The demise of Michael Lerner, actor from 'Glee,' 'Law & Order,' 'Barton Fink'

He had more than 180 film and TV titles on his resume. Actor Michael Lerner died at the age of 81.

The sad news was announced by his nephew, the actor Sam Lerner, with a heartfelt message on Instagram.

"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 Lerner began his post.

Photo: @samlerner / Instagram

"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," said Sam Lerner.

In his lengthy goodbye to his uncle, Sam Lerner did not discuss the cause of Michael Lerner's death.

"Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was — in the best way," Lerner's nephew wrote. "I'm so lucky I got to spend so much time with him, and we're all lucky we can continue to watch his work for the rest of time."

"RIP Michael, enjoy your unlimited Cuban c i g a r s, comfy chairs, and endless movie marathon," Sam Lerner's statement concluded.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Michael Lerner had acting talent in his genes. His brother Ken, Sam's father, is also an actor.

Michael Lerner's acting career began in the late 1960s, although it wasn't until the 1970s and 1980s that he began to make a name for himself. He appeared in episodes of the best series of the moment.

Productions like 'The Brady Bunch', 'Three's a Crowd', 'M.A.S.H.' and 'Hill Street Blues' were among the first titles of his spectacular filmography.

In parallel to his work on television, Michael Lerner grew his career in cinema. He debuted in 1970 with 'Alex in Wonderland' alongside Donald Sutherland.

From there, he would make films to remember, such as 'The Candidate' (1972) with Robert Redford and 'The Postman Always Rings Twice' (1981, image) with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange.

A career milestone came in 1991 when he gave life to film producer Jack Lipnick in 'Barton Fink.' Michael Lerner's performance was directed by the Coen brothers.

His performance earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He would lose out to Jack Palance ('City Slickers') but the nomination in itself was a great honor. 'Barton Fink' is a memorable film thanks to Michael Lerner's performance in it.

In the 21st century, Michael Lerner continued working until his last days. He played in films like 'Elf' (2003) and 'A Serious Man' (2009), for example.

In the photo: Lerner with the rest of the cast of 'Yonkers Joe,' a film from 2008.

He also starred in series like 'Glee', 'Entourage, and 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.'