He was born in New York City. Married Anita Melnick, 1949 (divorced), 3 children (Ted, Mark, Richard); married Mary Vann Finley, 1973 (divorced), 1 stepdaughter (Amanda); married Dragica Dimitrijevic, 1997.

During World War II he served in the US Navy, and then took a university degree, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. A few months of teaching in high school were followed by a job in a literary agency in New York. He describes himself at this time as "fiercely ambitious", doing a full day's work in the agency and spending all his nights and weekends writing. His first success, published under the name Evan Hunter, was THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE (1954) -- a tough novel of New York life, about an idealistic teacher in a slum high school. It was later made into a film with Glenn Ford and Sidney Poitier.

Since then he has written more than eighty novels, writing under several names, but most famously as Evan Hunter and Ed McBain. He has also written many screenplays, including the one for Hitchcock's film THE BIRDS. As Ed McBain, he is the author of the 87th Precinct novels, the longest, the most varied, and possibly the most popular crime series in the world. These novels are about a team of policemen, usually including Detective Steve Carella, and are set in an "imaginary city". There are fifty-two 87th Precinct novels.

He died in 2005.