Jerry Adler, the actor known for playing Hesh Rabkin in The Sopranos and Howard Lyman in The Good Wife, has died at the age of 96. He passed peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, according to a family announcement confirmed by the Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York. No cause of death was given.
Adler spent decades working behind the scenes on Broadway before turning to acting in his 60s. With 53 Broadway productions to his name as a stage manager, producer or director, he contributed to shows including the original My Fair Lady and worked with stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Julie Andrews and Richard Burton. He hailed from a theatre family; his father Philip Adler was a general manager, and his cousin Stella Adler was a legendary acting teacher.
Leaving Broadway during its 1980s slump, Adler moved to California and worked on television productions. His acting career began when a casting director friend encouraged him to audition for a role in the 1992 film The Public Eye. Early television work on David Chase's Northern Exposure led to a cameo on The Sopranos pilot, which turned into a recurring role across all six seasons.
Adler appeared in Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery and had guest spots on shows ranging from The West Wing to Broad City. He returned to Broadway onstage in Elaine May's Taller Than a Dwarf (2000) and Larry David's Fish in the Dark (2015). He published his memoir, Too Funny for Words, in 2023. Adler is survived by his wife Joan Laxman and four daughters.
