R.I.P. Jerry Adler, Broadway veteran and The Sopranos' Hesh

"Born in Brooklyn in 1929, Adler came from a showbusiness family and was a self-proclaimed "creature of nepotism." The great-grand nephew of Yiddish theater legend Jacob Adler and the cousin of famed acting teacher Stella Adler, Jerry began his Broadway career in 1950, thanks to a job offer from his father, the general manager of Carol Channing's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."

"He became a veteran theater hand, stage manager, and producer on the Great White Way over more than 50 different shows, including the original My Fair Lady, starring Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison. His final Broadway acting gig was in Larry David's 2015 show, Fish In The Dark, which Adler regarded as one of his favorite jobs because he "stayed in bed until I died (in the first scene) and then spent the rest of the play in the dressing room.""

"Adler was a late bloomer in front of the camera. At the tender age of 62, he made his TV debut in a 1991 episode of Brooklyn Bridge. Striking while the iron for aged New Yorkers was hot, Adler followed with the Joe Pesci comedy The Public Eye and Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery. Throughout the early '90s, He appeared on Quantum Leap, Mad About You, and Northern Exposure."

Jerry Adler died in his sleep in New York City at age 96. He was born in Brooklyn in 1929 into a showbusiness family and called himself a "creature of nepotism." He was the great-grandnephew of Yiddish theater legend Jacob Adler and the cousin of acting teacher Stella Adler. He began his Broadway career in 1950 thanks to a job from his father and worked as a stage manager, producer, and theater hand on over 50 shows including the original My Fair Lady. He made his on-screen debut at 62 and later portrayed Herman "Hesh" Rabkin on The Sopranos.

Read at AV Club