Jerry Adler
Encyclopedia
Jerry Adler is an American
theatre director, production supervisor and a television
and film
actor
.
Adler was born in Brooklyn
, New York
, the son of Pauline and Philip Adler, who was a general manager of the Group Theatre. He was raised in a Jewish observant household.
Adler began his theatre career as a stage manager in 1951, working on such productions as Of Thee I Sing
and My Fair Lady
before becoming a production supervisor for The Apple Tree
, Black Comedy/White Lies
, Dear World
, Coco
, 6 Rms Riv Vu
, Annie
, and I Remember Mama
, among others. He made his directing debut with the 1974 Sammy Cahn
revue
Words and Music and also directed the 1976 revival of My Fair Lady, which garnered him a Drama Desk Award
nomination, and the ill-fated 1981 musical The Little Prince and the Aviator
. He also directed the 1976 play Checking Out
.
As an actor, Adler is perhaps best known for his roles as Herman "Hesh" Rabkin in The Sopranos
, Mr. Wicker in Mad About You
, and Lt. Al Teischler in Hudson Street
. He made three appearances on Northern Exposure
as Alan Schulman, Joel Fleischman's old neighborhood rabbi seen in visions. His screen credits include In Her Shoes, Manhattan Murder Mystery
, and The Public Eye
. In addition, Adler also appeared in an episode of The West Wing as Toby Ziegler
's father, Jules Ziegler. The elder Ziegler worked as a member of Murder, Inc.
in the 50's. Adler is now appearing as the new chief in the fourth season of FX's fire fighter drama Rescue Me
. He guest starred as Eddie's father Al in season 3 and season 4 of 'Til Death
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
theatre director, production supervisor and a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Adler was born in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the son of Pauline and Philip Adler, who was a general manager of the Group Theatre. He was raised in a Jewish observant household.
Adler began his theatre career as a stage manager in 1951, working on such productions as Of Thee I Sing
Of Thee I Sing
Of Thee I Sing is a musical with a score by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for President of the United States on the "love" platform...
and My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
before becoming a production supervisor for The Apple Tree
The Apple Tree
The Apple Tree is a series of three musical playlets with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and a book by Bock and Harnick with contributions from Jerome Coopersmith...
, Black Comedy/White Lies
Black Comedy/White Lies
The White Liars is a one-act play by Peter Shaffer, first performed in 1967 originally titled White Lies.It is often performed with another of Shaffer's one-act plays, Black Comedy, to form the double-bill of The White Liars and Black Comedy.The White Liars revolves around Sophie Lemberg, an...
, Dear World
Dear World
Dear World is a Broadway musical with a book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. With its opening, Herman became the only composer-lyricist in history to have three productions running simultaneously on Broadway...
, Coco
Coco (musical)
Coco is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by André Previn. It starred Katharine Hepburn in her only stage musical.-Background:...
, 6 Rms Riv Vu
6 Rms Riv Vu
6 Rms Riv Vu is a play by Bob Randall, who also wrote The Magic Show.6 Rms Riv Vu derives its title from shorthand used by realtors in classified advertising. In this case, a six-room apartment with a view of the Hudson River, located on Manhattan's Riverside Drive, serves as the comedy-drama's...
, Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
, and I Remember Mama
I Remember Mama (musical)
I Remember Mama is a musical with a book by Thomas Meehan, lyrics by Martin Charnin and Raymond Jessel, and music by Richard Rodgers.-Origins:...
, among others. He made his directing debut with the 1974 Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
Words and Music and also directed the 1976 revival of My Fair Lady, which garnered him a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
nomination, and the ill-fated 1981 musical The Little Prince and the Aviator
The Little Prince and the Aviator
The Little Prince and the Aviator is a musical with a book by Hugh Wheeler, lyrics by Don Black, and music by John Barry.Based on the classic book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the musical deviates from the original in that aviator Toni, whose plane crashes in the Sahara Desert, explicitly is...
. He also directed the 1976 play Checking Out
Checking Out (play)
Checking Out is a 1976 Broadway play written by Allen Swift. It opened on September 14, 1976 at the Longacre Theatre and closed on September 25, 1976 after 16 performances.-Original Production:...
.
As an actor, Adler is perhaps best known for his roles as Herman "Hesh" Rabkin in The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, Mr. Wicker in Mad About You
Mad About You
Mad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
, and Lt. Al Teischler in Hudson Street
Hudson Street (TV series)
Hudson Street is an American sitcom that aired on ABC for one season, from 1995 to 1996. The series starred and was executive produced by Tony Danza.-Synopsis:...
. He made three appearances on Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a...
as Alan Schulman, Joel Fleischman's old neighborhood rabbi seen in visions. His screen credits include In Her Shoes, Manhattan Murder Mystery
Manhattan Murder Mystery
Manhattan Murder Mystery is a comedic murder mystery film directed by and starring Woody Allen and written by Marshall Brickman and Woody Allen.-Plot:...
, and The Public Eye
The Public Eye (film)
The Public Eye is a 1992 American neo-noir film written and directed by Howard Franklin, and produced by Robert Zemeckis and Sue Baden-Powell. The drama features Joe Pesci, Barbara Hershey, Stanley Tucci, and Richard Schiff....
. In addition, Adler also appeared in an episode of The West Wing as Toby Ziegler
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
's father, Jules Ziegler. The elder Ziegler worked as a member of Murder, Inc.
Murder, Inc.
Murder, Inc. was the name given by the press to organized crime groups in the 1920s through the 1940s that resulted in hundreds of murders on behalf of the American Mafia and Jewish Mafia groups who together formed the early organized crime groups in New York and...
in the 50's. Adler is now appearing as the new chief in the fourth season of FX's fire fighter drama Rescue Me
Rescue Me (TV series)
Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...
. He guest starred as Eddie's father Al in season 3 and season 4 of 'Til Death
'Til Death
’Til Death is an American sitcom which aired on the Fox network from September 7, 2006, to June 20, 2010. The series was created by husband-and-wife team Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, who were also the writers and executive-producers...
.