Who played Sam “Ace” Rothstein in Martin Scorsese’s Casino?

Robert De Niro played Sam “Ace” Rothstein in Martin Scorsese’s Casino.

Released in 1995, Casino stars De Niro as Sam Rothstein, a casino manager whose professional success in Las Vegas is connected to organized crime. The character is based largely on Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, who managed the Stardust casino for the Chicago Outfit during the 1970s.

The film reunites De Niro with Scorsese after their work together on Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, and Goodfellas. Joe Pesci plays Nicky Santoro, a violent enforcer based on Anthony Spilotro, while Sharon Stone plays Ginger McKenna, a hustler and entertainer whose relationship with Rothstein becomes central to the story.

Casino was adapted from Nicholas Pileggi’s nonfiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. Pileggi also co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese, creating a crime drama that combines fictionalized characters with documented events from Las Vegas history.