Jewish actor Jerry Adler, most famous for starring in the hit show The Sopranos, passed away at age 96 on Saturday, his family announced.
Adler did not become an actor until his 60s, despite his cousin, Stella Adler, who was one of the world's most famed acting teachers. On The Sopranos, Jerry played consigliere Hesh Rabkin, a Jewish character who was Tony Soprano's associate.
Rabkin was not the first notable Jewish character he portrayed, as he also played Rabbi Alan Schulman on CBS’s Northern Exposure in the 1990s. He also appeared in the film Synecdoche, New York and the television series The Good Wife.
Adler's work behind the scenes
Before acting, Adler's most notable work was serving as stage manager on the original 1956 production of My Fair Lady, starring Julie Andrews. He had served as director, stage manager, and other behind-the-scenes roles in over 50 Broadway shows, Deadline reported.
Adler had admitted in a 2015 interview for the website TheaterMania that he was "a creature of nepotism,” as his father was the then-general manager of New York City’s prestigious Group Theatre in 1950, who offered him a job as assistant stage manager while he was a student at Syracuse University.
Adler is survived by his wife, Joan Laxman, whom he married in 1994, according to The Hollywood Reporter.