Jerry Adler
Jerry Adler | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 4, 1929 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director, producer |
| Years active | 1951–present |
Jerry Adler (born February 4, 1929) is an American theatre director, production supervisor, and a television and film actor. He is perhaps best known for his work as Herman "Hesh" Rabkin on The Sopranos and as Howard Lyman on The Good Wife.
Life and career
Adler was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Pauline and Philip Adler, who was a general manager of the Group Theatre.[1] He was raised in an observant Jewish household.[2]
Adler began his theatre career as a stage manager in 1951, working on such productions as Of Thee I Sing and My Fair Lady before becoming a production supervisor for The Apple Tree, Black Comedy/White Lies, Dear World, Coco, 6 Rms Riv Vu, Annie, and I Remember Mama, among others. He made his directing debut with the 1974 Sammy Cahn revue Words and Music and also directed the 1976 revival of My Fair Lady, which garnered him a Drama Desk Award nomination, and the ill-fated 1981 musical The Little Prince and the Aviator. He also directed the 1976 play Checking Out.
As an actor, Adler is perhaps best known for his roles as Herman "Hesh" Rabkin in The Sopranos, Mr. Wicker in Mad About You, Lt. Al Teischler in Hudson Street, and Howard Lyman in The Good Wife. He made three appearances on Northern Exposure as Alan Schulman, Joel Fleischman's old neighborhood rabbi seen in visions. His screen credits include In Her Shoes, Manhattan Murder Mystery, and The Public Eye. In addition, Adler also appeared in an episode of The West Wing as Toby Ziegler's father, Jules Ziegler. The elder Ziegler worked as a 1950s member of Murder, Inc. Adler appeared as the new chief in the fourth season of FX's fire fighter drama Rescue Me. He guest starred as Eddie's father Al in season 3 and season 4 of 'Til Death.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Public Eye | Arthur Nabler | |
| 1993 | Manhattan Murder Mystery | Paul House | |
| 1995 | For Better or Worse | Morton Makeshift | |
| 1996 | Getting Away with Murder | Judge | |
| 1996 | Larger than Life | Event Coordinator | |
| 1997 | Six Ways to Sunday | Louis Varga | |
| 1999 | 30 Days | Rick Trainer | |
| 2005 | In Her Shoes | Lewis Feldman | |
| 2005 | Prime | Sam | |
| 2006 | Find Me Guilty | Rizzo | |
| 2007 | The Memory Thief | Mr. Zweig | |
| 2008 | Synecdoche, New York | Caden's father | |
| 2014 | The Angriest Man in Brooklyn | Cooper | |
| 2014 | A Most Violent Year | Joseph Mendelsohn |
Television credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Brooklyn Bridge | Bert Mendel | Episode: "Old Fools" |
| 1992 | True Colors | Mr. Green | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | Quantum Leap | Lenny Greenman | Episode: "It's a Wonderful Leap - May 10, 1958" |
| 1993–1999 | Mad About You | Sgt. Panino / Mr. Wicker | 10 episodes |
| 1993 | The Odd Couple: Together Again | Murray | TV movie |
| 1994–1995 | Northern Exposure | Rabbi Alan Schulman | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | New York Undercover | Mr. Ross | Episode: "All in the Family" |
| 1995 | One Life to Live | Len Hanen | 3 episodes |
| 1995–1996 | Hudson Street | Lt. Al Teischler | 22 episodes |
| 1996 | Law & Order | Judge Nathan Marks | Episode: "I.D." |
| 1996 | Spin City | Police Commissioner | Episode: "Dog Day Afternoon" |
| 1997–1998 | Alright Already | Al Lerner | 21 episodes |
| 1999–2007 | The Sopranos | Herman "Hesh" Rabkin | 28 episodes |
| 1999 | LateLine | Judge Fischbein | Episode: "Protecting the Source" |
| 1999 | Tracey Takes On... | Murray | Episode: "Lies" |
| 1999 | Aftershock: Earthquake in New York | Burt Hornstein | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Wonderland | Perlman | Episode: "Spell Check" |
| 2000 | Bull | Max Decker | 2 episodes |
| 2001–2002 | Raising Dad | Sam Stewart | 22 episodes |
| 2002 | The West Wing | Jules Ziegler | Episode: "Holy Night" |
| 2005 | CSI: Miami | Cardinal Benedetti | Episode: "From the Grave" |
| 2006 | The War at Home | Jerry | Episode: "The West Palm Beach Story" |
| 2007–2011 | Rescue Me | Sidney Feinberg | 34 episodes |
| 2008–2009 | 'Til Death | Al Stark / Eddie's Father | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | Detroit 1-8-7 | Max Elkin | Episode: "Déjà Vu/All In" |
| 2011 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Minyan Member #1 | Episode: "Mister Softee" |
| 2011–2016 | The Good Wife | Howard Lyman | Recurring role; 30 episodes |
| 2013 | Remember Sunday | Sam | TV movie |
| 2014 | Mozart in the Jungle | Lazlo | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | The Good Fight | Howard Lyman | Episode: "Inauguration" |
| 2017 | Transparent | Moshe Pfefferman | 8 episodes |
References
- ^ "Jerry Adler Biography (1929-)". Filmreference.com.
- ^ Schleier, Curt (April 14, 2006). "Hollywood veteran keeping busy as Jewish 'Sopranos' mobster". j. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
External links
- Jerry Adler at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jerry Adler at IMDb
- Jerry Adler at AllMovie
| International | |
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| National | |
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- 1929 births
- Living people
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- American theatre managers and producers
- Jewish American male actors
- Male actors from New York City
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- People from Brooklyn
- American people of Jewish descent
- American theatre actor, 20th-century birth stubs
- American screen actor, 1920s birth stubs