real...thanks for a screen turn I'll never forget..."

"Michael Lerner had a ton of significant roles, but I'll always love him as the mayor from my favorite Godzilla movie (and the best one, go argue with yourself), " a fan tweeted Monday.

Michael Lerner Did Not Plan on Becoming an Actor

At 18, Michael was cast as the lead in Brooklyn College's production of "Death Of A Salesman." He told AV Club in 2016 that the classic part "moved" him. The New Yorker traded in his plans of being an English professor to become an actor.

His drama training at Berkley's graduate school and additional studies in London on a Fulbright scholarship helped got the actor an invite to the American Conservatory Theatre, where an agent noticed him.

Michael, who died at 81, had over 180 movie and TV credits and a prolific stage career. Eddie Murphy courted the character actor "like crazy" to take one of his many villain roles as Bugsy Calhoun in "Harlem Nights."

He was in TV staples like "The Brady Bunch," "M*A*S*H," and "Law & Order: SUV." Younger audiences will remember the star as a Broadway investor opposite Lea Michele in the penultimate season of "Glee."