Luther Adler was an American actor who worked in theatre, film, television, and directed plays on Broadway. He was born in 1903 in New York City, one of six children born to the famous Yiddish actor Jacob P Adler and his wife, the Yiddish actress Sara Adler.
His siblings also worked in the theatre. His sister Stella Adler was not only an actress, but she was a drama teacher and had a famous acting studio in New York City. His stepsister, Celia Adler, was a very fine Yiddish actress too, and she acted in Yiddish theatre for decades.
Adler's father gave Luther his first acting job in the Yiddish play, “Shmendrik,” at the Thalia Theatre in Manhattan in 1908, when he was only five years old. He first began acting in Broadway plays in 1921.
In 1931, Adler became one of the original members of the Group Theatre in New York, a New York City theatre collective, whose founders included Lee Strasberg. The founders, as well as the actors in the group, "tended to hold left-wing political views and wanted to produce plays that dealt with important social issues.”
The collective lasted for ten years, had twenty productions, and served as an inspiration for many actors, directors and playwrights who came after it.
During those years, the Group's members included Adler, his sister and brother Stella Adler and Jay Adler, Elia Kazan, John Garfield, Howard Da Silva, Harry Morgan, Franchot Tone, Clifford Odets and Lee J Cobb. Elia Kazan considered Luther Adler to be the best actor working in the company.
By the late 1930s ... the cohesiveness of the group began to crumble. The chronic financial problems and long-simmering disputes about 'method' acting began to chip away at their solidarity ... and in 1941 the group dissolved.
In 1937, Adler began to appear in films, although they were never his highest priority. His credits included "Cornered," "Wake of the Red Witch," "House of Strangers," "D.O.A.," and "The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel," where Luther Adler appeared as Hitler.
During the 1950s, Adler was among the directors and actors who were blacklisted. Among those blacklisted were Zero Mostel and Herschel Bernardi, all of whom also played "Tevye" in "Fiddler on the Roof."
He later appeared in the films "Voyage of the Damned" and "Absence of Malice."
Adler also acted on various television programs. He guest-starred in 1960 in the science-fiction fantasy series, "The Twilight Zone." He was also cast in episodes of "The Untouchables," "Ben Casey," "77 Sunset Strip," "Mission: Impossible," "Hawaii Five-O," "The Streets of San Francisco," "Naked City" and "Route 66."
In the early 1940s, Adler began to direct, but his first production closed after only eleven performances in 1942. His next directorial venture,” A Flag Is Born," ran for 120 performances in 1946 and featured newcomer Marlon Brando in one of the major roles.
In 1965, when Zero Mostel left the Broadway cast of “Fiddler on the Roof“ during a contract dispute, Adler took over the role of Tevye. It is written that Luther wanted to play the role of "Tevye" more seriously and asked for the removal of the song, "If I Were a Rich Man" from the production. His request was refused.
Eventually, Adler was replaced as "Tevye" by Herschel Bernardi.
