Sachs was born on February 5, 1951 in London, England. He was married to Siân Phillips from 1979 until they divorced in 1991. Phillips was Peter O'Toole's ex-wife. Then he was married to Casey Defranco from 1995 until they divorced in 2006. Sachs died on February 1, 2013 in his home in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack, aged 61.