Mike Hammer (character)
| Mike Hammer | |
|---|---|
Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer in the 1955 film Kiss Me Deadly. | |
| First appearance | I, the Jury (1947) (first novel by Mickey Spillane) |
| Created by | Mickey Spillane (series continued by Max Allan Collins after Spillane's death) |
| Portrayed by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Private detective |
| Nationality | American |
Michael Hammer is a fictional character created by the American author Mickey Spillane. Hammer debuted in the 1947 book I, the Jury, and appeared in 13 novels by Spillane (the final published 1996), and 15 more published by Max Allan Collins after Spillane's death and based on Spillane's notes or incomplete manuscripts.
Spillane's Mike Hammer books were immensely successful in the 1950s, and Spillane's books rank among the best-selling fiction in modern publishing history with estimated sales over 100 million to 200 million. The Hammer character was also adapted to film and television on multiple occasions between the 1950s and early 2000s.
Hammer is a no-holds-barred private investigator whose love for his secretary Velda is outweighed only by his willingness to kill a killer. Hammer's best friend is Pat Chambers, Captain of NYPD Homicide. Hammer was a World War II army veteran who spent two years fighting jungle warfare in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II against Japan.