Jerry Adler, veteran character actor from ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Good Wife,’ dies at 96

Actor Jerry Adler has died at the age of 96.

Adler started his career behind the scenes in theater, working on more than 50 Broadway shows.

He’s probably best known for his role as Herman “Hesh” Rabkin in “The Sopranos.”

Jerry Adler, who spent decades backstage on Broadway before reinventing himself in his 60s as a television actor, most memorably as Herman “Hesh” Rabkin on HBO’s “The Sopranos” and Howard Lyman on CBS’ “The Good Wife,” has died. He was 96.

Adler died Saturday in New York, where he lived, according to his family. A cause was not disclosed.

On “The Sopranos,” Adler played Hesh, a Jewish music producer and loan shark with long ties to the Soprano crime family. Not a member of Tony Soprano’s inner crew but close enough to be trusted, he was one of the few who could speak