Amis was born on 17 June 1922 in Dulwich, London, England. He studied at Dulwich College. Amis was the cousin of Kingsley Amis. In 1949, he married the violinist Olive Zorian. The marriage was dissolved in 1955 and Zorian died in 1965. Amis died on 1 August 2013 from natural causes, aged 91.