| |
|---|---|
| Diki Lerner | |
| Credits | |
| Role | Make-up Man |
| Biographical Information | |
| Full Name | Richard Daniel Lerner |
| Birthdate | May 30, 1931 |
| Birthplace | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Death Date | January 20, 2014 (age 82) |
| Death Place | Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, United States |
Diki Lerner portrayed the Make-up Man in the fifth season episode, "Going Ape" (1969).
Biography[]
Diki Lerner was an American actor and dancer. He was born Richard Daniel Lerner on May 30, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois.
At the age of 9, Diki began his studies in dance with Bernice Holmes in Chicago. He then moved to the West Coast with his family as a young teen where he continued his career appearing in dance concerts, while finishing high school at John Marshall in Los Feliz, California. He pursued his studies with the theatre group "The Players Ring".
He made his professional debut at the age of 18 in the Civic Light Opera production of Oscar Straus's classic operetta The Chocolate Soldier. He then performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Johann Strauss's operetta Die Fledermaus and other stage productions. His work and studies took him to Paris, France, where he danced with David Lichine in "Ballet de la Ville". Upon his return to the United States, he soon discovered he was too small to pursue his career as a classical dancer. Taking advantage of his height, he began to make stars shine through dance and perform character roles in film and television.
Gene Kelly first discovered him as a dancer in Vincente Minnelli's 1951 musical film An American In Paris and brought him into motion pictures, where Lerner quickly demonstrated his talent, first landing the tango solo "Gotta Dance!" with Gene Kelly in Stanley Donen's 1952 musical film Singing in the Rain. DIki Lerner also appeared with French-born actress and dancer, Leslie Caron, in Charles Walters's 1953 Lili, where he played the lively puppet "Carrot Top."
Other films in which Lerner appeared as a dancer include Roy Rowland's 1953 The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., Gene Kelly's 1956 Invitation to the Dance, and José Ferrer's 1962 State Fair. Later, he also appeared as a dancer in television film for children like Paul Bogart's 1958 Hansel and Gretel, and Vincent J. Donehue's 1960 Peter Pan.
Besides dancing, Diki Lerner expanded his film career with character roles such as Jorgy in the Fred F. Sears's 1959 Sky Commando and JoJo, the one-armed man, in Billy Wilder' 1963 Irma La Douce. He continued to work with stars throughout his career, such as George Montgomery in his 1964 film Guerillas in Pink Lace, Elvis Presley in John Rich's 1967 Easy Come, Easy Go, and even co-starring with Barbara Eden in a Las Vegas show. He was asked to be the opening act at Frank Sinatra's club Cal Neva. He also played minor roles in such television series as Paris Precinct, Thriller, The Beverly Hillbillies, and I Spy.
Diki Lerner died on January 20, 2014 in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. He was 82.
Sources[]
- Diki Lerner on the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on April 2, 2025. Updated on April 18, 2025.
- Richard D. "Diki" Lerner obituary, Los Angeles Times via Legacy.com, April 20, 2014. Retrieved on April 2, 2025. Updated on April 18, 2025.