Victor Drai

Drai was born in Casablanca, Morocco, to Jewish parents. He dropped out of school at 14 to move to Paris, France, with his family. In 1968, he launched a ready-to-wear line called Vicadam, which featured velvet jeans.[7]

In 1974, Drai met Jacqueline Bisset on a flight from Los Angeles to Paris and the two began a transatlantic relationship.[8] Drai sold the fashion line and relocated to the United States to be with Bisset and began a new business flipping Beverly Hills mansions.[7]

In 1982, Drai and then-girlfriend Kelly Le Brock traveled to Paris where they saw the movie Pardon Mon Affaire. With the help of David Begelman, Drai produced a remake titled The Woman in Red which was released in 1984.[9] Based on that movie's success, Drai then produced a series of comedies including another French remake, The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), and Weekend at Bernie's (1989).[4][10][11]

In 1993 Drai made the decision to open a restaurant, which he felt would be a more family-friendly career.[4] He contracted French chef Claude Segal, who'd replaced Wolfgang Puck at the upscale restaurant Ma Maison in 1985.[12] With Segal, he opened the restaurant Drai's in the L'Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel.

In 1995, Drai opened a second Drai's in Las Vegas. A couple years later, he started an afterhours club, "That started everything,” Drai stated.[13] In December 2013, he opened a steakhouse on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles called Rare by Drai's.[14]

In March 2010 he opened Drai's Hollywood, a rooftop restaurant, pool and nightclub at the W Hotel in Hollywood.[15]

In 1997, Drai opened Drai's restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip.[16] Two years later, Drai added a nightclub to the restaurant, re-branding it Drai's After Hours.[17] In Vegas Seven's 2012 Nightclub Awards, Drai's After Hours won "Best Place to Disappear".[18] He currently operates Drai's After Hours nightclub at The Cromwell Las Vegas.[19]

In 2007, Drai took over La Bete at Wynn Las Vegas and re-branded it Tryst.[20] In 2012, Vegas Seven's Nightclub Awards awarded Tryst "Best Place to Impress".[21] In 2013, Tryst placed #8 in the Top 100 Nightclub & Bar Roster for Nightclub & Bar Magazine.[22]

Drai opened XS nightclub at Encore Las Vegas in 2008.[23] In 2010, XS won Nightclub & Bar Awards for "New Club of the Year" and "Mega-Club of the Year.[24] " In 2013, Nightclub & Bar Magazine awarded XS the "Mega-Club of the Year.[25] " Technomic named XS number one nightclub in the US for 2010.[26] In 2010, Drai was bought out of his managing partnership at Steve Wynn's Tryst and XS to pursue other endeavors.[27]

On March 2, 2017, he opened Drai’s Vancouver which was located inside Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver [28] The club closed down in september 2018 [29]

He opened Drai's Beachclub & Nightclub,[30] on Memorial Day Weekend 2014, at The Cromwell Las Vegas.[31] This 65,000-square-foot venue has a party pool and an indoor/outdoor club spread out over two levels on top of the new Cromwell Hotel.[32]. Drai also opened a beach club and a nightclub in Dubai and plans to expand his empire to other cities.[33]

Drai is one of sixteen professionals listed in the Nightclub Hall Of Fame[34]

Drai was romantic and business partner with Jacqueline Bisset from 1973 to 1980.[35] Drai has been married three times. In 1984, he married Kelly Le Brock; their marriage ended two years later in 1986. His second marriage was in 1990 to Loryn Locklin. On April 24, 2016, he married his third wife, Yolanda Krupiarz.[36] Drai has one son and three daughters.

All films, he was producer unless otherwise noted.

• Victor Drai on IMDb
• Drais
• Drais Nightclub
• Drais Beachclub
• Drais After Hours