Jerry Adler, who starred in The Sopranos and The Good Wife, has sadly passed away at the age of 96.
“Jerry Adler passed away on August 23, 2025, at the age of 96,” his family confirmed in an obituary. “Born on February 4, 1929, Jerry was a resident of New York, New York."
Adler was born in Brooklyn and died surrounded by loved ones in New York City, per the New York Post.
Adler didn’t break into television until his early sixties, making his on-screen debut in the 1991 series Brooklyn Bridge.
Two years later, he landed his first major film role in Woody Allen’s Manhattan Murder Mystery. Other television appearances followed throughout the 1990s, including Alright Already and Hudson Street.
But it was in 1999 that Adler found his most famous role — playing Jewish consigliere and loan shark Herman “Hesh” Rabkin in HBO’s groundbreaking crime drama The Sopranos.
A trusted advisor to Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), Adler appeared in 28 episodes across all six seasons, including the pilot and the finale.
His performance gave him some of the show’s most memorable moments, including the early line from season one: “A hit is a hit.”
Adler’s death comes just months after his fellow Sopranos cast member Charley Scalies died in May at 84 following a “long battle” with Alzheimer’s. Their co-star James Gandolfini died in 2013 at the age of 51.
Before his late arrival to television, Adler had a long career behind the scenes.
A cousin of legendary acting teacher Stella Adler, he worked on Broadway as a stage manager and production supervisor.
He was stage manager on the original production of My Fair Lady and contributed to other major plays and musicals before eventually stepping into acting.
His later film credits included Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York.
Reflecting on his unusual path to fame, Adler told the CT Post 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.”
After The Sopranos, Adler landed another defining role as lawyer Howard Lyman in The Good Wife. Initially meant to appear in just one episode, his character became a recurring staple, featuring in 30 episodes between 2011 and the show’s end in 2016.
Adler later reprised the role in two episodes of the spin-off The Good Fight in 2017 and 2018.
Robert King, executive producer of both shows, shared a tribute on X: “Jerry Adler died yesterday. The intent was only to have him for one episode of The Good Wife, but he was so funny in a diner scene, yelling ‘I said ice cream, you stupid b****,’ we had him back for six years of The Good Wife and three years of The Good Fight. One of our favorite collaborators.”
Adler’s friend Frank J. Reilly also honored the actor on social media, writing: “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.”
Adler’s final credited role came in the 2019 revival of the sitcom Mad About You.
He is survived by his wife, Joan Laxman.