Bogart was born in the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital, central Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Ruth and Al M. Bogatz. His family was Jewish. He grew up in the Glenwood Houses, the housing projects in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn. He was a singer in the 1960s, using the name Neil Scott, prior to running the Michigan offices of Cameo-Parkway Records. After Cameo-Parkway was shut down by the government for stock fraud in 1968, Bogart became an executive at Buddah Records. He is credited with being a key player in the rise of bubblegum pop music during his time working at Cameo-Parkway and Buddha. He started Casablanca in 1973 when he first signed Kiss and later became identified with the rise of disco by promoting the careers of acts such as Donna Summer and the Village People. The label was also known for tapping into the funk market with the signing of George Clinton's Parliament in 1974. Shortly before his death, he founded Boardwalk Records and jumped on the new wavebandwagon, as disco was in decline. Joan Jett and Harry Chapin were among his last signings.
His widow, Joyce Bogart-Trabulus, teamed with songwriter Carole Bayer Sager and founded the Neil Bogart Memorial Fund in 1984. That same year, the fund established its laboratories at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The fund was a division of The T.J. Martell Foundation until the mid 2000s.
In art, entertainment, and media
;Music
The Kiss album Creatures of the Night is dedicated to Bogart's memory.
Donna Summer's self-titled album from 1982 is also dedicated to Bogart's memory, and the liner notes contain one of his favorite sayings, "Why head for the mountaintop when you're reaching for the sky?"
Village People's 1982 album Fox on the Box was also dedicated to Bogart's memory.
In 2013, Justin Timberlake signed to star in the feature film Spinning Gold, a biopic of Bogart written by his son, Tim Bogart. On June 20, 2019, it was reported that Jeremy Jordan had taken over the role.
;Literature
Going Platinum, a book about Bogart, was due to be published in November 2014. It is written by his nephew Brett Ermilio and published by Globe Pequot Press.
