Charles S. Cohen


Charles Steven Cohen is an American real estate developer and film distributor.

Early life and education

Cohen was raised in a Jewish family in Harrison, New York. He is the son of Gloria and Sherman Cohen and nephew to Eddie and Mortimer Cohen. In the 1950s, the Cohen brothers founded Cohen Brothers Realty & Construction Corporation after successfully running various other businesses prior.
At the age of 16, Cohen made his first short film winning an honorable mention at the Kodak Teenage Movie Awards competition. Cohen attended New York University for a year and a half before transferring to Tufts University where he majored in English.
In 1974, Cohen graduated from Tufts. In 1997 he graduated from Brooklyn Law School.

Career

Real estate

Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation is a private commercial real estate development and management firm with a portfolio of 12 million square feet of wholly owned and passively managed Class A office buildings and showrooms of over 300 companies across the United States. Signature projects include the revitalization of Manhattan's Decoration & Design Building, the Southern California's Pacific Design Center and the Design Center of the Americas in South Florida, the largest design center in the United States.
Cohen's New York City properties include 623 Fifth Avenue, 622 Third Avenue, 135 East 57th Street, 750 Lexington Avenue, 3 East 54th Street, 805 Third Avenue, 3 Park Avenue, 475 Park Avenue South and the D&D Building at 979 Third Avenue.
Lawsuits
From 2010 to 2014 three lawsuits were filed against the company by former employees claiming that they were fired after taking medical leave. The cases were settled out of court.
In 2021 several lawsuits were filed against the business accusing Cohen of bullying and creating a hostile working environment for women. The company denied the allegations said it does not tolerate sexual harassment.
In early 2024, Fortress Investment Group sued Cohen for a default on a $534mn loan made in 2019. In August a New York Supreme Court judge approved proceeding with a foreclosure auction against properties owned by Cohen to recoup part of the value of the loans. Cohen disputed the claim, alleging that a restructuring agreement had been reached with Fortress. However, the court rejected Cohen's motion to postpone the auction. In November 2024, Fortress seized control of cinema chain Curzon for $5mn as part of the auction. Fortress also acquired control of companies that control the Design Center of the Americas, and Le Méridien hotel in Dania Beach in Florida.

Hotels

Representing his first venture into the hospitality arena, Mr. Cohen has redeveloped and opened the Le Méridien Dania Beach at Fort Lauderdale Airport, a hotel located on the 40-acre DCOTA campus.

Film

Distribution

Charles S. Cohen formed Cohen Media Group in 2008 to distribute independent and arthouse films throughout North America. Cohen Media Group is today the largest American distributor of French films in the United States, while its specialty home entertainment label, the Cohen Film Collection, releases restored and re-mastered editions of classic American and foreign films on Digital platforms, Blu-ray and DVD. Cohen Media Group has distributed over 120 feature films and shorts.
The company has also acquired the rights to over 800 films, including cinematic landmarks from Douglas Fairbanks, Buster Keaton and Merchant Ivory Productions, best known for Howards End and Maurice. Additionally, Cohen Media Group has several feature film and television productions in active development. Charles S. Cohen is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and is a member of the PGA.

Exhibition

In 2017, Charles S. Cohen renovated and reopened one of New York City's movie houses, the historic Quad Cinema in Greenwich Village. He is also in the process of redeveloping the historic Larchmont Playhouse in Westchester County into an arthouse/independent film multiplex and is in the planning stage of redeveloping an arthouse/independent film multiplex in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In 2017, Cohen acquired the Paris cinema La Pagode, which dates back to 1896. Cohen is working with the French government on the plans of the restoration of this Parisian landmark. In 2018, Cohen purchased Landmark Theatres, the nation's largest specialized theater chain dedicated to independent cinema with 252 screens in 27 markets.
On 23 December 2019, he acquired British art-house cinema chain Curzon Cinemas, including the distribution arm Curzon Artificial Eye.

Other ventures

From 1991 to 1993 Cohen was a chairman at the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation. Cohen has served on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, the Lighthouse International Theater, the Public Theater, Real Estate Board of New York, the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Fashion

Two UK fashion labels, Savile Row tailor Richard James and luxury shoe manufacturer and retailer Harrys of London, were acquired in 2016 and 2017. Cohen has a majority stake and serves as chairman at Richard James. Cohen, who serves as chairman, will facilitate the brands' international growth strategies, beginning with the recent Manhattan store openings on Park Avenue and East 57th Street.

Leather goods and luggage

In 2018, Cohen acquired T Anthony, a 73-year-old luxury leather goods & luggage company.

Personal life

Cohen has been married twice. He has four children from his two marriages. He is divorced from his first wife; they have two children, a daughter and a son who works at Cohen Brothers Realty Corp. In 2004, he married his second wife, Clodagh "Clo" Margaret Jacobs, a former marketing and publicity executive for fashion designer Jimmy Choo, in a Jewish ceremony at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan; they also have two children. The couple divides their time between homes in Manhattan and in suburban Connecticut.