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Jerry Adler, ‘Sopranos’ and ‘The Good Wife’ actor who spent decades backstage on Broadway, dies at 96

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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.   



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Alison Hammond blasted for comments about Meghan Markle

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Alison Hammond blasted for comments about Meghan Markle


Alison Hammond sparks reactions with comments about Meghan Markle

Renowned TV host, Alison Hammond, has sparked reactions from fans with her comments about Meghan Markle at the show.

The TV presenter suggested that the backlash faced by the Duchess of Sussex is rooted in “racism” and “misogyny”.

The viewers were left divided after the debate unfolded on This Morning following fresh comments from the Duchess of Sussex, who recently claimed she had been “bullied and attacked” online for a decade and described herself as “the most trolled person in the world”.

During the segment, Hammond introduced a clip of Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan, expressing her anger over online abuse against her, warning that social media platforms are “anchored and predicated on cruelty to get clicks”.

The presenter then turned to journalist Bryony Gordon and stated: “Imagine being the most trolled person in the world. What that must do for you mentally.”

Gordon, who has previously voiced support for the Duchess, claimed she had experienced trolling herself “by proxy”.

Recalling her own interactions with Archie and Lilibet’s mother, Gordon said she bore “no resemblance” to the “villain” portrayed online and argued that the hostility said more about modern culture than the individual at its centre.

“There’s this sort of level of vitriol that is levelled, particularly at Meghan,” she said, adding that while not everyone has to like public figures, “we don’t need to take abuse”.

Hammond went on to question the scale of backlash directed at the former working royal, asking: “Ultimately, what has she ever done, really and truly? What, has she murdered anybody? No. She hasn’t done anything, really.”

She also described it as “sad” that ordon faced abuse simply for supporting the Duchess.

The conversation took a more pointed turn when co-presenter Dermot O’Leary asked the panel why they believed the mother-of-two attracts such intense criticism.

Hammond appeared to agree with Gordon’s assessment, nodding as she said: “Racism.”

She continued: “Do you know what? You’ve got to call it out when it’s there. Don’t be silly. It’s racism. It’s misogyny. It’s everything, all of the above.

The remarks quickly sparked a fierce reaction online, with viewers taking to X to voice their opinions on Hammond’s comments, with one user writing: “Being called out for bad behaviour is not bullying nor is it racist.”

Another added: “Apparently you can’t be critical of a woman or that’s ‘misogynistic’… well it’s not, you’re just wrong.”

Others questioned whether the backlash was linked to her actions rather than her identity.

“Could it be it isn’t down to sexism, racism, but just down to some people simply don’t like her?” one post read.

However, Meghan’s fans retaliated: “Never really understood why she gets so much abuse. I like her and Harry.”

While another suggested critics would soon “go back to their usual national sport of trashing her again”.





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Royal fan defends Meghan Markle amid brutal criticism: ‘There was no BS’

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Royal fan defends Meghan Markle amid brutal criticism: ‘There was no BS’


Royal fan defends Meghan Markle amid brutal criticism: ‘There was no BS’

Meghan Markle, who left her senior royal role with Prince Harry back in 2020, received support from a royal fan after critics slammed the Duchess of Sussex for an insensitive move during her four-day Australia visit.

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s mum was invited as a special guest at an all-girls luxury retreat in Sydney. She sat down for a Q&A session where she spoke candidly about her experience in the public life describing it as “very hard”.

However, Meghan’s trip has not been without backlash over several things in the course of the tour. Some fans expressed how the getaway promised a “a weekend of connection, inspiration and personal growth, with Meghan positioned as its headline guest” but she left early Saturday morning.

Social media was abuzz with comments calling her out over leaving the event so soon and not even having dinner with attendees, like she was supposed to.

“Why did Meghan Markle not even share a meal with women who had paid $3000 to spend ‘retreat’ time with her? How is that kind?” one user wrote.

Others echoed the sentiment: “How ridiculous, they advertised like she was spending the whole weekend with them,” one said, while another remarked, “2 hours? I thought it was a weekend retreat? WOW!”

In the midst of all this, an entrepreneur and business owner Liliana Sanelli, who is also a fan of King Charles, shared kind words for Meghan.

“It’s not every day you can say you meet someone as beautiful as Meghan Markle,” she wrote. “This besties weekend has been incredible so far to connect, unite, recalibrate with 300 dynamic women.”

She continued, “Hearing Meghan speak so openly, authentically and be so real – has given me another perspective of powerful, insightful strong women when they are truly real to themselves.

“Whatever your opinion – I must admit I was blown away at her kind, caring engaging energy. There was no BS…. Just keeping it real.”

She noted that Harry was also in the room and the two are “definitely beautiful as a couple and in love”.





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Ruby Rose old essay resurfaces detailing night of alleged Katy Perry assault

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Ruby Rose old essay resurfaces detailing night of alleged Katy Perry assault


Ruby Rose shed light on a night she claims changed the course of her life.

In a resurfaced 2011 essay written for Australian outlet news.com.au, the actress and model described a drunken evening with Katy Perry that she now alleges was the night of a sexual assault.

“I had been off the grog for 30 days — my first attempt at sobriety — and I was out partying with Katy,” Rose recalled in the piece.

“What I do remember thinking was: ‘I’ll have a drink tonight, I deserve one. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?’” she wrote.

She admitted she relapsed that night, consuming “not one drink, or 10,” before vomiting on Perry’s foot.

Rose framed the incident as a turning point, saying, “The short answer: I threw up on Katy Perry.

And that’s one of the reasons I’ve been off the grog now for almost 90 days.”

She emphasized that “nothing horrific happened” and that she hadn’t faced a DUI.

At the time, she framed the incident as a “funny little drunk story” that inspired her to recommit to sobriety.

But in recent Threads posts, Rose alleged Perry sexually assaulted her at Melbourne’s Spice Market nightclub.

“She didn’t kiss me. She saw me ‘resting’ on my best friend’s lap to avoid her and bent down, pulled her un*****ar to the side and rubbed her disgusting v****a on my face until my eyes snapped open and I projectile vomited on her,” Rose claimed.

She added that she kept the story quiet for years, even as Perry later helped her secure a U.S. visa.

Ruby Rose old essay resurfaces detailing night of alleged Katy Perry assault

Perry’s representatives have strongly denied the accusations, calling them “categorically false” and “dangerous reckless lies.”

They pointed to Rose’s history of making public allegations against various individuals, all of which have been denied.

Australian authorities have since confirmed they are investigating a “historical sexual assault” reported to have occurred in Melbourne in 2010.

Acting Sergeant Paul Hogan of Victoria Police said detectives from the Sexual Offenses and Child Abuse Investigation Team are reviewing the claims.

A former club manager has also spoken out, saying both women had “too much to drink” that night and insisting he did not witness any assault or vomiting.

For Rose, the resurfaced essay and her recent posts highlight how long it has taken her to speak openly.

“Though I am so grateful to have made it long enough to find my voice, it just shows how much of an impact trauma and sexual assault takes,” she wrote.





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