Jewish Sopranos actor Jerry Adler dies aged 96

Another Jewish role and arguably his most famous was Herman 'Hesh' Rabkin in The Sopranos, a retired music producer with ties to the Italian mob.

He only began acting in his 60s. His first role was in Woody Allen’s Manhattan Murder Mystery and later  films included In Her Shoes and A Most Violent Year. 

Adler was a student in 1950 when his father, Philip, then the general manager of the Group Theater working on the Carol Channing musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, offered him a job as assistant stage manager. He had a long career backstage in theatre before making his acting debut. 

He directed the 1976 remake of My Fair Lady and earned a Drama Desk Award nomination.

In 2017 he told an interviewer: “You know what’s interesting? You spend your whole career backstage. Nobody knows who you are or even knows your name. They don’t know anything about you. And then you do a television show and suddenly you’re a celebrity and everyone knows your face. It’s so weird.”

Adler's family announced that he died at home in New York.

Adler’s friend Frank J Reilly, posted a tribute on X: “The great actor, my friend Jerry Adler died today at the age of 96.

"You know him from one of his iconic roles had from many of his guest appearances. Not bad for a guy who didn’t start acting until he was 65”
Robert King, co-creator and showrunner of legal drama The Good Wife  tweeted: “Jerry Adler died yesterday. The intent was only to have him for one episode of The Good Wife, but he was so funny in a diner scene, yelling “I said ice cream, you stupid bitch” we had him back for six years of Good Wife and three years of Good Fight. One of our favorite collaborators.”

He is survived by his wife, Joan Laxman.