Jerry Adler, the actor best known for late-career roles in “The Sopranos” and “The Good Wife” after a long backstage Broadway tenure, died Saturday. He was 96.
Adler’s death was announced Sunday by his family. His cause of death was not released.
Adler “was a fantastic actor and the kindest of human beings,” fellow “Sopranos” star Michael Imperioli wrote on social media. “I loved working and spending time with Jerry. A true class act. Much love to the family.”
Though most people would likely recognize Adler from his late career TV roles, the Brooklyn native had a full career on Broadway before ever appearing in front of the camera.
“I’m a creature of nepotism,” Adler told Theater Mania in 2015. “I got my first job when I was at Syracuse University and my father, the general manager of ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,’ called me [because] there was an opening for an assistant stage manager. I skipped school.”
On Broadway, Adler racked up 53 credits behind the stage, most often as a producer, director or stage manager. He didn’t appear on TV until 1991, when he popped into an episode of “Brooklyn Bridge.”
His most famous role followed eight years later, when he starred as Tony Soprano’s close advisor Hesh Rabkin. Adler appeared in 28 episodes of the award-winning show across its six seasons.
“When [showrunner] David [Chase] was going to do the pilot for ‘The Sopranos’ he called and asked me if I would do a cameo of Hesh,” Adler told the Jewish news outlet Forward in 2015. “It was just supposed to be a one-shot. But when they picked up the show they liked the character, and I would come on every fourth week.”
Following “The Sopranos,” Adler also picked up similarly recurring roles in “Rescue Me” and “The Good Wife,” where he starred as law partner Howard Lyman.
After proving his skills on the screen, Adler stepped in front of the curtain for two small Broadway roles as well, in “Taller Than a Dwarf” and “Fish in the Dark,” the latter of which was written by old friend Larry David.
“When Larry calls, you answer,” Adler told Theater Mania. “It was too funny to turn down. And, of course, I don’t work too much in this. When they say I’m on Broadway…I’m in a bed on Broadway.”
In 2024, Adler published a memoir, “Too Funny for Words: Backstage Tales from Broadway, Television and the Movies.” He is survived by his wife, Joan Laxman.
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