Entertainment
Jerry Adler, ‘Sopranos’ and ‘The Good Wife’ actor who spent decades backstage on Broadway, dies at 96
Jerry Adler, who spent decades behind the scenes of storied Broadway productions before pivoting to acting in his 60s, has died at 96.
Adler died Saturday, according to a brief family announcement confirmed by the Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York. Adler “passed peacefully in his sleep,” Paradigm Talent Agency’s Sarah Shulman said on behalf of his family. No immediate cause was given.
Among Adler’s acting credits are “The Sopranos,” on which he played Tony Soprano adviser Hesh Rabkin across all six seasons, and “The Good Wife,” where he played law partner Howard Lyman. But before Adler had ever stepped in front of a film or television camera, he had 53 Broadway productions to his name — all behind the scenes, serving as a stage manager, producer or director.
He hailed from an entertainment family with deep roots in Jewish and Yiddish theater, as he told the Jewish Ledger in 2014. His father, Philip Adler, was a general manager for the famed Group Theatre and Broadway productions, and his cousin Stella Adler was a legendary acting teacher.
“I’m a creature of nepotism,” Adler told TheaterMania in 2015. “I got my first job when I was at Syracuse University and my father, the general manager of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, called me (because) there was an opening for an assistant stage manager. I skipped school.”
After a long theater career, which included the original production of “My Fair Lady” and working with the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Julie Andrews and Richard Burton, among many others, Adler left Broadway during its 1980s slump. He moved to California, where he worked on television productions like the soap opera “Santa Barbara.”
“I was really getting into the twilight of a mediocre career,” he told The New York Times in 1992.
But the retirement he was contemplating was staved off when Donna Isaacson, the casting director for “The Public Eye” and a longtime friend of one of Adler’s daughters, had a hunch about how to cast a hard-to-fill role, as The New York Times reported then. Adler had been on the other side of auditions, and, curious to experience how actors felt, agreed to try out. Director Howard Franklin, who auditioned dozens of actors for the role of a newspaper columnist in the Joe Pesci-starring film, had “chills” when Adler read for the part, the newspaper reported.
So began an acting career that had him working consistently in front of the camera for more than 30 years. An early role on the David Chase-written “Northern Exposure” paved the way for his time on a future Chase project, “The Sopranos.”
“When David was going to do the pilot for ‘The Sopranos’ he called and asked me if I would do a cameo of Hesh. It was just supposed to be a one-shot,” he told Forward in 2015. “But when they picked up the show they liked the character, and I would come on every fourth week.”
Films included Woody Allen’s “Manhattan Murder Mystery,” but Adler was perhaps best known for his television work. Those credits included stints on “Rescue Me,” “Mad About You,” “Transparent” and guest spots on shows ranging from “The West Wing” to “Broad City.”
He even returned to Broadway, this time onstage, in Elaine May’s “Taller Than a Dwarf” in 2000. In 2015, he appeared in Larry David’s writing and acting stage debut, “Fish in the Dark.”
“I do it because I really enjoy it. I think retirement is a road to nowhere,” Adler told Forward, on the subject of the play. “I wouldn’t know what to do if I were retired. I guess if nobody calls anymore, that’s when I’ll be retired. Meanwhile this is great.”
Adler published a memoir, “Too Funny for Words: Backstage Tales from Broadway, Television and the Movies,” last year. “I’m ready to go at a moment’s notice,” he told CT Insider then, when asked if he’d take more acting roles. In recent years, he and his wife, Joan Laxman, relocated from Connecticut back to his hometown of New York. Survivors include his four daughters, Shulman said.
For Adler, who once thought he was “too goofy-looking” to act, seeing himself on screen was odd, at least initially. And in multiple interviews with various outlets, he expressed how strange it was to be recognized by the public after spending so many years working behind the scenes. There was at least one advantage to being preserved on film, though, as he told The New York Times back in 1992.
“I’m immortal,” he said.
While the trendy toy Labubu has started fading from the scene after taking the world by storm, the Labubu manufacturer seems to be drawing criticism for allegedly exploiting workers, as claimed by a labour rights organisation, China Labour Watch (CLW).
CLW accused the Chinese factory that makes the popular Labubu dolls of exploiting its workforce.
A following investigation into the matter revealed that Shunjia Toys Co Ltd, a supplier for Pop Mart, subjected employees to excessive overtime, required them to sign blank or incomplete contracts, and denied them paid leave.
For those unfamiliar, the Labubu dolls, known for their viral appeal and sales in “blind boxes,” have gained immense traction worldwide.
Responding to the allegations, Pop Mart stated that it is probing the claims and emphasised its commitment to ensuring that suppliers rectify any identified issues.
Pop Mart conducts regular audits of its suppliers, including annual independent reviews by internationally recognised inspectors. The investigation by CLW involved 51 in-person interviews with factory workers regarding recruitment, contracts, and working conditions.
The factory, located in Guangdong province, has over 4,500 workers and is the primary manufacturing facility for Pop Mart.
As outlined in CLW’s report, several labour violations were committed at Shunjia Toys, including illegal overtime, unclear contract practices, and inadequate safety training.
While no child labour was found, the factory employed 16-year-olds under the same conditions as adults, violating Chinese labour laws that mandate special protections for minors.
CLW urged Pop Mart to take immediate action to address these issues, compensate affected workers, and comply with both Chinese labour laws and international standards.
The Minneapolis city situation has flared up after an ICE agent shot a man in the leg who tried to flee a targeted traffic stop, says the Department of Homeland Security.
The shooting incident occurred in the 600 block of 24th Avenue North, just 12 miles north of where Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed last week.
Minneapolis ICE shooting: Here’s what actually happened
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) the officer fired the weapon after “fearing for his life and safety.”
The statement said the agents were conducting a traffic stop “of an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022.”
The DHS detailed the operation of what actually caused the incident to turn into a shooting, claiming, “In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed into a parked car. The subject then fled on foot.”
The department claimed that after the agent caught up with the man, he “began to resist and violently assault the officer.”
That resulted in an ambush by two other people appearing from a nearby apartment building who “also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.”
The DHS claimed it was a defensive shot by the federal agent, adding, “Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life. The initial subject was hit in the leg.”
After one man received a shot, they fled from the scene back to the apartment and locked themselves inside but were apprehended by authorities, as reported by the Independent.
Both the detained officer and the Venezuelan man are being treated in the hospital, while the other two individuals are in detention.
On the other hand, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara called a protest that erupted in response to the shooting tonight unlawful and asked the protesters to disperse immediately.
The city police chief said, “It is well past the line, and people need to leave,” adding, “This is already a very tense situation, we do not need this to escalate any further.”
After the incident, there have been over 2,000 federal agents deployed in the city, as reported by NBC News.
The outlet also reported that, since the news broke, the situation has flared up in the city.
The DHS is claiming the operation in Minnesota is its biggest to date, with more than 2,400 people having been arrested since it began on November 29, 2025.
Chase Infiniti looked every bit the star as one of the ongoing awards season’s breakout stars, appropriately on hand to accept the Breakthrough Performance prize at the 2026 National Board of Review gala.
Held on January 13, the evening saw a number of stars arrive in New York City to honour the past year’s best releases and their cast members.
While the 25-year-old rising star sealed her award for her highly acclaimed turn in One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderon and also starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, among others.
To receive her honour, Chase donned a figure-hugging midi dress, woven to perfection and sourced from Oscar de la Renta’s Pre-Fall 2026 collection.
The young actress finished things with matching cream-coloured heels to go with her dress of the same shade.
Whereas at a closer glance, the ensemble further included intricate pearl work, with the tiny gems adorning the dress’s body and shoulder straps.
Meanwhile, some of the other films to be recognised at the latest National Board of Review event were Sinners, Train Dreams, and more.
Furthermore, Chase Infiniti was just one among her film’s cast to bag an award during the gala, with Leonardo DiCaprio also walking away with the best actor prize, while Benicio del Toro and Paul Thomas Anderson secured supporting actor and best director wins respectively.
Germany’s Puma appoints Nadia Kokni as senior global marketing leader
Asian stocks today: Markets remain mixed after Trump’s Iran remarks; HSI down over 76 points, Kospi gains 1.5% – The Times of India
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