Who was Jerry Adler married to? All about Soprano actor’s family as he dies at 96

Jerry Adler, veteran stage director and actor who is remembered for playing the role of Herman "Hesh" Rabkin on HBO's The Sopranos, has died at the age of 96. The announcement of his death was made by his lifelong friend Frank J. Reily on X on Saturday, August 24, 2025, where he called him a "great actor" and praised his late ascent to fame in acting.

Reily wrote:

"The great actor, my friend Jerry Adler died today at the age of 96. You know him from one of his iconic roles had from many of his guest appearances. Not bad for a guy who didn’t start acting until he was 65."

Adler has been on Broadway and in some of television's most iconic shows, which made him famous at a much later stage in life.

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Who was Jerry Adler married to?

Behind the spotlight, Jerry Adler has a private life and has been married thrice which has influenced his life.

His first marriage was to Dolores Parker. He had three children with Dolores. Not much is known about her, nor about their separation, as he had kept his life behind the spotlight very private.

Soon after his divorce, he married Cathy Rice on March 28, 1978. Same as Dolores Parker, not much is known about their marriage or their separation.

He then married Joan Laxman on July 3, 1994, who was a psychologist and equestrian. They lived in Roxbury, Connecticut, where their house was filled with theater memorabilia. By 2017, they relocated to New York City's Upper West Side after they traded in their countryside estate for a simpler life in Manhattan.

Their marriage lasted for 31 years until Adler's death. Laxman was often considered his greatest support system in his later years.

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Adler's children and grandchildren

According to an article by The New York Times, published in November 1992, Jerry Adler has four children, three of whom are daughters who live in California. One of his daughters is Laura Adler, who is a casting director. Known for her works in American Dreams (2002), My Boys (2006), and Better Off Ted (2009).

His other daughter, Lisa, played a role in pushing him to step into the film industry.

While not much is known about his other children and grandchildren. One of his grandsons is following in his footsteps and is also a budding actor. Joe Adler, son of Alisa Adler (from his first wife Dolores), who was born in the year 1993 who is known for his roles in movies like films Prom (2011), The Maze Runner (2014), The Bloodhound (2020), and The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022) and television shows like The Mentalist, Grey’s Anatomy, Twin Peaks, and Damnation (2017).

Jerry Adler’s grandson, Joe Adler, paid tribute to his grandmother, Dolores, who passed away in 2023

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More about Jerry Adler and his life

Jerry Adler was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 4, 1929, into a family of famous theatrical artists. His father, Philip Adler, was the general manager of the Group Theatre. His family also included his great-uncle Jacob Adler (Yakev Pavlovich Adler, 1855-1926), who was considered the principal founders of Yiddish Theatre, cousins Stella Adler (1901–1992), dubbed one of the greatest actors of her time and had also founded an acting school, and finally Luther Adler (1903-1984) another great actor and director on Broadway.

Being born into a family like this, it was inevitable that Jerry Adler would join the theater as well. He began his career in theater in the early 1950s, serving as an assistant stage manager for Broadway shows, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. He worked on almost 50 Broadway productions, which included the original run of My Fair Lady in 1956, which featured a young Julie Andrews.

From an assistant stage manager to a director, he supervised major events like the Tony Awards and productions like The Apple Tree. Though he spent the majority of his time behind the curtains, he had already established a name for himself.

Jerry Adler, unlike other actors, started his career pretty late when he transitioned from theater to television. It's usually the reverse for others. His first prominent role came in the early 1990s, when he appeared in Woody Allen's 1993 Manhattan Murder Mystery and Quantum Leap.

His daughter Lisa's childhood friend Donna Isaacson also played a role in his transition from theater to film. Donna's husband, who also transitioned from theater to television, called up Adler and then offered him a role in the movie The Public Eye starring Joe Pesci.

After that, it was role after role for the actor. He then played the role of Deputy Chief Sidney Feinberg in Rescue Me, Howard Lyman in The Good Wife and The Good Fight, and building superintendent Mr. Wicker in Mad About You.

However, Jerry Adler will be most remembered for his part in the HBO show The Sopranos as Herman "Hesh" Rabkin, an advisor to Tony Soprano and a money lender. Hesh is an old friend of Tony's father, whom Tony would often come to during times of need.

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Jerry Adler leaves behind a close-knit family, which includes his wife, Joan Laxman, his children, and his grandchildren, who all will carry forward his memory.

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