hɪz fˈɑːðɚ wɛnt ˌɔn təbi ɐ fˈɔːɹmən æɾə kˈʌmpəni ðæt mˌeɪd nˈiːɑːn kɐsˈiːnoʊ sˈaɪnz ænd hɪz sˈɪstɚ wʌzɐ dˈænsɚɹ ɪn fˈoʊliz bˈɜːdʒɚ, ɐ ɹᵻvjˈuː ðæt tˈʊɹd wɪð sˈæmi dˈeɪvɪs dʒˌeɪˈɑːɹ. ɹˈɑːdʒɪtʃ wˈɜːkt ˈɑːd dʒˈɑːbz fɹʌmðə tˈaɪm hiː wʌz smˈɔːl, ænd æz hiː ɡɑːt ˈoʊldɚ tˈɔɪld æz ɐ bˈʌsbɔɪ æt kɐsˈiːnoʊz ɪn lˌɑːs vˈeɪɡəs, ænd æz ɐ bˈɛlmən æt ðə lˈeɪk tˈɑːhoʊ hoʊtˈɛl.
His father went on to be a foreman at a company that made neon casino signs and his sister was a dancer in Folies Bergère, a review that toured with Sammy Davis Jr. Rogich worked odd jobs from the time he was small, and as he got older toiled as a busboy at casinos in Las Vegas, and as a bellman at The Lake Tahoe Hotel.