Jerry Adler, the veteran Broadway stage manager turned character actor best known for playing Herman “Hesh” Rabkin on The Sopranos, has died at the age of 96.
His family confirmed his death on Saturday, August 23, 2025. Adler’s friend Frank J. Reilly also paid tribute on X, remembering him as “the great actor, my friend Jerry Adler,” and sharing how Adler once helped his son land a job on The Sopranos — a favor later repaid years afterward with a role for Adler on Rescue Me.
Born on February 4, 1929, in New York City, Adler grew up in a theater family and entered the business in 1950 as a stage manager, working on landmark productions like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, My Fair Lady, and The Apple Tree. He later became a production supervisor on shows including Annie (1977) and I Remember Mama (1979), and also directed Broadway revivals such as My Fair Lady (1976).
What followed was an extraordinary late-blooming career, spanning nearly three decades on screen. Adler debuted on television in 1991 with Brooklyn Bridge and soon became a familiar face with recurring roles on Mad About You, Hudson Street, and Raising Dad. His film credits included Manhattan Murder Mystery, The Public Eye, In Her Shoes, and Prime.
Television audiences most closely remember him as Hesh, trusted consigliere to Tony Soprano, as well as Howard Lyman on The Good Wife and its spinoff, The Good Fight, and Fire Chief Sidney Feinberg on Rescue Me. He also appeared in Transparent, Broad City, and the Mad About You revival, closing out a career that totaled more than 60 screen credits.
Adler is survived by his wife, Joan Laxman, three children, and several grandchildren.
Who Is Jerry Adler’s Wife?
At the time of his death, Adler was married to Joan Laxman, a psychologist with a passion for horseback riding. The couple wed on July 3, 1994, and shared more than three decades together.
For nearly 24 years, they lived in a spacious home in Roxbury, where Adler also kept an extensive collection of theater memorabilia. Eventually, they downsized to a two-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the same home where Adler passed away.
By then, Laxman had set aside her equestrian pursuits, while Adler chose to donate his archives — a rich collection of stage history — to Goodspeed Musicals’ library.
He Was Married Twice Before Joan
Long before his marriage to his third spouse, Joan, Jerry had been married twice. His first marriage was to Dolores Parker, whom the actor wed on June 6, 1950. Together, they welcomed three children.
After that union ended, Adler married Cathy Rice on March 28, 1978. The relationship did not produce children, and the two eventually went their separate ways.
He Is the Father of Three Children
Jerry Adler welcomed three children with his first wife, Dolores Parker. Their daughter, Laura Adler, born on July 1, 1960, went on to build a successful career as a casting director.
Her work spans several well-known projects, including Better Off Ted (2009), American Dreams (2002), My Boys (2006), The Naked Truth (1995–1996), and Four Kings (2006). Laura has been married to Michael Barr since June 18, 2000.
Adler’s legacy also continues through his grandchildren. His son Benjamin Adler and Benjamin’s wife, Lila Dubrow, are the parents of actor Joe Adler. Best recognized for his roles as Zart in The Maze Runner and Jason Wylie in The Mentalist, Joe has also appeared in Shameless, Grey’s Anatomy, and Damnation, establishing himself as a familiar face on both the big and small screens.
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Who Were Jerry Adler’s Parents? His Family Background
He was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 4, 1929, into one of the most storied theatrical families in America. His parents, Philip Adler (1905–1990) and Pauline “Polly” Goldberg (1906–2000), married in 1926 and raised their son in a Yiddish-speaking, observant Jewish household.
His dad, Philip, worked as a theater manager for decades, overseeing numerous Broadway and touring productions from the 1930s through the 1960s. He also served as general manager for the influential Group Theatre in New York and later collaborated with producers Herman Levin and Alexander H. Cohen.
The Adler name was already well known in theater circles long before Jerry’s birth. His great-uncle, Jacob Pavlovich Adler, was a towering figure in the Yiddish theater, and Jacob’s children, the renowned acting teacher Stella Adler and actor Luther Adler, were Jerry’s cousins. Surrounded by this legacy, it was no surprise that Jerry gravitated toward the stage himself.
He was also the president of the Dramatic Club while attending Samuel J. Tilden High School.
