On March 9, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, Frank Spillane was born to his parents Anne and John Spillane. Shortly afterwards, he was baptized with the middle name Michael in the Catholic church of his father. Later, he was also christened with the middle name Morrison in the Protestant church of his mother, the name by which his teachers at school would address him. Both his parents had nicknames for him, but it was his father's which would endure; Mickey. His father worked as a bartender in a rough New Jersey neighborhood while young Mickey went to school. He was an athletic youth, excelling in football and swimming. But sports were not the only area he excelled in. It was during his high school years that he began his writing career, with his first piece being published shortly after graduation. Early in his career, he would often have his work published under pseudonyms, Frank Morrison being one of them.

After high school, he studied briefly at Kansas State Teachers College, though he ended up spending most of his time there playing football. When he left Kansas State, he returned to New York. He went to work at Gimbel's ( Gimbel of Saks 5th Avenue fame ) but soon got bored and decided to try something different. That something was comic book writing. However, before he could pursue his career any further, World War II broke out. Mickey enlisted in the Air Force shortly afterwards. His superiors soon took notice of the promising young man and promoted him to fighter pilot instructor, effectively keeping him stateside and out of the action. As fate would have it, it was while stationed in Greenwood, Mississippi that he met Mary Ann Pearce, who, in 1945, became his first wife. They later had four children, Kathy, Ward, Michael and Caroline.

After World War II ended, he, along with his new wife Mary Ann, returned to New York in 1946. He bought a plot of land and decided to build a new home on it. To do so required a thousand dollars, a thousand dollars more than he had. So, in order to raise the money, he decided to write a book. He based it on a comic book character called Mike Danger he had created early in his career. That book was 'I, The Jury'. It was published by E.P.Dutton in 1947, introducing the world to Mike Hammer, the character who would dominate many books to come. The hardcover edition didn't sell very well, but the paperback sold more than enough to finance the construction of his new home. He continued to write, often writing a book in as little as a month. However, as more books were published, ( with each book selling progressively more copies ) the attacks by the critics also grew, shunning the sexual and violent nature of his stories. At one point, he even became a target of Dr. Fredric Wertham, famous for creating the false idea that comic books were responsible for the corruption of America's youth. Even though he shrugged off this and other attacks publicly, privately he was hurt. He began to retreat from his celebrity hobnobbing and instead, began living up to the image of being a 'beer-drinking blue collar writer'. ( Which, ironically enough, later led to his famous Miller Beer commercials. ) What the critics didn't seem to understand about his work was that he was writing to an audience that consisted largely of ex-servicemen who had just come out of World War II. These men didn't have to imagine too hard what the world of Mike Hammer might be like, considering what they had just gone through.

In the years between 1947 and 1952, Mickey wrote and published seven books, each of which sold in the millions. ( And continue to sell in reprint form ) The last of these books, published in 1952, was 'Kiss Me, Deadly', which later became one of his best selling books. It was to be his last published book for the decade. Many rumors abounded as to why he stopped writing at the peak of his popularity, but only those close to him and Mickey himself know the real reason/s.

Though no books were published, Mickey continued to write. During this decade, he wrote many short pieces which were printed in various magazines, including Manhunt. These were later collected and reprinted. Also, he wrote some non-fiction pieces, recorded the album 'Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Story', in which he plays the part of Mike Hammer, and wrote a year's worth of Mike Hammer comic strips. ( Which were also collected and reprinted in book format )

On the less literary side, he also did some circus work, which included getting shot out of a cannon as well as being involved in a trampoline act. Other activities included stock car racing, flying, fencing, diving for sunken treasure and some film work, including appearing as himself in 'Ring of Fear' produced by the Duke, John Wayne.

After nearly a decade, Mickey began publishing books again, starting with 'The Deep'(1961), not to be confused with Peter Benchley's book of the same name. This book was followed by the long awaited return of Mike Hammer in 'The Girl Hunters' (1962). 'The Girl Hunters' was made into a film that starred Mickey Spillane as Mike Hammer, whose script was co-written by Mickey. Unlike his books, most critics praised his acting. He has since appeared in a number of other films and television shows, including the Columbo series and the famous Miller Beer commercials as Mike Hammer/himself.

In November of 1965, several years after his divorce with his first wife Mary Ann, he married Sherri (Selma) Malinou, actress and Mike Hammer cover model. (Posed for several book covers over the years, but not recently) Most of their time was spent apart. His time was spent writing and fishing off his boat while living in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina while her time was spent pursuing her acting and singing career between New York and Hollywood. She appeared in Mickey's own production of 'The Delta Factor' and on the covers of 'The Erection Set' and 'The Last Cop Out'. Their marriage, however, came to an end in 1983, thankfully with very little publicity.

In October of that same year, Mickey married Jane Johnson, a 'local girl' who lived quite close to him in Murrells Inlet, where he now resides. She was a fitness instructor and former beauty queen. A few years before their marriage ( 1979 to be more precise ) he published his first young adult book, 'The Day The Sea Rolled Back', which ended up receiving a Junior Literary Guild Award. This book was followed up several years later with another young adult book, 'The Ship That Never Was'.