A stage-bred presence who found late-life TV fame
Jerry Adler, the veteran character actor who brought quiet command and dry wit to Herman "Hesh" Rabkin on HBO's The Sopranos, has died at 96. He passed away at his home in New York City on August 23, 2025, according to family sources. His death closes a singular career that bridged Yiddish theater roots, mid-century Broadway, and the rise of prestige television.
Born on February 4, 1929, in Brooklyn, Adler grew up surrounded by the craft. His family name carried weight long before he appeared on camera. His great-uncle, Jacob Pavlovich Adler, was a giant of Yiddish theater. His cousins Stella and Luther Adler helped shape American acting on stage and screen. The household he grew up in was Yiddish-speaking and observant, but also plugged into the pulse of New York’s theater scene. That mix—tradition and hustle—stayed with him.
Adler’s father, Philip, managed dozens of Broadway and touring productions from the 1930s through the 1960s, serving as general manager for the Group Theatre collective and working with producers Herman Levin and Alexander H. Cohen. If you want to understand Jerry Adler’s discipline and economy as an actor, start there. He learned how shows get made from the ground up—the budgets, the egos, the nightly execution. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was foundational.
He found the stage early. At Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn, he ran the Dramatic Club as its president, the sort of student who didn’t just audition—he organized. He later studied at Syracuse University, then built a career behind the scenes as a theatrical producer and director. Before he became a familiar face, he was the person keeping productions moving. That pocketknife skill set—timing, problem-solving, patience—would later make him invaluable on sets where small choices carry big weight.
Adler shifted toward acting later than most, which turned into an advantage. He arrived on screen fully formed: a measured voice, a wry smile, and a way of listening that made every exchange feel lived-in. He specialized in men who had history—lawyers who knew where the bodies were buried, fixers who never overplayed their hand, fathers and mentors who could cut with a glance. He didn’t chase the spotlight; he steadied the scene.
The Sopranos turned that presence into pop-culture memory. As Herman "Hesh" Rabkin, a music-business veteran and old friend of the Soprano family, Adler played an advisor who blended affection with cold-eyed realism. Hesh wasn’t muscle. He was the one Tony went to when he needed perspective without theatrics. The role tapped Adler’s gift for showing power without volume—an arched eyebrow, a measured pause, a story that hinted at a longer ledger. In a series famous for bravado, Hesh stood out for restraint.
Television gave him a second act with range. On The Good Wife and its spin-off The Good Fight, he played Howard Lyman, a once-formidable partner whose unfiltered comments and old-school habits made him both a comic foil and a cautionary tale inside a cutthroat law firm. On Mad About You, he put a cranky spin on Mr. Wicker. On Rescue Me, he showed a different register as Fire Chief Sidney Feinberg, dealing with grief, bureaucracy, and the gallows humor of first responders. Transparent cast him as Moshe Pfefferman, bringing cultural texture and a sharp, familial edge. Short bursts on Broad City and Living with Yourself reminded viewers that he could drop into any world and make it feel real.
His film work hit the same notes—precise, unfussy, memorable. He popped in Woody Allen’s Manhattan Murder Mystery, brought gravity to The Public Eye, and left a mark in In Her Shoes and Prime. Even in smaller parts, he had a knack for suggesting a backstory the script didn’t have to spell out.
The throughline was theater. Adler’s screen work carried the habits of a stage professional: you hit your mark, you listen hard, you give your partner the line that makes them better. Coming from a family that helped seed American acting—Stella Adler’s teachings still ripple through conservatories and Hollywood alike—he embodied a tradition without ever trading on the name. He played Jewish characters with specificity and without stereotype, drawing on a heritage that ran from Second Avenue stages to cable-era drama.
That heritage also ran through the Group Theatre’s influence—realism, ensemble work, stories about people under pressure. Adler’s father managed that world; Jerry performed it. Decades later, when prestige TV began borrowing theater’s patience and complexity, he fit right in. Hesh Rabkin wasn’t flashy, but he felt true, which is why viewers still bring him up when they talk about the show’s most human moments.
Adler’s late pivot to acting reads like a quiet lesson for working artists: there’s no one timeline. He spent years mastering the logistics and politics of productions, then translated that fluency into performances that looked effortless. Casting directors leaned on him because he could land a scene without drawing fire away from the story. Younger actors loved him because he gave and listened, beat by beat, the way good stage partners do.
Family sources said he died at home in New York City on August 23, 2025. Specific details about survivors were not immediately disclosed. Arrangements for a memorial or public tribute were not announced at the time of publication. Given the number of colleagues he worked with across stage and screen, remembrances from the theater community and the TV world are likely to follow.
Selected roles and credits
Across film and television, Adler left a trail of carefully etched characters. A snapshot:
- The Sopranos (HBO) — Herman "Hesh" Rabkin, a trusted advisor with sharp instincts and long memory.
- The Good Wife / The Good Fight — Howard Lyman, a blunt, old-guard partner navigating a changing legal culture.
- Mad About You — Mr. Wicker, a prickly presence with impeccable comic timing.
- Rescue Me — Fire Chief Sidney Feinberg, balancing duty, politics, and loss.
- Transparent — Moshe Pfefferman, bringing bite and warmth to a complicated family story.
- Broad City — Saul Horowitz, a crisp cameo in a fast-moving comedy.
- Living with Yourself — Hillston, adding weight to a surreal premise.
- Manhattan Murder Mystery — A precise turn in a talky, twisty comedy.
- The Public Eye — A grounded supporting role in a noir-tinged drama.
- In Her Shoes — A quiet performance that deepened the film’s family dynamics.
- Prime — A lean, knowing presence in a contemporary romance.
From Brooklyn stages to HBO’s golden era, Adler built a career on control, economy, and the kind of screen truth that lingers. He didn’t need to raise his voice. He just needed the camera close enough to catch what he wasn’t saying.
