bio notes:
born: 3/9/1918
died: 7/17/2006
born as: Frank Morrison Spillane
nationality: USA

American wrtier of pulp detective fiction, whose popular work is characterized by violence and sexual licentiousness. Spillane began his career by writing for pulp magazines and comic books in order to pay for his schooling. His first novel - I, the Jury (1947) - introduced detective Mike Hammer, who appeared in other works, such as My Gun Is Quick (1950), The Big Kill (1951), and Kiss Me Deadly (1952). In the early 1950s Spillane retired from writing. Ten years later he resumed his career with The Deep (1961). Spillane wrote the script and played the role of Hammer for the 1963 film version of The Girl Hunters (1962). Day of the Guns (1964) initiated another series, with the international agent Tiger Mann. Among Spillane's later books were The Erection Set (1972), The Last Cop Out (1973), and The Killing Man (1989). He also wrote two books for children and a book of short stories. - Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature