With heavy hearts, we report the sad news about
Jerry Adler, Beloved Sopranos Actor, Dies at 96
Jerry Adler, best known as Hesh Rabkin on The Sopranos, has died at 96.
He “passed peacefully in his sleep” at his New York City home on August 23, 2025.
Born in Brooklyn in 1929, Adler spent decades behind the scenes on Broadway before acting.
“I was a creature of nepotism,” he once joked, crediting his father for his first backstage job.
He worked on iconic shows like My Fair Lady and with stars including Katharine Hepburn and Orson Welles.
Adler began acting in his 60s after an audition for The Public Eye launched a new career.
His Sopranos role, originally a cameo, became recurring, earning fans’ love for his “sharp wit and memorable one-liners.”
He later appeared in The Good Wife, The West Wing, and more, and even wrote a memoir, Too Funny for Words.
Adler is survived by his wife, Joan Laxman, and four daughters.
