Carl Cohen | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Carl_Cohen_Sands.jpg) Cohen in his office at the Sands Hotel c. 1950s–1960s | |
| Born | February 15, 1913 Cleveland, Ohio, US |
| Died | December 26, 1986 (aged 73) Las Vegas, Nevada, US |
| Occupation(s) | Casino manager Gambling resort executive |
| Employer(s) | El Rancho Vegas Sands Hotel and Casino MGM Grand Hotel |
| Spouse | Frances Freudenreich |
| Children | 2, including Corey Allen |
Carl Cohen (February 15, 1913 – December 26, 1986),[1] was an American executive in the gambling resort industry in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the 1940s through 1970s and is credited with playing an important role in the development of Las Vegas as a premier resort destination.[2]
He began his career as a bookie and operator in illegal gambling clubs operated by the Mayfield Road Mob in Cleveland, Ohio. Moving to Las Vegas, he became casino manager for the El Rancho Vegas in the 1940s and the Sands Hotel and Casino in the 1950s; he also had a controlling interest in both resorts. He advanced to senior vice president of the Sands and, in 1973, became senior vice president of the newly opened MGM Grand Hotel.
Cohen gained national notoriety for a 1967 altercation with Frank Sinatra at the Sands, in which he responded to the singer's drunken and aggressive behavior by punching him in the mouth and knocking the caps off his front teeth. Cohen was the father of American actor and film director Corey Allen.
- ^ "Carl Cohen". Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ^ Odessky 2012, p. 134.