Jay Adler (August 4, 1896 – September 24, 1978) was an American actor in theater, television, and film.

Early life

Born in New York City, he was the eldest son of actors

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam ...

and

Sara Adler Sara Adler (née Levitskaya, some sources give Levitsky or Levitzky; 26 May 1858 – 28 April 1953) was a Russian-born Jewish actress in Yiddish theater who made her career mainly in the United States. She was the third wife of Jacob Adler ...

, and the brother of five actor siblings, including stage actor Luther and drama coach

Stella Stella or STELLA may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Comedy *Stella (comedy group), a comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain Characters *Stella (given name), including a list of characters with th ...

. The Adlers were a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

-American acting dynasty in New York City's Yiddish Theater District and they played a significant role in theater from the late 19th century to the 1950s. Stella Adler became the most influential member of their family.

Career

Adler's Broadway credits included ''Cafe Crown'' (1942), ''Blind Alley'' (1940, 1935), Prelude'' (1936), and ''Man Bites Dog'' (1933). In 1934, Adler joined with Harry Thomashefsky and Boris Bernardi to form the Theater Mart Group, "a cooperative group of players and staff connected with the stage", in New York City. Plans called for production of plays like those done by the city's Group Theatre. During a long acting career of minor character roles, Jay Adler appeared in more than 40 films and 37 television series between 1938 and 1976, accumulating more than 130 total performing credits. He appeared in '' The Big Combo'' (1955), Stanley Kubrick's '' The Killing'' (1956) and Jerry Lewis' '' The Family Jewels'' (1965). In 1961, Adler appeared both in the episode "The Lady and the Lawyer" of the television series '' The Asphalt Jungle'' and in '' The Lawbreakers'', a theatrical film version of the episode. In 1962, he appeared in the episode "To Climb Steep Hills" of the adventure drama television series '' Straightaway''.

Politics

A lifelong Democrat, he and his siblings, supported

Adlai Stevenson Adlai Stevenson may refer to: * Adlai Stevenson I (1835–1914), U.S. Vice President (1893–1897) and Congressman (1879–1881) * Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965), Governor of Illinois (1949–1953), U.S. presidential candida ...

during the 1952 presidential election.

Death

Jay Adler died at age 81 in Woodland Hills, California and was buried in the Mount Carmel Cemetery in Glendale,

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York City, New York near to his parents.

Partial filmography

*''

No Time to Marry ''No Time to Marry'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Richard Arlen, Mary Astor and Lionel Stander.Goble p.888 Partial cast * Richard Arlen as Perry Brown * Mary Astor as Kay McGowan * Lionel Stande ...

'' (1938) - Hess *'' Penrod and His Twin Brother'' (1938) - Johnson *''

The Saint in New York ''The Saint in New York'' is a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in 1935. It was published in the United States by Doubleday in January 1935. A shorter version of the novel had ...

'' (1938) - Eddie, a Hood (uncredited) *''Murder in the Night'' (1939) - Drunk with Two Girls (uncredited) *'' The Underworld Story'' (1950) - Munsey's Assistant (uncredited) *'' Three Secrets'' (1950) - City Editor (uncredited) *'' Cry Danger'' (1951) - Williams *'' The Mob'' (1951) - Russell - Hotel Clerk (uncredited) *'' Scandal Sheet'' (1952) - Bailey (uncredited) *'' My Six Convicts'' (1952) - Steve Kopac *''

Dreamboat "Dreamboat" is a popular music song, the words and music to which were written by Jack Hoffman, (sometimes incorrectly attributed to Al Hoffman). A version produced by Walter Ridley, and performed by Alma Cogan, reached number 1 in the UK ...

'' (1952) - Desk Clerk (uncredited) *'' Assignment – Paris!'' (1952) - Henry (uncredited) *'' My Man and I'' (1952) - Bartender (uncredited) *'' The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1952) - Customs Officer (uncredited) *'' The Turning Point'' (1952) - Sammy Lester (uncredited) *'' My Pal Gus'' (1952) - Van Every (uncredited) *'' The Bad and the Beautiful'' (1952) - Mr. Z - Party Guest (uncredited) *'' The Juggler'' (1953) - Papa Sander - Susy's Father (uncredited) *'' Vice Squad'' (1953) - Frankie Pierce *'' 99 River Street'' (1953) - Christopher *''

The Long Wait ''The Long Wait'' is a 1954 American crime drama film noir directed by Victor Saville starring Anthony Quinn, Charles Coburn, Gene Evans and Peggie Castle. The film is based on the 1951 novel of the same title by Mickey Spillane. It was an indepe ...

'' (1954) - Joe—Bellhop *''

Down Three Dark Streets ''Down Three Dark Streets'' is a 1954 American film noir crime film directed by Arnold Laven and starring Broderick Crawford and Ruth Roman. The screenplay was written by Gordon Gordon and Mildred Gordon, based on their novel ''Case File FBI''. ...

'' (1954) - Uncle Max - aka Charles Martell *'' The Big Combo'' (1955) - Detective Sam Hill *'' Murder Is My Beat'' (1955) - Bartender Louie *'' Love Me or Leave Me'' (1955) - Orry (uncredited) *''

Illegal Illegal, or unlawful, typically describes something that is explicitly prohibited by law, or is otherwise forbidden by a state or other governing body. Illegal may also refer to: Law * Violation of law * Crime, the practice of breaking the cr ...

'' (1955) - Joseph Carter *'' Lucy Gallant'' (1955) - Sam - Stationmaster (uncredited) *'' Man with the Gun'' (1955) - Cal (uncredited) *'' The Killing'' (1956) - Leo the Loanshark *'' The Catered Affair'' (1956) - Sam Leiter *'' Lust for Life'' (1956) - Waiter *'' Runaway Daughters'' (1956) - Mr. Rubeck *'' Crime of Passion'' (1957) - Nalence *'' Sweet Smell of Success'' (1957) - Manny Davis (uncredited) *'' Hell on Devil's Island'' (1957) - Toto *'' The Brothers Karamazov'' (1958) - Pawnbroker *'' Saddle the Wind'' (1958) - Hank - Saloon Cleanup Man (uncredited) *'' Seven Guns to Mesa'' (1958) - Ben Avery *''

Curse of the Undead ''Curse of the Undead'' is a 1959 American horror Western film directed by Edward Dein and starring Eric Fleming, Michael Pate and Kathleen Crowley. Plot In an Old West town, young girls are dying of a mysterious wasting disease. Dr. John Ca ...

'' (1959) - Bartender - Jake *'' The Last Angry Man'' (1959) - Abelman's Feuding Neighbor (uncredited) *'' The Story on Page One'' (1959) - Lauber (uncredited) *'' All the Fine Young Cannibals'' (1960) - Sammy Trist (uncredited) *'' Who's Got the Action?'' (1962) - Man in Car Accident (uncredited) *''

Dime with a Halo ''Dime with a Halo'' is a 1963 film directed by Boris Sagal. It stars Barbara Luna and Rafael López. Plot Four thieving street urchins, led by Chuy, bet $2 on a pick-six horse race every week. A kindly American, Mr. Jones, places their bet for ...

'' (1963) - Mr. Lewis *'' Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?'' (1963) - Patient (uncredited) *'' Where Love Has Gone'' (1964) - Bartender (uncredited) *'' The Family Jewels'' (1965) - Mr. Lyman, Attorney *'' The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go'' (1970) - Dr. Yul *'' Brother, Cry for Me'' (1970) *'' Grave of the Vampire'' (1972) - Old Zack *''Bummer'' (1973) - Sid Rosen *''

Macon County Line ''Macon County Line'' is a 1974 American independent film directed by Richard Compton and produced by Max Baer Jr. Baer and Compton also co-wrote the film, in which Baer stars as a vengeful county sheriff in Georgia out for blood after his wife is ...

'' (1974) - Impound Yard Man

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adler, Jay 1896 births 1978 deaths Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American people of Russian-Jewish descent Jewish American male actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American Jews