Donald Patrick Conroy (October 26, 1945 – March 4, 2016) was an American author who wrote several acclaimed novels and memoirs. His books The Water is Wide, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, and The Great Santini were made into films, with the last two being nominated for Oscars. He is recognized as a leading figure of late-20th-century Southern literature.

Born the eldest of seven children in a rigidly disciplined military household, Conroy attended the Citadel, the military college of South Carolina. He briefly became a schoolteacher, an experience he chronicled in his memoir The Water Is Wide, before publishing his first novel, The Boo. Conroy lived on Fripp Island, South Carolina until his death.

Conroy passed away on March 4, 2016, at his home due to complications of pancreatic cancer. He was 70 years old at the time of his death.