Michael Alan Lerner is a French-American screenwriter, director, and journalist.

Early life and education

Lerner was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. He attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in History and Literature.

Journalism

Upon graduating, Lerner was hired by ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...

'' magazine as a staff writer. He later joined ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' magazine. Lerner covered a variety of conflicts around the globe, including the war in LebanonNEW YORK TIMES Film: Hostage taking, war and media control
/ref> and the fall of apartheid in South Africa. His freelance work has appeared in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' magazine, ''

The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper printed from 1987 to 2016, when it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainmen ...

'' and ''

GOOD Magazine GOOD Worldwide Inc., is a United States-based company with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle that reports on businesses and non-profits. GOOD produces a website, a quarterly magazine, online videos, and events. Content covered include ...

''.

Film

1990s

Lerner co-wrote (with

Daphna Kastner Daphna Kastner (born April 17, 1961) is a Canadian film and television actress, screenwriter, and film director. She is married to American actor Harvey Keitel. Personal life She and Harvey Keitel secretly married in Jerusalem, while attending ...

) the 1997 film '' French Exit'', starring

Jonathan Silverman Jonathan Elihu Silverman (born August 5, 1966) is an American actor, known for his roles in the comedy films ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'', ''Weekend at Bernie's'', and its sequel '' Weekend at Bernie's II''. Early life and education Silverman wa ...

and

Mädchen Amick Mädchen Elaina Amick ( ; born December 12, 1970) is an American actress and television director. She is known for her starring role as Shelly Johnson on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991), its prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire ...

2000s

Lerner wrote and co-directed (with

Ludi Boeken Ludi Boeken (born 1951 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch film producer, director and actor. His daughter, Julia Levy-Boeken, is an actress. Biography He was born in Amsterdam. He attended the London Film School from 1970 to 1973, and Tel Aviv University f ...

) the 2005 war thriller '' Deadlines'', starring

Anne Parillaud Anne Parillaud (; born 6 May 1960) is a French actress who has been active since 1977. She is best known internationally for playing the title character in Luc Besson's film ''La Femme Nikita''. Biography Parillaud was born in Paris. While in ...

and

Stephen Moyer Stephen Moyer (born Stephen John Emery; 11 October 1969) is an English film and television actor who is best known as vampire Bill Compton in the HBO series ''True Blood''. His first television role was in 1993 as Philip Masefield in the TV ad ...

, which fictionalized his experiences as a war correspondent in Beirut. The film won numerous festival awards, including ''Best International Film'' at the 2005

Santa Barbara Film Festival The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California since 1986. The festival boasts screenings of over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. SBIFF al ...

, ''Prix Tournage'' at the 2004

Avignon Film Festival The Avignon Film Festival (created 1984), also known as the Avignon/New York Film Festival or Rencontres Cinématographiques Franco-Américain d'Avignon, took place every year in Avignon, France along with a twin film festival organised in New Yo ...

and ''Best Film'' at the 2004 Geneva Film Festival.

2010s

Lerner was hired to write the $16 million budget 2012 Russian war film ''

August Eighth ''August Eighth'' (russian: «Август. Восьмого», translit. ''Avgust. Vosʹmogo'') is a 2012 Russian action war film about the 2008 August War. It was produced and directed by Dzhanik Fayziev. Background The film tells the s ...

'' for director Dzhanic Fayziev. Lerner’s next film, co-written with

Oren Moverman Oren Moverman ( he, אורן מוברמן; born July 4, 1966) is an Israeli-American Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, film director, and Emmy Award-winning film producer. He has directed the films '' The Messenger'', ''Rampart'', '' Time O ...

, was the 2014 drama '' Love & Mercy'', a biopic about the life and times of

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

. The film stars

Paul Dano Paul Franklin Dano (; born June 19, 1984) is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway before making his film debut in ''The Newcomers'' (2000). He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in '' L.I.E. ...

John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays '' Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his o ...

Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perf ...

, and

Paul Giamatti Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (; born June 6, 1967) is an American actor and film producer. He first garnered attention for his breakout role in '' Private Parts'' as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton, leading to supporting roles in ''Saving Private R ...

. The film was produced by

River Road Entertainment River Road Entertainment is an American independent film production company founded in 1987 by Bill Pohlad, who is also the company's president. It is based in Los Angeles and Minneapolis. Films produced by River Road include ''12 Years A Slav ...

Filmography

Personal life

Lerner is the son of the Broadway playwright and lyricist

Alan Jay Lerner Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatr ...

(of

Lerner & Loewe Lerner and Loewe refers to the partnership between lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe.Kenny, Ellen, and James M. Salem. “A Guide to Critical Reviews, Part II: The Musical from Rodgers-and-Hart to Lerner-and-L ...

) and French criminal attorney Micheline Muselli Pozzo Di Borgo.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lerner, Michael Alan Harvard University alumni American people of French descent Screenwriters from New York (state) American directors Journalists from New York City Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Writers from New York City