Dodie Smith

Dorothy Gladys "Dodie" Smith (1896-1990), English novelist and playwright.

First play: Autumn Crocus, 1931.

First novel: I Capture the Castle, 1948.

Most likely to be recognised by general public for: Novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians (1956), the basis for the Disney animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

Random trivia: Pongo, the canine protagonist of The Hundred and One Dalmatians, was named after Smith's own pet dalmatian, the first of nine.

Dodie Smith's autobiography was published in four volumes, respectively: Look Back with Love: a Manchester Childhood (1974), Look Back with Mixed Feelings (1978), Look Back with Astonishment (1979), and Look Back with Gratitude (1985).