Jerry Adler

Early life

Jerome Elliott Adler was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on February 4, 1929, to Jewish parents Philip Adler (1905–1990) and Pauline "Polly" Goldberg (1906–2000). His father was a theater manager for dozens of Broadway and touring shows from the 1930s to the 1960s. He was general manager of the Group Theatre collective in New York and managed productions for Herman Levin and Alexander H. Cohen. Adler's great-uncle was Yiddish theater actor Jacob Pavlovich Adler, whose children Stella and Luther Adler were his cousins. He was raised in a Yiddish-speaking, observant Jewish household. Adler attended Samuel J. Tilden High School where he was president of the Dramatic Club, and Syracuse University.

Career

Influenced by his family, Adler began his theatre career as a stage manager in 1950, working on such productions as Of Thee I Sing and My Fair Lady before becoming a production supervisor for The Apple Tree, Black Comedy/White Lies, Dear World, Coco, 6 Rms Riv Vu, Annie, and I Remember Mama, among others. He made his directing debut with the 1974 Sammy Cahn revue Words and Music and also directed the 1976 revival of My Fair Lady, which garnered him a Drama Desk Award nomination, and the ill-fated 1981 musical The Little Prince and the Aviator. He also directed the 1976 play Checking Out. Other credits include Drat! The Cat!; a 1976 revival of Hellzapoppin starring Jerry Lewis; and Richard Rodgers' final musical, I Remember Mama. In addition to theater productions, he also worked on television.

Adler's first acting role was in 1991 in the television series Brooklyn Bridge. The following year, he appeared in the film The Public Eye. He began to receive several acting roles, including a role in the television series Northern Exposure as Alan Schulman, Joel Fleischman's old neighborhood rabbi seen in visions. David Chase, who worked as a screenwriter on the series, later created the drama series The Sopranos, in which he asked Adler to play Herman "Hesh" Rabkin, an associate of the DiMeo crime family. Adler played the role from 1999 to 2007, and is perhaps best known for it. He was also noted for his role as lawyer Howard Lyman on both The Good Wife and its spin-off series The Good Fight.

He also played Mr. Wicker on Mad About You, Bob Saget's character's father Sam Stewart on Raising Dad, and Lt. Al Teischler on Hudson Street. In addition, Adler appeared in an episode of The West Wing as Toby Ziegler's father, Jules Ziegler. Adler also appeared as the new chief Sidney Feinberg in the fourth season of FX's firefighter drama Rescue Me. He guest-starred as Eddie's father Al in season three and season four of 'Til Death. From 2017 to 2019, Adler played Moshe Pfefferman, the father of Jeffrey Tambor's character, on the Amazon series Transparent. In 2019, he portrayed Saul Horowitz on Broad City and Hillston on Living with Yourself with Paul Rudd.

His film screen credits include Manhattan Murder Mystery, In Her Shoes and Prime. In 2014, he starred as Joseph Mendelsohn in A Most Violent Year opposite Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac.

He first appeared on stage in 2000. He also acted in Larry David's Broadway play Fish in the Dark.

In 2024, Adler published a memoir titled Too Funny for Words: Backstage Tales from Broadway, Television and the Movies.

Death

Adler died at his home in Manhattan, New York City, on August 23, 2025, at the age of 96.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

References

1. Rose, Mike. (February 4, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for February 4, 2023 includes celebrities Alice Cooper, Natalie Imbruglia".
2. (August 24, 2025). "Jerry Adler, 'Sopranos' Actor Who Found Success Late in Life, Dies at 96". The New York Times.
3. Galvin, Shane. (August 24, 2025). "Jerry Adler, 'The Sopranos' actor and NY native, dead at 96". New York Post.
4. (March 16, 1926). "Marriage Licenses". [[Brooklyn Times-Union]].
5. (January 29, 1990). "Veteran Theater Manager Dead at 84". The Star Press.
6. "Jerry Adler Biography (1929-)".
7. (August 28, 2017). "Jerry Adler Is In Transitions -- And 'Transparent'".
8. Mindell, Cindy. (June 4, 2014). "The Sunshine Boys lights up Connecticut stage…with two veteran Jewish actors".
9. Schleier, Curt. (April 14, 2006). "Hollywood veteran keeping busy as Jewish 'Sopranos' mobster". [[j. (newspaper).
10. Funke, Lewis. (June 6, 1971). "News of the Rialto". The New York Times.
11. "'Sopranos' star Jerry Adler, Broadway backstage vet turned late-in-life actor, dies at 96".
12. Rizzo, Frank. "At 95, Jerry Adler of 'The Sopranos' shares stories of life on Broadway with Katharine Hepburn, Julie Andrews in new memoir". CT Insider.
13. (May 22, 2025). "The Sunshine Boys lights up Connecticut stage…with two veteran Jewish actors – Jewish Ledger".
14. Barnes, Mike. (August 23, 2025). "Jerry Adler, Actor on ''The Sopranos'', ''The Good Wife'' and ''Rescue Me'', Dies at 96".
15. Rizzo, Frank. (August 26, 2017). "Actor Jerry Adler, 88, makes another transition".
16. "Adler, Jerry 1929–".
17. Schleier, Curt. (March 25, 2015). "How Jerry Adler Became Hollywood's Go-To Jew".
18. "Hesh Rabkin".
19. Walcott, Escher. (August 24, 2025). "'Iconic' Actor Jerry Adler, Star of 'The Sopranos' and 'The Good Wife,' Dies at 96".
20. Oganesyan, Natalie. (August 23, 2025). "Jerry Adler Dies: 'The Sopranos' & 'The Good Wife' Actor Was 96".
21. Nicolaou, Elena. (September 27, 2019). "How Transparent TV Show Ends, Finale Explained".
22. Singer, Jenny. (March 4, 2019). "'Broad City' Had Holocaust Survivor Vape, Watch Drag".
23. Zaltzman, Lior. (October 30, 2019). "Paul Rudd's New Netflix Show Has an Icky Holocaust Scene".
24. Jones, Benidamika. (August 24, 2025). "When did Jerry Adler make his directing debut? Filmography and career highlights explored".
25. (March 25, 2015). "From Julie Andrews to Larry David: The Illustrious Career of Fish in the Dark's Jerry Adler".