Kenneth Lerner (born May 27, 1948) is an American television, stage and film actor. He is known for playing
Principal Flutie in the first episodes of the
television seriesBuffy the Vampire Slayer, and earlier roles on Happy Days, along with numerous film and television guest-starring roles.
Early life
Lerner was born in
Brooklyn, New York, of
Romanian-Jewish descent. He is the youngest of three sons of Blanche and George Lerner, who was a fisherman and antiques dealer.[1] His brother was actor
Michael Lerner.
Career
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Lerner is typically
typecast as whiny or unlucky characters, including an agent who is stabbed in the back with a pen by
Arnold Schwarzenegger's character Ben Richards in The Running Man. One of his first roles was as one of the Malachi Brothers in the television series Happy Days in 1975–76.
In 2011, Lerner was seen in an American nationally televised commercial for
Wells Fargo Bank. In late 2013, Lerner starred in a commercial for
T-Mobile USA. In 2016, Lerner played a small role as a corrupt business manager named Arthur in the
HBO television series Silicon Valley.[2] Lerner plays a recurring role on the series The Goldbergs, on which his son
Sam Lerner stars.
Selected filmography
1975–1983 Happy Days as Frankie / Rocco Malachi / Rocco Baruffi (10 episodes)