Warren was born in South Bend, Indiana in 1946, the youngest of three children. Excelling in sports at South Bend Central High School, he earned a scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles, where he majored in television, radio and film. Mike later became an All-American basketball star at UCLA under the legendary John Wooden, and served as the team's captain for two years. His Bruins teammates would include Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor), Lynn Shackleford, and Lucius Allen. His strong leadership and prowess on the court as a guard helped propel UCLA to two NCAA national championships during the years 1966-1968.

Following an unbilled role as a basketball referee in the film "Halls of Anger" (1970), Mike received his first big acting break by chance when a job as a technical consultant for the basketball sequences in director Jack Nicholson's film "Drive, He Said" (1971) led to an on-camera featured role in the film. Developing an ad agency in Los Angeles to counterbalance the unsteadiness of a fledgling acting career, he landed some commercial work here and there before earning his first regular role on the short-lived TV series "Sierra" (1974).

He proceeded to take his earnest young mug to such "blaxploitation" films as "Cleopatra Jones" (1973) and to daytime programming with a 1976 stint on "Days of Our Lives" (1965). After more episodic work and a failed series pilot, not to mention a supporting role in the basketball-themed comedy "Fast Break" (1979), Mike hit the TV jackpot with the award-winning, critically-acclaimed "Hill Street Blues" (1981).

Possessing the same kind of street savvy and cerebral handsomeness as Denzel, Mike seemed a shoo-in for film stardom. Instead, his career moved rather slow and erratically after the end of his hit series in 1987. He did co-star with Cicely Tyson in the holiday season greeter "The Kid Who Loved Christmas" (1990) (TV), and with D.B. Sweeney portraying a basketball coach in "Heaven Is a Playground" (1991), but, outside of this, nothing of great significance followed. Other series work came and went, the best of the bunch being a recurring role on the series "Soul Food"(2000).

Nevertheless, Mike continues to work, has a stable home life and currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jenny. They have four children.