Roots in Theater
Jerry Adler, who died peacefully on Saturday at age 96, spent the first decades of his career working behind the scenes. Born into a theater family—his father, Philip Adler, managed Broadway productions, and his cousin Stella Adler was a legendary acting coach—he began as an assistant stage manager while attending Syracuse University.
Over the years, Adler contributed to 53 Broadway productions as a stage manager, director, and producer, working with iconic performers such as Julie Andrews, Richard Burton, and Marlene Dietrich. He left Broadway during its decline in the 1980s, after decades of shaping major productions.
Discovering Acting Later in Life
Adler considered his career plateaued when casting director Donna Isaacson encouraged him to audition for the 1992 film The Public Eye. Director Howard Franklin was struck by his performance, and Adler soon embarked on a new chapter as an actor.
He appeared on Northern Exposure and became widely known as Hesh Rabkin on The Sopranos, a role initially meant as a small cameo that expanded into a recurring character across all six seasons. Adler also played Howard Lyman in The Good Wife and appeared in Rescue Me, Transparent, Mad About You, The West Wing, and Broad City. His film work included Woody Allen’s Manhattan Murder Mystery.
Later Career and Legacy
Even after finding television fame, Adler returned to Broadway as a performer in Elaine May’s Taller Than a Dwarf (2000) and Larry David’s Fish in the Dark (2015). “I think retirement is a road to nowhere,” he once said, emphasizing his passion for performing.
In 2023, Adler published his memoir, Too Funny for Words: Backstage Tales from Broadway, Television, and the Movies. He and his wife, Joan Laxman, had recently relocated back to New York from Connecticut. He is survived by four daughters.
Reflecting on his unexpected career path, Adler remarked, “I thought I was too goofy-looking to act. But now I’m immortal.”
