From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Irving Lerner (7 March 1909, New York City - 25 December 1976, Los Angeles) Before becoming a filmmaker, Lerner was a research editor for Columbia University's Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, getting his start in film by making documentaries for the anthropology department. He then made films for the Rockefeller Foundation and other academic institutions, later becoming a film editor and second-unit director involved with the emerging American