Mickey Cohen

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For the American soccer goalkeeper, see Mickey Cohen (soccer).

Mickey Cohen
Cohen in 1949 at his arraignment
Born
Meyer Harris Cohen

(1913-09-04)September 4, 1913
New York, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 29, 1976(1976-07-29) (aged 62)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeHillside Memorial Park Cemetery, Culver City, California
OccupationCrime boss
Height5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Title"King of Los Angeles"
Spouse
Lavonne Weaver
​
(m. 1940)​
Signature

Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen (September 4, 1913

Cohen crime family
during the mid-20th century.

Early life

Mickey Cohen was born on September 4, 1913, in New York City to Jewish parents.[2] Cohen's parents immigrated to the US from Kyiv.[3] He was first raised in New York City, moving with his mother and siblings to the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles at an early age. At 8, he earned money as a newsboy, selling newspapers on the street.[4] One of his brothers, either Louie or Harry, would drop Mickey off at his regular corner, Soto and Brooklyn Streets (now Cesar E. Chavez Avenue). In 1922, Mickey was sent to reform school for petty crimes including shoplifting and theft.

Boxing career

As a teenager, Cohen began boxing in illegal prize fights in Los Angeles. In 1929, the 15-year-old moved from Los Angeles to

Tijuana, Mexico. He finished his career at 8-8 and 5 draws – 8 wins, 2 by knockout, 8 losses, 4 losses by knockout and 5 draws.[5]

Criminal career

In Cleveland, Cohen met

Lou Rothkopf, an associate of gangster Moe Dalitz. Cohen later moved to New York, where he became an associate of labor racketeer Johnny Dio's brother, Tommy Dioguardi, and as well as Owney Madden
.

Prohibition and the Chicago Outfit

During Prohibition, Cohen moved to Chicago and became involved in organized crime, working as an enforcer for the Chicago Outfit, where he briefly met Al Capone. During this period, Cohen was arrested for his role in the deaths of several gangsters in a card game.

After a brief time in prison, Cohen was released and began running card games and other illegal gambling operations. He later became an associate of Capone's younger brother, Mattie Capone. While working for Jake Guzik, Cohen was forced to flee Chicago after an argument with a rival gambler.

In

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
. However, there was little work available for Cohen in Cleveland, so Lansky and Rothkopf arranged for Cohen to work with Siegel in Los Angeles.

From syndicate bodyguard to Sunset Strip kingpin

In 1939, Cohen arrived in Los Angeles to work under Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, boss of the so called "Kosher Nostra". During their association, Cohen helped set up the

bookmaking, Cohen beat up Nazi sympathizers Robert Noble and Ellis Jones, who were under indictment for sedition, after the former made anti-Semitic remarks against him.[7]

In 1947, the crime families ordered the murder of Siegel due to his mismanagement of the Flamingo Hotel Casino, most likely because Siegel or his girlfriend

Hotel Roosevelt, where he believed the killers were staying, Cohen fired rounds from his two .45 caliber semi-automatic handguns into the lobby ceiling and demanded that the assassins meet him outside in 10 minutes. However, no one appeared, and Cohen was forced to flee when the police arrived.[citation needed
]

Cohen's violent methods came to the attention of state and federal authorities investigating

killed in self-defense by Cheryl Crane, the daughter of actress Lana Turner (whom he had been dating). Cohen covered the expense of Stompanato's funeral and then gave Turner's love letters to Stompanato to the press in an attempt to discredit the worst allegations of threats and violence that Crane had alleged she suffered at the hands of the violent, womanizing Stompanato.[8]

Later years

Cohen's Cadillac

In 1950, Cohen was investigated along with many other underworld figures by a

Kefauver Commission. As a result of this investigation, Cohen was convicted of tax evasion
in June 1951 and sentenced to prison for four years.

Ben Hecht stated in his autobiography, A Child of the Century, that Cohen called him to say he wanted to do his part in helping Hecht raise money to support Menachem Begin's Irgun in its activities. Cohen called together a parlor meeting of business associates and had Hecht address them on the importance of the cause. Each person was then asked to call out a sum he would donate. In some cases, Cohen told a donor "that's not enough," and they upped the pledge. Later, when Cohen was arrested, he called Hecht from prison to ask if he had access to some cash to help with his bail. When Hecht apologized, Cohen politely said goodbye, and they never spoke again.

When he was released in October 1955, he became an international celebrity. He ran floral shops, paint stores, nightclubs, casinos, gas stations, a men's

haberdashery, and even drove an ice cream van on San Vicente Boulevard in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, according to author Richard Lamparski.[citation needed
]

In 1957, TIME magazine wrote a brief article[9] about Cohen's meeting with Christian evangelist Billy Graham. Cohen said: "I am very high on the Christian way of life. Billy came up, and before we had food he said—What do you call it, that thing they say before food? Grace? Yeah, grace. Then we talked a lot about Christianity and stuff." Allegedly when Cohen did not change his lifestyle, he was confronted by Christian acquaintances. His response: "Christian football players, Christian cowboys, Christian politicians; why not a Christian gangster?"[citation needed]

Cohen speaking at the Ex-Felon Consortium in 1975

In 1961, Cohen was again convicted of tax evasion and sent to

Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, where he had spoken out against prison abuse. He had been misdiagnosed with an ulcer, which turned out to be stomach cancer. After undergoing surgery, he continued touring the United States and made television appearances, once with Ramsey Clark.[citation needed
]

Death

Cohen died at age 62, of complications from stomach cancer surgery in July 1976.[12] He is interred in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.

In popular culture and media

Films

  • In the film Bugsy (1991), Mickey Cohen is portrayed by actor Harvey Keitel. Keitel received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
  • In the film L.A. Confidential (1997), based on James Ellroy's 1990 novel, Mickey Cohen is portrayed by actor Paul Guilfoyle in a bit part but is a major influence throughout the rest of the movie.
  • In the film Gangster Squad (2013), Cohen is portrayed by actor Sean Penn and is the main antagonist of the film, portrayed as a sadistic and cruel man who enjoys murder and intends to expand his criminal enterprises to other major cities in the United States. The film shows a fictionalized version of Cohen's downfall: Cohen is beaten in a fistfight and arrested by the LAPD for murdering one of his subordinates, when he was actually imprisoned for tax evasion. Also, he is sentenced to life imprisonment, when in real life, Cohen was eventually released from custody and died of stomach cancer. It was also implied at the end of the film that Cohen was beaten to death with a lead pipe when he was sent to Alcatraz by acquaintances of the man he killed.
  • In the film The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), the protagonist, Michael Haller, played by actor Matthew McConaughey, owns a pistol said to have been owned by Mickey Cohen, and given to him by Haller's father after he successfully defended Cohen in a murder case.

Games

  • Patrick Fischler lends his voice and likeness to play Mickey Cohen in the 2011 video game L.A. Noire (set in 1947), who is involved in a few cases while working the Vice desk.[13]

Literature

  • In James Ellroy's L.A. Quartet book series, Cohen plays a major supporting role in three of the novels: The Big Nowhere (1988), L.A. Confidential (1990) and White Jazz (1992).
  • In retired newspaperman Howard Scott Williams' 2017 memoir The Gangster's Butler, recounting stories he reported on from 1948 to 1976, he recounts posing as a butler for Cohen in order to get information for a story.[14]

Television

References

  1. ^ "1913: Mobster Mickey Cohen dies a natural death". Haaretz. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  2. ^ Aciman, Alexander (September 29, 2014). "Who Was Mickey Cohen?". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "Сын еврейских эмигрантов из Киева – лучший боксер в истории мафии. Он дрался с тремя чемпионами мира в профессионалах". UA.Tribuna.com. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  4. Newspapers.com
    .
  5. ^ "BoxRec: Mickey Cohen".
  6. ^ "Mickey Cohen at Alcatraz". Alcatraz History. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  7. ^ "This Fellow Thought Noble Had Kick Coming". The Los Angeles Times. April 28, 1942. p. 21. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  8. ISBN 9780871317773
    . What particularly enraged Cohen was that Turner refused to pay for her ex-lover's funeral and Cohen had to foot the bill. He bought a cheap wooden coffin for Stompanato. Then, he vindictively gave the press Turner's love letters to Stompanato.
  9. ^ "People, Apr. 15, 1957". Time. April 15, 1957. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011.
  10. ^ Harnisch, Larry (November 18, 2007). "Cohen's Caddy Found!". The Daily Mirror. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  11. ^ "Star-News - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  12. Newspapers.com
    .
  13. ^ "L.A. Noire Has A Star Studded Cast Of Whatstheirnames. |". Hmsfriday.com. March 10, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  14. ISBN 978-1545591734
    .

Additional sources

Further reading

External links

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Business positions
Preceded by
Benjamin Siegel
Cohen crime family

Boss
1947-1961 		Succeeded by
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