Veteran actor Jerry Adler, known for his roles in The Sopranos and The Good Wife, has died, aged 96.
News of the actor’s death was announced by his family, who were with the actor in New York.
Adler didn’t start performing until his early sixties, 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.
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 credits in the wake of The Sopranos included legal drama The Good Wife, with him playing law partner Howard Lerman, and sitcom Broad City.
Adler also starred as the father of Jeffrey Tambor’s Maura Pfefferman in Jill Soloway’s Prime Video series Transparent.
His film credits included 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.
Sopranos fans are paying tribute to Adler in their droves.
“Hesh brought such a unique element to The Sopranos,” one wrote, adding that he “gave the show an extra layer of charm”.
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Others called Hesh their “favourite side character”, with another viewer writing: “RIP to a New York legend.”
Adler started out in theatre production in the 1950s, working on many Broadway shows. He was stage manager of the original 1956 production of My Fair Lady, which starred Julie Andrews.
Speaking about his late-stage career transition, Adler said in 2017: “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 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.
