Born in
Rochester, New York, his first job was writing and acting in
Catskills resort shows with his brother
Garson Kanin. In 1939, he was signed to a screenwriting contract at
RKO. He married RKO co-worker
Fay Mitchell in 1940, and collaborated with her on many projects including the Broadway play Goodbye, My Fancy (1948), the western The Outrage (1964), based on the Japanese film Rashomon (1950). The couple received an
Academy Award nomination for Teacher's Pet (1958).
References
^Collins, Glenn (March 16, 1993). "Michael Kanin, 83, Film Writer For Hepburn and Tracy, Is Dead." The New York Times.