Donald Patrick Conroy (October 26, 1945 – March 4, 2016) was an American author renowned for his works in Southern literature. He penned several acclaimed novels and memoirs. His notable works include The Water is Wide, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, and The Great Santini, all of which were adapted into films, with the latter two receiving Oscar nominations.

Conroy was born the eldest of seven children in a strictly disciplined military family. He attended the Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, and briefly worked as a schoolteacher, an experience he detailed in the memoir The Water Is Wide. He resided on Fripp Island, South Carolina, until his passing in 2016 due to pancreatic cancer.