Unknown / Stephen Hanafin via Wikimedia Commons
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Jerry Adler, the veteran Broadway stage manager who reinvented himself late in life as a television and film actor — most memorably as Herman “Hesh” Rabkin on The Sopranos — has died at the age of 96. He was a resident of the Upper West Side, where he had lived since moving from Connecticut in 2017.
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His death, which occurred on Saturday in New York, was confirmed by Riverside Memorial Chapel.
Born in Brooklyn on February 4, 1929, Adler spent decades behind the curtain before stepping into the spotlight. According to The New York Times, he stage-managed, directed, or produced more than 50 Broadway shows, including working on the original production of My Fair Lady. In the 1980s, he relocated to California to be closer to his children and spent nearly a decade working on soap operas.
At 62, Adler landed his breakthrough acting role in The Public Eye (1992), portraying a gruff newspaper columnist opposite Joe Pesci. The performance sparked what Adler himself once described as a “lark” that turned into a full-fledged career. Directors gravitated to his Everyman quality, and roles soon followed.
He became a familiar face to television audiences, not only as Hesh Rabkin — a trusted adviser to Tony Soprano — but also as lawyer Howard Lyman on “The Good Wife” and fire chief Sidney Feinberg on “Rescue Me.”
Reflecting on his unexpected second act, Adler told The New York Times in 1992 that after years in the trenches of Broadway, he enjoyed the perks of acting: “They make you feel important,” he said of the hotel suites, trailers, and limousines.
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In 2017, Adler relocated to the Upper West Side from Woodbridge, Connecticut. At the time, he told the CT Post he was eager to return to the city he had long considered home.
Colleagues and fans alike have paid tribute. Steven Van Zandt, his co-star on The Sopranos, called it “such an honor working with you” and wished Adler well on his journey: “Travel well my friend.”
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