Laura Adler, an Emmy-nominated casting director and former Casting Society administrator, passed away on Thursday in Los Angeles at the age of 65. Her death, which followed a brief illness, was confirmed to Deadline by a representative for the Casting Society.
Adler was scheduled to be honored with the Rosalie Joseph Humanitarian Award at the 41st Artios Awards on February 26 in Los Angeles. According to the Casting Society, this prestigious accolade recognizes her lifelong dedication to humanitarian causes that have strengthened the casting community — a legacy the group described as a true reflection of her life’s work, according to Deadline.
Her distinguished career was highlighted by a 2003 Emmy nomination for her work on the NBC period drama American Dreams. Deadline says that beyond that achievement, she served as the casting director for a diverse range of television series, including the cult-favorite corporate satire Better Off Ted, the long-running HBO comedy Dream On, and the animated series The Goode Family.
Born in New York City on July 1, 1960, Adler began her entertainment career in the early 1980s. She initially worked as a technician for The Pee-wee Herman Show, the original West Hollywood stage production where Paul Reubens first developed his iconic character long before the premiere of Pee-wee’s Playhouse. Additionally, she served as a production assistant on the 1981 ABC television movie A Long Way Home, which featured a high-profile cast including Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People, Leverage), Brenda Vaccaro (Nonnas, Midnight Cowboy), and Rosanna Arquette (Pulp Fiction, Nowhere to Run), via Deadline.
Deadline explained that by the late 1980s, Adler transitioned into film and television casting, honing her craft as an associate under industry veterans Mark Saks (The Good Wife, Person of Interest), Barbara Claman (Modern Romance, Lost in America), and Ted Hann (I’ll Fly Away, Hidden Hills). In this role, she contributed to a wide array of projects, from early-90s feature films like Defending Your Life and Prelude to a Kiss to the HBO hit Dream On and the late-2000s TBS comedy My Boys. Her career reached a turning point on the NBC drama American Dreams; after serving as a casting associate during its 2002-03 season, she was promoted to lead casting director.
In 2005, Adler played a pivotal role in transforming the industry as an original member of the steering committee that successfully secured pension and health benefits for casting professionals. Following this landmark achievement, she was appointed as the Casting Society’s Administrator in 2014. She spent the next decade in this role, becoming a cornerstone of the global casting community through her compassionate leadership and tireless support. After a decade of service, she retired from the position in 2024, according to Deadline.
Adler was the daughter of Jerry Adler, the legendary character actor who passed away in August 2025 at the age of 96. Deadline reports that her father was widely celebrated for his iconic television roles, most notably as Tony Soprano’s advisor, Hesh Rabkin, on The Sopranos, as well as Howard Lyman on The Good Wife and Fire Chief Sidney Feinberg on Rescue Me.
She is survived by her three sisters: Alisa Adler, a talent agent at Paradigm; Emily Adler, a writer; and Amy Adler. She also leaves her nephew, Joe Adler.