Jerry Adler, ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘Good Wife’ Star, Dies at 96

( Breitbart )

Veteran actor Jerry Adler, best known for his roles in The Sopranos and The Good Wife as well as Rescue Me, has died. He was 96.

The actor’s family made the public announcement of his passing on Saturday, noting he also served for many years as a Broadway director and stage manager before moving onto the public stage.

His friend, Frank J. Reilly, confirmed his death, writing in part 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.”

The Independent reports Adler didn’t start performing until his mid-60s, having worked behind-the-scenes on numerous Broadway productions, but he built up an extensive list of onscreen credits in the final 30 years of his life. The outlet detailed some of that journey, noting:

One of his first TV roles was Rabbi Alan Schulman in 1990s drama Northern Exposure, which was closely followed by a character that is considered his most memorable: Tony Soprano’s consigliere Herman “Hesh” Rabkin in HBO drama The Sopranos. As Hesh, Adler shared the majority of his scenes with lead star James Gandolfini across 51 episodes of the show from its premiere in 1999 to its 2007 finale. During this time, Adler also starred in firefighter drama Rescue Me, playing NYFD station chief Sidney Feinberg.

His film credits were equally broad, including Woody Allen comedy Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), comedy-drama In Her Shoes (2005) and A Most Violent Year (2014), starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain.

The Independent report noted Adler said in 2017 the transition from behind the curtain to center stage held its own surprises: “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 was born in Brooklyn, New York, on Feb. 4, 1929. He had been married to Joan Laxman since 1994.

His cousin was the famous acting coach Stella Adler, who taught stars including Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty and Robert De Niro.