Sam Cohn was born on 11 May 1929 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Jane Gelfman, Julia Miles and June Avis Ellenoff (June E. O'Neill). He died on 6 May 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.