Jerry Adler died at age 96, passing peacefully in his sleep. He built a long career behind the scenes on Broadway, serving as stage manager, producer and director on 53 productions, including the original My Fair Lady and collaborations with Marlene Dietrich, Julie Andrews and Richard Burton. He later moved to California during Broadway's 1980s slump and worked in television, including the soap Santa Barbara. In his 60s he transitioned to acting, notable for playing Hesh Rabkin on The Sopranos across six seasons and Howard Lyman on The Good Wife. He came from a family rooted in Jewish and Yiddish theater.
Among Adler's acting credits are "The Sopranos," on which he played Tony Soprano adviser Hesh Rabkin across all six seasons, and "The Good Wife," where he played law partner Howard Lyman. But before Adler had ever stepped in front of a film or television camera, he had 53 Broadway productions to his name - all behind the scenes, serving as a stage manager, producer or director.
"I'm a creature of nepotism," Adler told TheaterMania in 2015. "I got my first job when I was at Syracuse University and my father, the general manager of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, called me (because) there was an opening for an assistant stage manager. I skipped school. After a long theater career, which included the original production of "My Fair Lady" and working with the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Julie Andrews and Richard Burton,
Collection
[
|
...
]