Born and raised in Beverly Hills, California, Lerman's desire to act was ignited after seeing a Jackie Chan movie at age 2 1/2. After the movie, he announced to his mother that he was going to be an actor. Shortly after making his decision, Lerman landed an agent at the age of 4 and booked two commercials back-to-back, earning his SAG card in the process.

Lerman made his feature film debut playing William, Mel Gibson's youngest son in The Patriot. His next role was in the feature film Riding in Cars With Boys. His performance caught the attention of the producers of the CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie A Painted House, and they cast Lerman in the starring role. Lerman's most recent performance in The Butterfly Effect was critically acclaimed.

--The WB