A star of the popular series The Sopranos has died at the age of 96, a friend has confirmed.
Jerry Adler played a loan shark named Hesh Rabkin, who was a confidante to New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano. James Gandolfini, who played Tony, died in 2013 of a heart attack.
A cause of death for Adler was not disclosed, but his friend Frank J. Reilly confirmed his death in a post on X.
Jerry Adler Didn’t Start Acting Until Age 65, His Friend Revealed
Reilly posted the tribute on Aug. 23, along with a series of photos showing Adler and a link to his IMDb page.
The great actor, my friend Jerry Adler died today at the age of 96. You know him from one of his iconic roles had from many of his guest appearances. Not bad for a guy who didn’t start acting until he was 65. Check out his IMDb page. https://t.co/BeOLeEliOb pic.twitter.com/fnbB8soWy4
— Frank J. Reilly 🌻 (@FrankJReilly1) August 23, 2025
“The great actor, my friend Jerry Adler died today at the age of 96. You know him from one of his iconic roles had from many of his guest appearances. Not bad for a guy who didn’t start acting until he was 65,” the post read.
Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York is handling the funeral, according to a short obituary on its website, which says that Adler died on Aug. 23.
Who Was Jerry Adler?
In 2014, Adler spoke about his family background to the Jewish Ledger.
Adler “is a descendant of the famed Yiddish and American theater family dynasty that began with his uncle, Jacob Pavlovich Adler, in 19th-century Odessa and spread to London and New York,” that article says.
“My family was always involved in Jewish theater – my cousin was Stella Adler; my father, Phil Adler, was manager of the Group Theatre in the ‘30s – so I’ve always been around Jewish theater and actors,” Adler told the Jewish Ledger.
That news site says he began working as an assistant stage manager on Broadway and then “as stage manager and director in theater and TV.”
He started acting in 1991 on the television series Brooklyn Bridgebefore playing Hesh Rabkin in The Sopranos. He was also known for playing Harold Lyman on The Good Wife and for acting on Broadway.
“On stage, you’re really out there, you’re kind of naked, and there’s no going back,” Adler told the Jewish Ledger.
