Ken Lerner

Ken Lerner is an American television, stage and film actor who is perhaps most famous for playing "Principal Flutie" in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), the heartless HMO lawyer in Chicago Hope (1994), Kurt Russell's lawyer in Unlawful Entry (1992) and Rocco Malachi in Happy Days (1974). Lerner was born in Brooklyn, New York and graduated from Brooklyn College . He is the father of actor Sam Lerner and the brother of actor Michael Lerner. Ken Lerner is well known for playing funny characters like the agent Arnold Schwarzenegger stabs in the back with a pen in The Running Man (1987) and the attorney who yells to police "Don't shoot! I'm a lawyer!" in Unlawful Entry (1992). Lerner has appeared in more than 80 television shows and 44 movies. He has had recurring roles on such shows as Desperate Housewives (2004), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), Chicago Hope (1994), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) and Happy Days (1974). Lerner came to Hollywood and, almost immediately, was cast in the hit show _Happy Days_, in which he played three different characters, Rocco Malachi of the Malachi Brothers, Rocco Boruffi and Frankie Bing Bong. He also starred in Hot Tomorrows (1977), the award-winning American Film Institute student film debut of director Martin Brest. While working steadily as an actor, Ken was asked by his acting teacher Roy London to teach acting classes. He continued in that role until London's death in 1993. He now operates The Ken Lerner Studio, which offers cold reading and scene study classes and frequent free public seminars in which directors, casting directors, managers, agents and publicists give advice to Ken's students and actors in the community at large. Ken's classes are somewhat unusual in that he himself steadily auditions and works as an actor and therefore can impart firsthand knowledge of what it is like in the audition room and on set. Lerner has done numerous notable and funny commercials, including Kitchenaid's "Through the Years" series, the award-winning Federal Express "Gotcha," Visa's "Bill Fight," Imodium's "Carpoo,l" and the award-winning Mars' Snickers "Optometrist," for which Lerner won the Best Actor award of The Association of Independent Commercial Directors. Lerner also has starred in plays at the Pasadena Playhouse, at Garry Marshall's Falcon Theater and at various other venues in Los Angeles and New York City. Lerner teaches seminars for the Screen Actors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, for Backstage West's Actorfest and at colleges and universities as a visiting lecturer as well as coaches in person and via Skype. Lerner is frequently called upon by networks, production companies and studios including Disney, ABC, NBC and CBS to privately coach actors for pilots movies and television. Among the actors Ken has taught or coached are Famke Janssen, Sheena Easton, Lisa Edelstein, Mitchel Musso, Nicollette Sheridan, Emily Procter, Dayanara Torres, Christa Miller, Adrienne Wilkinson, Creed Bratton, Byron Mann, Freddie Prinze Jr., Lou Ferrigno, Armin Shimerman, Mike Ditka, Dick Butkus, Sandra Hess, Costas Mandylor, Elizabeth Berkley, Jason Gould and Michael Trucco. Ken also works with motivational speakers, psychologists and lawyers seeking to present a more animated, interesting and professional image.