- Has a longstanding feud with Steven Seagal going back to the troubled production of Today You Die (2005). When Seagal was approached for a role in the first Expendables film, he declined because of Lerner's involvement despite liking the script and the cast.
- Best known as a producer of low-budget action films.
- Frugal Reputation: He is known for extreme cost-saving measures, once suggesting that an Oscar-winning star like Diane Keaton should drive herself to set in a budget rental car to save money.
- Military Background: Before Hollywood, Lerner was a paratrooper in the Israeli military. He fought in the 1967 Six-Day War, participating in the battle for Rafah, and served as a reservist in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
- A "Favorite Mistake": While his career is built on profitable action films, he considers the 2001 Holocaust drama The Grey Zone his "favorite mistake"-it was the only film he and his partners made knowing beforehand it would not make any money.
- Bulgarian Studio Owner: Much of his modern action output is filmed in Bulgaria at Nu Boyana Film Studios, a massive facility he actually owns.
- Drive-In Beginnings: His entry into the film industry was as a manager of Israel's first drive-in cinema in Tel Aviv. He later worked as a projectionist in South Africa.
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