Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1930, Manley was educated at the Marist School in Atlanta and went on to study English literature at Emory University, where he graduated B.A.
He taught English at Yale University from 1959 to 1964 before returning to Emory as an associate professor in 1964.
He remained there until his retirement in 2000, from 1982 as Charles Howard Candler Professor of Renaissance Literature.
From around 1970, Manley published as a creative artist, with poems, plays, short stories and novels to his name.
Frank Manley Elementary School in Drayton Plains, Michigan was named in his honor.