{"id":24350,"date":"2025-08-25T14:51:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T14:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=24350"},"modified":"2025-08-25T14:51:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T14:51:27","slug":"with-heavy-hearts-we-report-the-sad-news-about-this-iconic-and-multi-talented-acto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=24350","title":{"rendered":"With heavy hearts, we report the sad news about this iconic and multi-talented acto"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Born in Brooklyn in 1929, Jerry Adler spent decades mastering the theater before ever facing a camera. A backstage force with 50+ Broadway credits as stage manager, producer, and director\u2014on shows like My Fair Lady\u2014he worked with giants from Katharine Hepburn to Orson Welles. The son of a Group Theatre manager and cousin to Stella Adler, he liked to quip he was \u201ca creature of nepotism,\u201d even as his work spoke for itself.<\/p>\n<p>Adler\u2019s on-screen career bloomed in his 60s after an audition for The Public Eye with Joe Pesci. Television soon followed\u2014Northern Exposure\u2014and then the role that made him beloved to millions: Hesh Rabkin on The Sopranos. Intended as a cameo, Hesh\u2019s dry wit and consigliere wisdom turned him into a recurring pillar of the series. He later shone as Howard Lyman on The Good Wife, with memorable turns in The West Wing, Rescue Me, Transparent, Broad City, and films including Manhattan Murder Mystery.<\/p>\n<p>Despite TV fame, Adler never abandoned the stage, returning for Taller Than a Dwarf and Larry David\u2019s Fish in the Dark. Even late in life he kept stretching, publishing a 2024 memoir, Too Funny for Words: Backstage Tales from Broadway, Television and the Movies, reflecting\u2014wryly and humbly\u2014on a career defined by reinvention.<\/p>\n<p>Adler died peacefully in his sleep at home in New York City on August 23, 2025. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Joan Laxman, and daughters Alisa, Amy, Laura, and Emily. From Broadway\u2019s wings to HBO\u2019s spotlight, his legacy is one of craft, grace, and the kind of late-blooming brilliance that inspires artists everywhere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Born in Brooklyn in 1929, Jerry Adler spent decades mastering the theater before ever facing a camera. A backstage force with 50+ Broadway credits as stage manager,&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24351,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>With heavy hearts, we report the sad news about this iconic and multi-talented acto -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=24350\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"With heavy hearts, we report the sad news about this iconic and multi-talented acto -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Born in Brooklyn in 1929, Jerry Adler spent decades mastering the theater before ever facing a camera. 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