Lerner was born May 8, 1927, in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania to Nacham and Goldie (Levine) Lerner. Murray's father left the family shortly after his birth. He was raised by his mother in
Brooklyn,
New York, where he graduated from high school. Lerner attended
Harvard University on a full scholarship. He helped start a film production society at Harvard and began teaching himself the art of filmmaking. Lerner graduated from Harvard in 1947 with a degree in Poetry. The filmmaker's break-through was the 1967 documentary
Festival! which featured highlights from the
Newport Folk Festival in 1963 through 1966. The film, nominated for an Oscar in 1968, captured performances by folk and blues icons such as
Bob Dylan,
Joan Baez,
Donovan,
Peter, Paul & Mary,
Howlin' Wolf,
Mississippi John Hurt, and
Son House. Lerner filmed the
Isle of Wight Festival 1970 in England in its entirety, with seven crews. After the promoters declared bankruptcy, Lerner fought a four-year battle in the British courts, eventually winning the rights to his footage. The film was preserved by the
Academy Film Archive in 2000. ==Death==