Frank Miller is a renowned writer of graphic novels best known for his work on Batman and for 300 and Sin City. He has produced and directed films based on his work and has also done some work as an actor.

Frank Miller was born on January 27, 1957, in Olney, Maryland, and he grew up in Montpelier, Vermont. As a child he adored comics, fuelling a desire for the fantastic that seemed to set him apart from other people. In his early teens he set them aside and tried to adjust himself to the real world, but instead ended up taking refuge in books and movies, which have remained one of his major interests. He especially enjoyed thrillers and acknowledges that these have contributed a great deal to his work.

After moving out of his parents' house, Miller was desperately poor, often struggling to find enough to eat, but he was determined to make it as an artist. He was first published in The Twilight Zone in 1978 and he followed this up with penciling work for DC Comics and Marvel. This included two episodes of Spectacular Spider-man which featured Daredevil. When Gene Colan left his job as penciller on the Daredevil comic, Miller successfully campaigned to become his replacement, and it was thus that he established himself as a regular in the comics world.

Although Daredevil was only a B-list comic, Miller was determined to make it a success. He started taking his sketch book around New York to work on authentic locations and he introduced a new film noir atmosphere and ideas from Japanese Manga which proved a hit with readers. He was also important in developing the character of Elektra, whose story he would later continue in comics of her own. The astounding growth of Daredevil in his hands led him to become one of the most in-demand creative artists in the industry and he also worked on Wolverine and Ronin before moving on to the big time with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

Miller's work on Batman took place at a critical time in the development of the industry, when it was first understood that there was a considerable adult market for comics. It was hugely influential, dispensing with the cheerful camp of earlier versions and introducing a much darker aesthetic which would later be seen in the film adaptations by Tim Burton. It also represented Miller's first work with artist Lynn Varley, whom he would go on to marry. However, the introduction of adult themes led to a dispute with DC Comics, who wanted to introduce a ratings systems for their products, which led to Miller leaving them and setting up as an independent. He has since become a notable anti-censorship campaigner.

Working independently, Miller began to concentrate more heavily on writing and expanded into the movies, creating the scripts for Robocop 2, with Peter Weller, and its sequel. He would later write the big screen adaptation of Elektra. Meanwhile, he reinvented the crime comics genre with Sin City, notable for its dramatic restricted palette artwork, which Robert Rodriguez made into a film. He made a brief appearance in this as a priest. He also created 300, based on a real historical incident in which three hundred Spartan soldiers defended a pass against the full might of the Persian army, which has recently been filmed by Zack Snyder and stars Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West, Rodrigo Santoro, and Vincent Regan.

Miller is now divorced and is working on further Batman projects and a script for a film version of Will Eisner's The Spirit.

YUDDY