Spillane, Mickey

Spillane, Mickey (Frank Morrison Spillane), 1918–2006, American mystery writer, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. After contributing stories to comic books and pulp magazines, Spillane wrote his first novel, I, the Jury (1947), a best seller that introduced the ruthless detective Mike Hammer. A master of violence-filled hard-boiled mystery fiction, Spillane wrote a series of books featuring Hammer that, like the first, were fast-paced and filled with sex and sadism. They include My Gun Is Quick (1950), The Big Kill (1951), Kiss Me Deadly (1952), and The Girl Hunters (1962), and the books spawned several films and television series. Spillane also churned out more than 20 other books, e.g., The Deep (1961), The Last Cop Out (1973), The Killing Man (1989), and Black Alley (1996), wrote two childrens' books and several screen- and teleplays, and was a producer and an actor, specializing in tough-guy detective roles.