Jerry Adler, ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Good Wife’ actor, dead at 96

Jerry Adler, best known for his roles in “The Sopranos” and “The Good Wife”, has died. He was 96.

On Saturday, the New York native “passed peacefully in his sleep,” a representative for the family told Fox News Digital.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Adler didn’t kick-start his onscreen career until much later in life. However, in the decades leading up to his big break, he worked as a stage manager, producer and director for multiple Broadway productions. 

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Adler, who worked on the original production of “My Fair Lady,” left Broadway during the 1980s and moved to California, where he worked on television productions like the soap opera “Santa Barbara.”

“I was really getting into the twilight of a mediocre career,” he told The New York Times in 1992.

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While Adler starred in various television shows and films throughout the 90s – including the 1991 TV series “Brooklyn Bridge,” “Alright Already,” “Hudson Street,” the 1993 film “Manhattan Murder Mystery” and more – it wasn’t until Donna Isaacson, the casting director for “The Public Eye” and a longtime friend of one of Adler’s daughters, pushed him to audition for the role of a newspaper columnist in the film, which starred Joe Pesci. 

From there, Adler’s onscreen career skyrocketed. 

After landing a role on “Northern Exposure,” which was written by “Sopranos” writer David Chase, Adler found himself starring as Tony Soprano’s advisor Hesh Rabkin in the beloved television series for six seasons. 

“When David was going to do the pilot for ‘The Sopranos’ he called and asked me if I would do a cameo of Hesh. It was just supposed to be a one-shot,” he told Forward in 2015. “But when they picked up the show they liked the character, and I would come on every fourth week.”

After his “Sopranos” wrap, Adler had another major role as Howard Lyman in the legal drama “The Good Wife,” alongside Julianna Margulies.

Frank J. Reilly, a friend of Adler’s, shared photos on X alongside a tribute following the announcement of his death.

“The great actor, my friend Jerry Adler died today at the age of 96,” he wrote. “You know him from one of his iconic roles had [sic] from many of his guest appearances. Not bad for a guy who didn’t start acting until he was 65.”

Adler is survived by his four daughters. 

The Associated Press contributed to this post.