Few actors could aspire to make such memorable marks on the worlds of film, television, and animation as early in their career as rising young star Sam Lerner, but after getting his start on the stage in productions of Annie, The Music Man, and Insect Show that's exactly what Lerner would do as his star began to ascend thanks to roles in Malcolm in the Middle, Envy, and Monster House.
His career launched thanks to a series of small roles in such popular sitcoms as Malcolm in the Middle, Two and a Half Man, Oliver Beene, and The King of Queens, Lerner was soon venturing into feature territory with a supporting role in the Ben Stiller/Jack Black comedy misfire Envy. Though that film would ultimately self-destruct at the American box office before going straight-to-video overseas, the failure had little to do with the performance of the young star, and it wasn't long before Lerner made an impressive come-back in 2006 with a key role in the box-office hit Monster House. Cast as a suburban adolescent who, along with his two best friends, is forced to do battle with a malevolent dwelling with a mind of its own, Lerner discovered just how large of a process computer animation could be when, after eight weeks of shooting, the film took an additional two before it hit the multiplex screens.
