Sam Cohn was born on May 11, 1929 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Jane Gelfman, Julia Miles and June Avis Ellenoff (June E. O'Neill). He died on May 6, 2009 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
Earned a bachelors degree in English and German literature from Princeton University. After serving in the Korean war, he graduated from Yale Law School.