Jerry Adler, the longtime Broadway stage manager who later became a familiar face as a character actor on The Sopranos, has died at 96.
His family confirmed his passing on Saturday, August 23, 2025.
Over the years, Adler racked up more than 60 screen credits — an impressive accomplishment considering the actor didn’t begin his on-screen career until his early sixties.
What began as a late turn to television and film evolved into the most memorable stretch of his career, one that secured both his legacy and financial success. Here’s a look back at Adler’s decades of work and his impressive fortune at his death.
What Was Jerry Adler’s Net Worth?
At the time of his death, Adler’s net worth was estimated to be between $4 million and $9 million. The bulk of his wealth came from his acting career, which spanned more than six decades on stage and screen.
He also invested in real estate over the years. For nearly 24 years, Adler and his wife, Joan Laxman, lived in a spacious Roxbury home. Later, the couple moved to a two-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where Adler spent his final years.
Jerry Adler’s Legacy and Late-Found Career Success
Adler was born on February 4, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, into one of the most celebrated theatrical families in America. His parents, Philip Adler (1905–1990) and Pauline “Polly” Goldberg (1906–2000), raised him in a Yiddish-speaking, observant Jewish household.
His father spent decades working as a theater manager, guiding Broadway and touring productions from the 1930s through the 1960s. Long before Jerry’s own career began, the Adler family had already built a lasting reputation in theater. His great-uncle, Jacob Pavlovich Adler, was a towering figure in Yiddish theater, while Jacob’s children — acting teacher Stella Adler and actor Luther Adler — were his cousins.
He began working in theater in 1950 when his father called him away from Syracuse University to assist on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
From there, Adler built a long backstage career as a stage manager and production supervisor on shows including Of Thee I Sing, My Fair Lady (1956), The Apple Tree (1966), Annie (1977), and I Remember Mama (1979).
He also directed several Broadway productions, most notably the 1974 revue Words and Music, the 1976 revival of My Fair Lady, which earned him a Drama Desk nomination, and Richard Rodgers’ final musical, I Remember Mama.
Despite decades behind the scenes, Adler never considered acting until later in life. In 1991, at the age of 62, the Brooklyn-native eventually made his television debut in Brooklyn Bridge and quickly transitioned into a busy on-screen career.
He soon became a familiar face through recurring roles: the gruff handyman Mr. Wicker on Mad About You (1993–1999) and as mob consigliere Herman “Hesh” Rabkin on The Sopranos (1999–2007). He later played Howard Lyman on The Good Wife (2011–2016) and reprised the role on The Good Fight (2017–2018). From 2007 to 2011, Adler also appeared as Fire Chief Sidney Feinberg on Rescue Me.
In addition to these standout roles, Adler guest-starred in series like Northern Exposure, Transparent, and Broad City. He also made a return to Broadway with performances in Taller Than a Dwarf (2000) and Larry David’s Fish in the Dark (2015).
Furthermore, Adler went on to appear in films like Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), In Her Shoes (2005), Synecdoche, New York (2008), and A Most Violent Year (2014).
His final screen appearances came in 2019, with the Netflix comedy miniseries Living with Yourself and the independent drama Driveways.
