Born in Brooklyn, he grew up around the theatre world. His father worked in the industry, which gave Adler his first big break. That break turned into more than 50 Broadway productions.
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When most people think about chasing their dreams, they imagine doing it young. Jerry Adler proved that it’s never too late. The actor, who became a familiar face on television thanks to ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Good Wife’, has died at the age of 96. His family confirmed that he “passed peacefully in his sleep” on Saturday.
Adler’s path to fame was far from ordinary. For decades, he wasn’t on the stage but behind it, helping others shine. Born in Brooklyn, he grew up around the theatre world. His father worked in the industry, which gave Adler his first big break. That break turned into more than 50 Broadway productions where he served as stage manager, supervisor, and director.
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His backstage career was nothing short of legendary. He stage managed the very first production of ‘My Fair Lady’ in 1956, guiding a young Julie Andrews as she stepped into her iconic role. He also worked on ‘Coco’ in 1969, which starred Hollywood royalty Katharine Hepburn as fashion designer Coco Chanel. Later, he helped supervise the original run of the much-loved musical ‘Annie’ in 1977 and ‘Camelot’ in 1980 with Richard Burton.
It wasn’t until his 60s, when most of his peers were preparing to retire, that Jerry Adler took a leap into acting. A friend phoned him about a small role in the 1992 film ‘The Public Eye’. He said yes, and never looked back.
Soon after, he appeared in Woody Allen’s ‘Manhattan Murder Mystery’ (1993) and ‘Getting Away with Murder’ (1996).
Then came the role that changed everything: Herman “Hesh” Rabkin in HBO’s ‘The Sopranos’. As the trusted advisor and longtime friend of mob boss Tony Soprano, Adler became a fan favorite.
But Adler’s television career didn’t end there. He went on to play Howard Lyman, a loud and often difficult law partner, in both ‘The Good Wife’ and its spin-off ‘The Good Fight’. He also appeared as fire chief Sidney Feinberg in ‘Rescue Me’.
Audiences may also remember him as Rabbi Alan Schulman in ‘Northern Exposure’ or the handyman Mr. Wicker in ‘Mad About You’. If you were a TV fan in the ’90s and 2000s, chances are you spotted him in something, even if it was just a guest role in ‘The West Wing’ or ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’.
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