What is Jerry Adler’s net worth? Fortune explored as Sopranos actor dies

Jerry Adler, the veteran actor and stage director remembered for his work on The Sopranos, died at the age of 96. His family confirmed the news on Saturday, according to Parade. Jerry Adler, who had a reported net worth of $4 million as per Celebrity Net Worth, did not begin acting until his early 60s. A cousin of the renowned acting teacher Stella Adler, he went on to build a late-blooming but celebrated career across television and theater.

He became widely recognized for playing Herman “Hesh” Rabkin, a confidant of James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano on HBO’s acclaimed mob drama. He later appeared as Howard Lyman, a prickly law partner, on The Good Wife. On FX’s Rescue Me, he played the recurring role of fire chief Sidney Feinberg. His television credits extended even further. He played Rabbi Alan Schulman on Northern Exposure, Mr. Wicker the handyman on Mad About You, and Moshe Pfefferman, the father of Jeffrey Tambor’s character, on Transparent. In his later years, Adler appeared on Broad City as a lively Holocaust survivor.

Jerry Adler, actor who found fame late in life:

Adler’s career stretched far beyond television. Before cameras ever rolled on him, he had already directed a handful of Broadway shows. But it wasn’t until the early 1990s that his life took an unexpected turn.

As he told Forward in 2015, he was working as a stage manager on the soap opera Santa Barbara when a casting call changed everything.

“My friend wanted me to meet with the director [Howard Franklin], and the first thing he said to me was how much I reminded him of his father, I was actually surprised. I’d never acted before. I’d never entertained the idea of acting; it was an unusual thing. But I was getting ready to retire from the production end, anyway. So it became kind of interesting.” shared Adler.

From there, Adler’s acting career began to take shape. He debuted on CBS’ Brooklyn Bridge in 1991 before taking on regular roles in Hudson Street, Alright Already, and Raising Dad. On the big screen, he appeared in titles such as Manhattan Murder Mystery, In Her Shoes, A Most Violent Year, and Synecdoche, New York.

Looking back on that shift, he shared his perspective with The Hollywood Reporter in 2017, sharing

“You know what’s interesting? You spend your whole career backstage. Nobody knows who you are or even knows your name. They don’t know anything about you. And then you do a television show and suddenly you’re a celebrity and everyone knows your face. It’s so weird.”

Jerry Adler later found himself returning to Broadway, not behind the scenes but in the spotlight. He appeared in Elaine May’s Taller Than a Dwarf in 2000 and, in 2015, played Larry David’s father in Fish in the Dark.

Jerry Adler’s view on retirement captured his wit and love for acting:

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Jerry Adler often spoke with candor about aging and his unexpected career in acting. In his 2015 conversation with Forward, when asked why he continued to work while most of his peers had retired, Jerry Adler offered a characteristically witty reply.

“I do it because I really enjoy it. I think retirement is a road to nowhere. 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. It’s a comfortable part for me to do. I’m only onstage 20 minutes, and it’s very easy. It’s like stealing money. I don’t have to knock myself out. I’m in bed the whole time. My feet never touch the stage floor.”

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