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Jerry Adler, who started his career on Broadway behind the stage and later shone in series such as “The Sopranos”, “The Good Wife” and “Rescue Me”, died on Saturday at the age of 96. This confirmed relatives in a message about the Riverside Memorial Chapel.
Early career on Broadway
Although Adler’s career in front of the camera only started in his early 60s, he left lasting impressions. In “The Sopranos” he embodied Herman “Hesh” Rabkin, the Consigliere by Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). In “The Good Wife” he played the rough lawyer partner Howard Lyman, and he also played a recurring role in “Rescue Me” as deputy fire chief Sidney Feinberg.
Adler was born on February 4, 1929 in Brooklyn, New York. He found his way to show business through his father Philip, who was General Manager of the Group Theater. Already in 1950 he got a job at “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” with Carol Channing.
In the following years he worked his way up- first as a stage and production manager, later as a director. His stations included the re -performance of “Of Thee I Sing” (1952) with Jack Carson, “My Fair Lady” (1956) with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison and “The Apple Tree” (1966) with Alan Alda. In total, he participated in over 50 Broadway productions.
Change to the camera
Adler was also active behind the scenes on television, including as a stage manager for soap operators such as “Santa Barbara”. At the age of 62, in 1992 he gave his film debut alongside Joe Pesci in “The Public Eye”-after he had already had a guest appearance in the CBS sitcom “Brooklyn Bridge” in 1991.
This was followed by roles in popular series such as “Quantum Leap”, “Northern Exposure”, “The West Wing”, “Mad about You”, “Curb Your enthusiasm”, “Transparent” and “Broad City”. In “The Sopranos” he remained present as Hesh until the end of the sixth season.
Film roles and recognition
His film appearances included Woody Allen’s “Manhattan Murder Mystery” (1993), “Getting Away with Murder” (1996), “In Her Shoes” (2005), “Synecdoche, New York” (2008) and “A Most Violent Year” (2014).
Colleague Steven van Zandt, sopranos actor and guitarist of the E Street Band by Bruce Springsteen, honored Adler with the words: “Rip Jerry Adler. It was an honor to work with you. Good trip, my friend.”
In an interview with the “Connecticut Post” 2017, Adler reflected on his late career: “Do you know what is interesting? You spend your whole life behind the stage, nobody knows the name, nobody knows something about you. And then you do a TV series, and suddenly you are a star and everyone can see the face. It is so strange.”