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. J ...

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 ...

, and the brother of five actor siblings, including stage actor

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...

and drama coach Stella. 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 The Yiddish Theatre District, also called the Jewish Rialto and the Yiddish Realto, was the center of New York City's Yiddish theatre scene in the early 20th century. It was located primarily on Second Avenue, though it extended to Avenue B, b ...

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 ''The Big Combo'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph H. Lewis, written by Philip Yordan and photographed by cinematographer John Alton, with music by David Raksin. The film stars Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte and Brian Donlev ...

'' (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 ''The Asphalt Jungle'' is a 1950 American film noir heist film directed by John Huston. Based on the 1949 novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett, it tells the story of a jewel robbery in a Midwestern city. The film stars Sterling Hayden and Lo ...

'' 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 Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he and his siblings, supported Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.

Death

Jay Adler died at age 81 in

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...

and was buried in the Mount Carmel Cemetery in

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

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 Stander as A ...

'' (1938) - Hess *''

Penrod and His Twin Brother ''Penrod and His Twin Brother'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by William C. McGann and written by William Jacobs and Hugh Cummings. The film stars Billy Mauch, Bobby Mauch, Frank Craven, Spring Byington, Charles Halton and Claudia Co ...

'' (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 pr ...

'' (1938) - Eddie, a Hood (uncredited) *''Murder in the Night'' (1939) - Drunk with Two Girls (uncredited) *''

The Underworld Story ''The Underworld Story'' is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Cy Endfield and starring Dan Duryea, Herbert Marshall, Gale Storm, Howard Da Silva and Michael O'Shea. Da Silva plays the loud-mouthed gangster Carl Durham, one of hi ...

'' (1950) - Munsey's Assistant (uncredited) *''

Three Secrets ''Three Secrets'' is a 1950 American drama film directed by Robert Wise and starring Eleanor Parker, Patricia Neal and Ruth Roman. It was released by Warner Bros. Plot A private plane crashes in the California mountains and a 5-year-old boy survi ...

'' (1950) - City Editor (uncredited) *'' Cry Danger'' (1951) - Williams *'' The Mob'' (1951) - Russell - Hotel Clerk (uncredited) *''

Scandal Sheet Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely sensationalist journalism (usually dramatized and sometimes unverifiable or even blatantly false), which takes its name from the tabloid newspaper format: a small-sized newspaper also known as ...

'' (1952) - Bailey (uncredited) *''

My Six Convicts ''My Six Convicts'' is a 1952 American film noir crime drama directed by Hugo Fregonese. The screenplay was adapted by Michael Blankfort from the autobiographical book ''My Six Convicts: A Psychologist's Three Years in Fort Leavenworth'', written ...

'' (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 Sing ...

'' (1952) - Desk Clerk (uncredited) *''

Assignment – Paris! ''Assignment – Paris!'' is a 1952 American Cold War film noir directed by Robert Parrish and starring Dana Andrews, Märta Torén, George Sanders and Audrey Totter. Premise Paris-based ''New York Herald Tribune'' reporter Jimmy Race (Andrews) i ...

'' (1952) - Henry (uncredited) *''

My Man and I ''My Man and I'' is a 1952 American drama film directed by William Wellman, about an ambitious Mexican immigrant farm laborer ( Ricardo Montalban), who falls in love with an alcoholic waitress (Shelley Winters) despite being pursued by the beautif ...

'' (1952) - Bartender (uncredited) *''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in order ...

'' (1952) - Customs Officer (uncredited) *'' The Turning Point'' (1952) - Sammy Lester (uncredited) *''

My Pal Gus ''My Pal Gus'' is a 1952 comedy-drama film which follows Gus ( George Winslow), the young son of divorced industrialist Dave Jennings (Richard Widmark). Unable to cope with Gus' mischievous streak, Jennings places the boy in a day-care center. Gu ...

'' (1952) - Van Every (uncredited) *''

The Bad and the Beautiful ''The Bad and the Beautiful'' is a 1952 American melodrama that tells the story of a film producer who alienates everyone around him. The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli, written by George Bradshaw (writer), George Bradshaw and Charles Sch ...

'' (1952) - Mr. Z - Party Guest (uncredited) *'' The Juggler'' (1953) - Papa Sander - Susy's Father (uncredited) *''

Vice Squad A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tr ...

'' (1953) - Frankie Pierce *'' 99 River Street'' (1953) - Christopher *'' The Long Wait'' (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 *''

'' (1955) - Detective Sam Hill *''

Murder Is My Beat ''Murder Is My Beat'' is a 1955 film noir mystery film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer starring Paul Langton, Barbara Payton and Robert Shayne.. Plot Businessman Frank Deane is found dead with his face and hands burned beyond recognition. Detectiv ...

'' (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 ...

'' (1955) - Joseph Carter *''

Lucy Gallant ''Lucy Gallant'' is a 1955 American drama film directed by Robert Parrish and written by John Lee Mahin and Winston Miller. The film stars Jane Wyman, Charlton Heston, Claire Trevor, Thelma Ritter, William Demarest and Wallace Ford. The film wa ...

'' (1955) - Sam - Stationmaster (uncredited) *''

Man with the Gun ''Man with the Gun'' is a 1955 American black and white Western film starring Robert Mitchum. The film was released in the United Kingdom as ''The Trouble Shooter'' and is also sometimes entitled ''Deadly Peacemaker''. The supporting cast inclu ...

'' (1955) - Cal (uncredited) *'' The Killing'' (1956) - Leo the Loanshark *''

The Catered Affair ''The Catered Affair'' (also known as ''Wedding Party'') is a 1956 American comedy-drama film directed by Richard Brooks and produced by Sam Zimbalist from a screenplay by Gore Vidal, based on a 1955 television play by Paddy Chayefsky. The film ...

'' (1956) - Sam Leiter *'' Lust for Life'' (1956) - Waiter *'' Runaway Daughters'' (1956) - Mr. Rubeck *''

Crime of Passion A crime of passion (French: ''crime passionnel''), in popular usage, refers to a violent crime, especially homicide, in which the perpetrator commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as anger rather than as a premed ...

'' (1957) - Nalence *''

Sweet Smell of Success ''Sweet Smell of Success'' is a 1957 American film noir drama film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner, and written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and Mackendrick from t ...

'' (1957) - Manny Davis (uncredited) *''

Hell on Devil's Island ''Hell on Devil's Island'' is a 1957 American adventure film directed by Christian Nyby and written by Steven Ritch. The film stars Helmut Dantine, William Talman, Donna Martell, Jean Willes, Rex Ingram and Robert Cornthwaite. The film was re ...

'' (1957) - Toto *''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (russian: Братья Карамазовы, ''Brat'ya Karamazovy'', ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing '' ...

'' (1958) - Pawnbroker *''

Saddle the Wind Saddle the Wind is a 1958 American Western film directed by Robert Parrish, written by Rod Serling, produced by Armand Deutsch, and starring Robert Taylor, Julie London and John Cassavetes. The picture was filmed in Metrocolor and CinemaScope. ...

'' (1958) - Hank - Saloon Cleanup Man (uncredited) *''

Seven Guns to Mesa ''Seven Guns to Mesa'' is a 1958 Western film directed by Edward Dein. Cast * Charles Quinlivan as John Trey *Lola Albright as Julie Westcott *James Griffith as Papa Clellan *Jay Adler Jay Adler (August 4, 1896 – September 24, 1978) was ...

'' (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 ...

'' (1959) - Bartender - Jake *''

The Last Angry Man ''The Last Angry Man'' is a 1959 drama film that tells the story of a television producer who profiles the life of a physician. It stars Paul Muni (in his last film appearance), David Wayne, Betsy Palmer, Billy Dee Williams (in his film debut), a ...

'' (1959) - Abelman's Feuding Neighbor (uncredited) *''

The Story on Page One ''The Story on Page One'' is a 1959 American drama film written and directed by Clifford Odets, and starring Rita Hayworth, Anthony Franciosa, and Gig Young. Shot in CinemaScope, the film was distributed by 20th Century Fox. Plot As the film beg ...

'' (1959) - Lauber (uncredited) *''

All the Fine Young Cannibals ''All the Fine Young Cannibals'' is a 1960 American film directed by Michael Anderson, based on the novel by Rosamond Marshall, starring Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Susan Kohner, George Hamilton and Pearl Bailey. Hamilton said that the film " ...

'' (1960) - Sammy Trist (uncredited) *''

Who's Got the Action? ''Who's Got the Action?'' is a 1962 American comedy film directed by Daniel Mann from a screenplay by Jack Rose, based on the novel ''Four Horse Players Are Missing'' by Alexander Rose. It stars Dean Martin and Lana Turner, with Eddie Albert, Wa ...

'' (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? ''Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?'' is a 1963 American comedy film directed by Daniel Mann and starring Dean Martin, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Carol Burnett. Plot Jason Steel is an actor who plays a compassionate doctor on a popular TV drama. He ...

'' (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 ''The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go'' is a 1970 British thriller film directed by Burgess Meredith. It was shot in Hong Kong and Toronto, Canada. Plot summary An American army deserter, James Joyce fanatic and aspiring writer named Nero Finni ...

'' (1970) - Dr. Yul *''

Brother, Cry for Me ''Brother, Cry for Me'' is a 1970 adventure film starring Leslie Parrish, Larry Pennell Lawrence Kenneth "Larry" Pennell (February 21, 1928 – August 28, 2013) was an American television and film actor, often remembered for his role ...

'' (1970) *''

Grave of the Vampire ''Grave of the Vampire'' is a 1972 American vampire film directed by John Hayes, and starring William Smith, Michael Pataki, and Lyn Peters. Its plot follows a vampire who rapes a living woman, resulting in the birth of a child who feeds only ...

'' (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 i ...

'' (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