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.