Jerry Adler, ‘Sopranos’ Advisor Hesh Rabkin, Dies at 96

NEW YORK, August 25, 2025 - Jerry Adler, the veteran character actor best known for portraying Herman “Hesh” Rabkin on HBO’s The Sopranos, has died at the age of 96. A family announcement confirmed that Adler “passed peacefully in his sleep” on Saturday, August 23, in New York City.

Adler’s career spanned more than seven decades and two distinctly different phases. For the first 35 years, he worked behind the scenes on Broadway as a stage manager, producer and director, contributing to over 50 productions, including the original My Fair Lady and Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming. In his early 60s, Adler pivoted to acting, landing a supporting role in the Joe Pesci film The Public Eye (1992). His performance caught the attention of David Chase, who cast him as Hesh Rabkin in the 1999 pilot of The Sopranos.

Over six seasons, Hesh became one of Tony Soprano’s most trusted advisers-a Jewish music producer-turned-loan shark whose blunt counsel and loyalty provided a moral counterpoint to the mob boss’s world. Adler’s measured performance and distinctive presence earned him recurring roles on acclaimed series including The Good Wife, where he played law partner Howard Lyman, and Rescue Me as Fire Chief Sidney Feinberg.

Peers and collaborators paid tribute to Adler’s warmth and professionalism. Steven Van Zandt, who shared the screen with Adler on The Sopranos, posted on social media: “Such an honor working with you. Travel well, my friend.” Robert King, creator of The Good Wife, recalled casting Adler for a single episode before extending his arc, praising him as “one of our favorite collaborators”.

Adler authored a memoir, Too Funny for Words: Backstage Tales from Broadway, Television and the Movies, in 2024, reflecting on his unconventional trajectory from behind-the-scenes Broadway lifer to celebrated television actor. He is survived by his wife, Joan Laxman, and their four daughters.