‘Sopranos’ Actor Dies At 96

Jerry Adler, best known for playing a mobster’s advisor on “The Sopranos,” passed away on Saturday at the age of 96, according to an obituary from the Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York.

Adler’s friend Frank J. Reilly confirmed his death in a post on X Saturday.

“You know him from one of his iconic roles [and] from many of his guest appearances,” Reilly wrote. “Not bad for a guy who didn’t start acting until he was 65.”

Adler on the set of “The Sopranos,” on which he appeared in all five seasons

Adler came from a family with a long history in stage acting as the son of Group Theatre manager Phil Adler and the nephew of actor Jacob Pavlovich Adler. A theater veteran, Adler worked behind the curtain on some of Broadway’s biggest productions.

Adler worked as stage manager for the original 1956 production of “My Fair Lady” featuring Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison. He also directed a number of shows in the 1970’s and worked on other productions like “Annie,” “Marlene Dietrich” and “We Interrupt This Program…” as a production supervisor and director.

His first acting credit did not come until 1991, when he appeared on an episode of “Brooklyn Bridge.” The appearance led to a number of follow-ups on popular television programs, including “Quantum Leap” and “Law & Order.”

Adler’s biggest break came in the late 1990’s, when he was cast in the HBO mob classic “The Sopranos.”

On the show he played Hesh Rabkin, who served as a trusted confidant to the show’s main character, Tony Soprano. Rabkin acted in the role throughout all five season’s of the show’s run, which ended in 2007.

A recurring character, Rabkin was a loan shark who often doled out advice to Soprano, who was played by the late James Gandolfini. “Sopranos” co-star Michael Imperioli paid tribute to Adler in an Instagram post Sunday, describing him as a “class act” who was a joy to be around.

“JERRY ADLER (1929-2025) was a fantastic actor and the kindest of human beings,” Imperioli wrote. “He brought so much humor, intelligence and truth to the role of Herman ‘Hesh’ Rabkin and was one of my favorite characters on The Sopranos.”

Adler made appearances in a number of other hit series, such as “Broad City,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Transparent.” He was a recurring guest on “The Good Wife,” a legal procedural drama.

When reflecting on his career in an interview with CT Insider last year, Adler said he had a “glorious run.”

“I wrote this book during there pandemic because I thought the world could use some laughs,” Adler said. “I still have more stories to tell, too, about working on the Tony Awards shows, about all the summer stock productions, about all the ‘My Fair Lady’ revivals. Maybe there can be ‘Too Funny For Words, Part Two.'”