Hesh Rabkin: What was Jerry Adler’s role in ‘The Sopranos’ all about?

Jerry Adler—who died at 96 on Aug. 23, 2025—left one of The Sopranos’ most indelible supporting performances as Herman “Hesh” Rabkin, the mob-adjacent music impresario who could tell Tony Soprano hard truths without flinching. His passing makes it an apt time to revisit what made Hesh—and Adler’s quiet authority—so essential to the series.

Who Hesh is—and why he matters

Hesh is an old friend of the Soprano family dating back to Tony’s father, “Johnny Boy.” He isn’t a made guy but a trusted associate: a wealthy former record man and loan shark who understands both the mob’s codes and legitimate business. That liminal status lets him advise Tony without jockeying for rank—Hesh is in the life, not of it.

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The music man: “A hit is a hit”

Adler’s signature early arc arrives in Season 1’s “A Hit Is a Hit,” when Hesh punctures Christopher and Adriana’s music-biz dreams. “There’s one constant in the music business: a hit is a hit,” he says—cruel, concise, and correct. The storyline also confronts Hesh’s complicated past, as rapper Massive Genius accuses him of profiting off a Black artist’s work, suggesting Hesh was modeled partly on real-world record mogul Morris Levy. These threads deepen Hesh beyond “mob adviser” into a commentary on race, art, and exploitation woven through American pop history.

The final strain: loans, gambling, and grief

Late in the series, Tony’s gambling spiral leads him to borrow $200,000 from Hesh. The debt curdles their friendship: Tony publicly calls him a “shylock,” and Hesh quietly wonders if Tony might decide it’s “cheaper to settle it another way.” When Hesh’s partner Renata dies suddenly, Tony repays the loan with chilly condolences—one of the show’s coldest gestures and the last time we see Hesh. The episode underlines a theme Adler plays beautifully: proximity to power offers no protection when sentiment collides with money.

Adler’s performance: calm, steel, and timing

Adler gives Hesh a serene surface—measured speech, a half-smile, the patient cadence of a man who’s seen it all. That composure turns scenes with Tony into ethical barometers: if Hesh is rattled, the situation is truly bad. In interviews, Adler described how naturally the role fit; he even joked he may have been the only actor who didn’t audition, a testament to how perfectly he read on the page and in the room.

Across six seasons, always where it counts

Though never part of Tony’s inner crew, Hesh pops up at pivotal moments: music schemes, racetrack hustles, family conflicts, and, finally, the gambling tailspin. His presence across all six seasons lets the show tap a seldom-seen perspective—the consigliere who can walk away—and gives Tony a sounding board outside the constantly scheming capos.

Legacy: the show’s conscience in plain sight

Hesh functions as The Sopranos’ understated conscience, not because he’s saintly—he isn’t—but because he’s honest about the cost of doing business. Adler’s restraint makes the character memorable: a man who can deliver a verdict (“A hit is a hit”) with a shrug, and make it sting for years.

About Jerry Adler, briefly

Long before The Sopranos, Adler spent decades behind the scenes on Broadway (My Fair Lady among many credits). Only in his 60s did he pivot to screen acting, later becoming a fan favorite on The Good Wife/The Good Fight as Howard Lyman. His death prompted tributes noting the same qualities Hesh embodied: wit, warmth, and a pro’s timing