Jerry Adler, the actor and director remembered for playing Hesh Rabkin in The Sopranos, has died at the age of 96.
The news was confirmed by his friend Frank J. Reilly on Saturday (August 23), who wrote 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.”
In the iconic HBO crime series, Adler played Herman ‘Hesh’ Rabkin, the mentor and consigliere-like figure to James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano, who would offer bluntly honest advice on family, business and the politics of the mob.
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. Check out his IMDb page. https://t.co/BeOLeEliOb pic.twitter.com/fnbB8soWy4
— Frank J. Reilly 🌻 (@FrankJReilly1) August 23, 2025
Elsewhere in his career, he played the equity partner Howard Lyman in The Good Wife and its spin-off The Good Fight, and New York fire chief Sidney Feinberg in FX drama series Rescue Me.
Adler was born on February 4, 1929 in Brooklyn, New York and began working in the entertainment industry in 1950. The cousin of the legendary acting teacher Stella Adler, he spent the bulk of his career working behind the scenes in theatre.
He was a part of over 50 Broadway shows, and notably worked as the stage manager on the original stage production of My Fair Lady in 1956, starring a young Julie Andrews. He also directed many shows, before moving into similar roles in television in the 1980s.
His move into acting in later life was unexpected, with early credits including appearances in Quantum Leap, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The West Wing and Northern Exposure. His film credits included Woody Allen’s Manhattan Murder Mystery, The Public Eye opposite Joe Pesci, and Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York.
Adler is survived by his wife, psychologist Joan Laxman, whom he married in 1994.
