Jerry Adler facts for kids

Jerry Adler (born February 4, 1929 – died August 23, 2025) was an American actor, director, and producer. He was known for his roles in movies like Manhattan Murder Mystery and In Her Shoes. On television, he played memorable characters such as Herman "Hesh" Rabkin on The Sopranos, Howard Lyman on The Good Wife and The Good Fight, and Mr. Wicker on Mad About You. Jerry Adler had a long career in entertainment, starting behind the scenes in theater before becoming a well-known actor.

Early Life and Family Roots

Jerry Adler was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He came from a famous family of actors, the Adlers, who moved to America from a region called Galicia (which is now part of Ukraine). His father, Philip Adler, was a theater manager for many Broadway shows from the 1930s to the 1960s. Jerry's great-uncle was a famous Yiddish theater actor named Jacob Pavlovich Adler. His cousins, Stella Adler and Luther Adler, also became well-known actors. Jerry grew up in a Yiddish-speaking Jewish home. He went to Samuel J. Tilden High School where he was the president of the Drama Club, showing his early interest in performing.

A Career in Theater and Television

Jerry Adler began his career in theater in 1950 as a stage manager. He worked on many famous shows, including My Fair Lady. Later, he became a production supervisor for other musicals like Annie.

He started directing plays in 1974. One of his notable directing jobs was a 1976 revival of My Fair Lady, which earned him a special award nomination. He also directed other plays and musicals during this time.

Becoming a Familiar Face on Screen

As an actor, Jerry Adler became very recognizable for his roles on television. He played Herman "Hesh" Rabkin on the popular show The Sopranos. He was also known as Mr. Wicker on Mad About You and Sam Stewart, the father of Bob Saget's character, on Raising Dad. Fans also remember him as Lt. Al Teischler on Hudson Street and Howard Lyman on both The Good Wife and The Good Fight.

He appeared in other TV shows too. He played Rabbi Alan Schulman in three episodes of Northern Exposure. He also appeared as Jules Ziegler, the father of a main character, in an episode of The West Wing. Later, he joined the cast of the firefighter drama Rescue Me as Fire Chief Sidney Feinberg.

Memorable Film Roles

Jerry Adler also had roles in several movies. Some of his films include Manhattan Murder Mystery, The Public Eye, In Her Shoes, and Prime. In 2014, he acted in A Most Violent Year alongside Jessica Chastain and Oscar Issac.

More recently, from 2017 to 2019, he played Moshe Pfefferman in the Amazon series Transparent. He also continued his role as Howard Lyman on The Good Fight until 2018. In 2019, he appeared in Broad City as Saul Horowitz and in Living with Yourself with Paul Rudd and also performed in Larry David's Broadway play Fish in the Dark.

Later Years and Passing

Jerry Adler passed away peacefully at his home in New York City on August 23, 2025. He was 96 years old. His long career left a lasting mark on both theater and television.

Selected Acting Roles

Jerry Adler had a wide range of acting roles in both movies and television shows. Here are some of his well-known appearances:

On Television

• Mad About You (1993–1999, 2019) as Mr. Wicker
• Northern Exposure (1994–1995) as Rabbi Alan Schulman
• Hudson Street (1995–1996) as Lt. Al Teischler
• The Sopranos (1999–2007) as Herman "Hesh" Rabkin
• Raising Dad (2001–2002) as Sam Stewart
• The West Wing (2002) as Jules Ziegler
• Rescue Me (2007–2011) as Sidney Feinberg
• The Good Wife (2011–2016) as Howard Lyman
• The Good Fight (2017–2018) as Howard Lyman
• Transparent (2017–2019) as Moshe Pfefferman
• Broad City (2019) as Saul Horowitz
• Living with Yourself (2019) as Hillston

In Films

• The Public Eye (1992) as Arthur Nabler
• Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) as Paul House
• In Her Shoes (2005) as Lewis Feldman
• Prime (2005) as Sam
• A Most Violent Year (2014) as Joseph Mendelsohn
• Driveways (2019) as Rodger